LONDON, Great Britain - Julia Goerges will take on 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal after coming back from a set down to defeat Kiki Bertens.

Bertens came into the match leading 2-0 in the pair’s head-to-head record - including the Charleston final earlier this year - but today was the first time the two meet on a surface other than Bertens’ beloved clay.

The No.13-seeded German had to come back from a set down and manage the tricky Bertens game, but she recovered emphatically to record the 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory in just under two hours.

Goerges and Bertens - good friends off the court - were evenly matched for much of the opening set - there were no break points on offer in the first six games, but every game was a prolonged battle, with each going to deuce or to 40-30 as they piled the pressure on each other. Bertens broke through late in the set, edging ahead at 5-3 and serving out the opening set.

But Georges settled her nerves and came roaring back in the second, keeping the points short and playing first-strike tennis to grab an early break and lead 4-1. But Bertens dug her heels in to make things difficult for her, breaking back and dodging set points at 5-5. Goerges righted the ship to reel off the last two games in a row and send them match into a decider.

It was one-way traffic for the German in the third as she finally deciphered the Bertens game to grab two breaks in a row and win nine of the last 10 points to close out the match after an hour and 57 minutes.

More to follow...