JORDANNE Whiley’s bid to win a fifth Wimbledon ladies’ wheelchair doubles title with Yui Kamiji came to an end in a thrilling semi-final.

The wildcard pairing twice served for the match, but lost 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 to top seeds Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot in the fading light on Court 17.

Whiley, from Steventon, was beaten by Kamiji in the opening round of the singles yesterday as she made her grand slam return following the birth of her son.

Reuniting their successful partnership which heralded the calendar grand slam in 2014, the pairing dominated the first set, with the Oxfordshire star using her powerful groundstrokes to full effect.

But they were unable to convert their opportunities in the second set, before De Groot and Van Koot dominated the tie-break to level the match.

The momentum had shifted, with Kamiji being forced to play a large number of balls as Whiley’s hard-hitting was nullified.

The Dutch pair raced into a 3-0 lead in the final set and a sublime forehand from Van Koot ended a lengthy rally to make it 4-1.

Whiley and Kamiji saved one match point, but they were unable to do so for a second time as the top seeds triumphed in 2hrs 25mins.