No excuses as Venus eclipsed

Venus Williams became ladies' singles runner-up after her loss to her sister Serena in the final. To the victor, the spoils. To the vanquished, a sparsely populated interview room. Barely half an hour after netting a forehand and slipping to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 defeat, Venus was forced to relive the ordeal in a trial by press in a half-empty interview room. At least the opponent she was heaping praise on was her own sister. “She played so well, really lifted her game, and I had an error here and there,” said the elder sibling. “I also think I played well too, but she just seemed to play a little bit better. “She played great, especially in the tiebreak. I don't think I did too many things wrong, but I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner. She just played a lot of great shots today.” The five-time Wimbledon champion refused to blame her ailing left knee, which has been heavily strapped throughout the tournament, saying on six occasions “I have no complaints”. She also stubbornly refused to accept that her service, usually one of the greatest weapons in the women’s game, was below par, particularly her second serve. “I don't agree on that, because she had a hard time stepping in on my second. It has a lot of side spin on it and bounces [at an angle]. It's more difficult to step into,” she said, describing how her service works when it is firing on all cylinders. On Saturday, however, she won only 56% of points on it compared with 77% in her semi-final rout of Dinara Safina. “I think towards the end I was too far behind the baseline,” she continued, dissecting her performance. “I did realise that, but at that point it was a little deep into the match. I definitely would have liked to have moved forward. A lot of times when I had the short balls, they were really low, and it's hard to come in on those and actually hit an effective shot.” The long and the short of it, however, was that Venus was not the one lifting the trophy that bears her name – the Venus Rosewater Dish – and seeing her sister all smiles was no consolation. “There's no easy [way] to losing, especially when it's so close to the crown. Either way, it’s not easy. ”

Champion Serena laughs off No.2 ranking

Serena takes a moment to inspect her trophy after he straight sets win in the ladies' singles final. As far as backhands go it was as good as anything Serena Williams delivered on her way to the 2009 ladies singles title at Wimbledon. After winning the title, Williams, the French Open quarter-finalist and reigning Australian and US Open champion, was asked a series of questions about being ranked number two in the world behind Dinara Safina, a player who has never won a Grand Slam. Williams began her answers diplomatically, although with a sprinkle of irony. That sprinkle became a torrent and at one stage Williams was belly laughing after saying: “I think Dinara did a great job to get to No. 1. She won Rome and Madrid.” Serena clearly knew she was in dangerous territory by this stage as she bit her tongue and moved on to the next question. But her answers made it abundantly clear what her feelings are on the world rankings and her place in women’s tennis. “I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No.1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so... You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No.2, I guess. I'd rather definitely be No.2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any. “I think the girl, Dinara, who is No.1, you can clearly see by her physique how hard she works. You can't get anywhere by not doing the best and not working your hardest. So, you know, I'm happy for her. I'm really excited that I won Wimbledon, though, because, like I said, I'd rather win that than not win the Championships.” It was another entertaining performance from the champion in her final press conference of the tournament. She spoke in glowing terms about her sister Venus, the beaten finalist and defending champion, and Billie Jean King, the player whose Grand Slam record she equalled with her 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory. After being filmed looking at the honours board in the clubhouse after the trophy presentation, Serena said she believed her name “should have been there at least once more”. But the very next question she said she was not interested in her legacy. “I'm really just playing for me, whether I'm the greatest or not. I can't even put myself in a sentence with the greatest, because I think of people like Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King. “They were such great champions. To even be mentioned with those people is a real honour to me. I feel like I'm really young. I feel like I'm only thinking about my career and continued playing.”

Sisters sweep to doubles crown

Four finalists line up: Serena Williams,Venus Williams,Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The Williams sisters conquered Wimbledon again after they won a battle of power against guile to retain their doubles crown. Venus and Serena triumphed 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 against the Australian pairing of Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in a late, enthralling match on Centre Court. They had to survive a first set scare as Stosur and Stubbs raced into a 4-2 set lead. Stosur, who was beaten 6-2, 6-2 with previous partner Lisa Raymond by Venus and Serena in last year’s final, was in particularly inspired form early on, helping to break the Serena serve at 2-1. The Williams sister unsurprisingly looked a little tired following Serena’s earlier victory over Venus in the singles final. But they soon came back, their renowned power game helping them to break the Stubbs serve and level at 4-4. Stosur and Stubbs continued to produce some high quality tennis to take the set to the tiebreak. But they were overpowered with Serena and Venus winning it 7-4 on their second set point. The Australians did well to remain in contention early in the second set as they wowed a near capacity Centre Court crowd with some exciting tennis and battling spirit, which was later acknowledged by their opponents. "They're a really good team, so they definitely pushed us to play our best tennis on the most important points," admitted Venus. Despite many long rallies the Williams sisters eventually broke Stosur and Stubbs’ resistance in the seventh game of the set. Stubbs once again lost her serve thanks to a fine volley by Serena at break point. Serena celebrated as if the game was up. And there was, indeed, no way back for the Australians despite Stosur holding serve in the next game. Serena closed out the match at 5-4 to ensure another Williams clean sweep of the ladies’ trophies. Serena admitted she was just as happy to add the doubles title to her earlier singles win. "It feels great to win the doubles," she said. "You can go home with two titles. There's nothing like winning a title with your sister. It's really a good feeling." Centre Court - Ladies' Doubles - Finals Serena Williams USA (4)/ Venus Williams USA (4) 77 6 Samantha Stosur AUS (3)/ Rennae Stubbs AUS (3) 64 4

Venus cracks in final act

Final hug It is rare for Venus and Serena Williams to need time apart from one another. But in the moments after the younger sibling became the new Wimbledon champion and the two sisters embraced at the net, that was when the moment came. Just for a minute or maybe two, they needed space from one another. Serena waved and bowed to the crowd, hand on her heart and then her forehead, struggling to take in her first Wimbledon win in six years. Venus, the vanquished champion who had planned on taking a sixth title today, sat in her chair at courtside staring one of those thousand-mile stares that come to us all now and again when we think on what might have been. Her face was utterly drained at the knowledge that the prize that most defines her had been taken away. So much of the sisters’ lives are metaphorically entwined. They are endlessly compared, endlessly contrasted, endlessly mentioned in the same breath. And today they lined up for their 11th Grand Slam face-off, with the Williams monopoly of women’s tennis still going strong a decade after it began. Waiting to go on court the two of them looked tense, carefully not looking at one another, minds focused on the serious business ahead. When battle commenced, the first set was fittingly intense. It seemed appropriate given the potency of their mutual relationship, and the huge degree of public attention always focused on them whenever they play one another. Sometimes it seems that we who watch demand of these sibling encounters a standard of tennis we rarely require from other matches. We constantly insist that they “prove” to us they are really trying when they face one another across the net, especially when the most glittering prizes are at stake. Neither is permitted a bad day at the office. There must always be some deep dark meaning behind the failure of either to produce their best. For long periods of the first set there was not much between them. Rallies tended to be short, punctuated by a few powerful exchanges where each had the other running from side to side of the court. But what was really noticeable was the way Serena was serving. Perhaps mindful of the fact that her 20 aces in her semi-final against Elena Dementieva kept her in that match at the most critical moments, she easily and quite unexpectedly out-aced her older sister, amassing eight to Venus’ one in that first set. Venus could hardly take a point from Serena’s serve, and it became increasingly clear that if the set went as far as the tiebreak Serena would be in good shape. But when Venus had her chance to prevent the set running its full course – with two break points at 4-3 – she failed to convert. The tiebreak came and Serena bludgeoned her way through it, finishing off with a beautifully judged lob to take it 7-3. From the guest box the sisters were watched as usual by the calm presence of their mother Oracene Price. As usual, their father Richard Williams was absent, having long held a policy that he never watches his daughters on those occasions when they play each other. (“My work is done,” he likes to say.) But a great battery of former women’s champions here were present in the Royal Box including Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Ann Jones, Christine Janes, Angela Barrett and Maria Bueno. Incongruously among them, the Hollywood star Ben Stiller was also a Royal Box guest. They watched a second set where it soon became clear that Venus – so dominant throughout these Championships – was rapidly losing confidence. Her key weapon, her serve, was losing speed, while Serena was continuing to amass aces without double faults. At 2-3 a Venus mis-hit off the frame of her racket brought up Serena’s first chance to break in the entire match. In the event she did not need to do anything to convert it, because Venus delivered a double fault. Invulnerable to mental pressure in any other match throughout the fortnight, she could not hold it together at the crucial moment against her sister. Not since the Wimbledon final of 2006 (between Justine Henin and victorious Amelie Mauresmo) has a women’s Grand Slam decider gone to a third set. The chance of such an event here was receding by the moment as the confidence of Venus crumbled visibly. At 2-5 came a succession of four separate Championship points. Three went by, but the last was too much. Serena sank to her knees and perhaps that was the moment when the two of them were briefly separated – one the victor, one the vanquished, the indivisible divided just for now.

Serena seizes crown from Venus

Serena shows her trophy to the crowd.

This time the Williams family battle, so often conducted on the lawns of the All England Club, went the way of Serena as she removed the ladies' singles championship from the custody of her older sister Venus. In straight sets, too, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in 87 minutes. Serena had been saying from the start of these Championships that it was her turn to win Wimbledon. And since the Williamses have turned this event into a private affair, the only one she really needed to defeat was Venus. The job was accomplished in typical powerful style, with Venus so worn down that her own game collapsed spectacularly from 2-2 in the second set. This was Serena’s third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam and was ample amends for her loss to her big sister 12 months ago. It was well deserved as Venus admitted, saying: "Serena had the answer for everything and played the best tennis today, so congratulations." Serena expressed disbelief that she was finally holding once more the trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, which might have been named for her sister, who has won it five times, and paid full tribute: "Venus is the greatest on this surface." At which they both went off for a rest before playing the doubles final. Today, the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day, Venus was far from the best. Her progress to the final had been more impressive, contained fewer games and less stress, but there was not enough in the tank today once the match hit its stride. With four great Wimbledon champions, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Maria Bueno and Virginia Wade, watching from the Royal Box, this contest between the current oligarchs of the women's game was conducted for much of the first set at a comparatively sedate pace and in front of a muted audience as both finalists held serve comfortably, with the occasional explosion coming from a Serena ace. Not until the eighth game did the excitement build, when Serena went two break points down. Here was the opportunity for Venus to impose her authority. But the first break point escaped her when she got a bad bounce and the second got away, too, when, faced with a gaping court, she overhit her forehand. Having been reprieved, Serena pressed the power switch and came up with successive aces. She was off the hook and was never subsequently in the slightest danger. A tiebreak to decide the first set was an inevitability, with an indication of the tension coming as both women issued their first challenge on the Hawk-Eye line-calling system. By then Serena was already ahead in the tiebreak by three points to one and tried to make it 4-1 by claiming a Venus shot had been out. No, said the system, it was on the line. By the time Venus got in her own challenge, which was upheld, she was set point down and although Hawk-Eye delayed the inevitable, it was for only one more point as Serena left sister stranded with a perfect backhand lob after 52 minutes. The second set proceeded uneventfully to 3-2 in Serena's favour before Venus and her first service action parted company. One of her second serves trundled over the net at 66mph, which is food and drink to Serena. Venus then double faulted on break point to give her a 4-2 lead, and the destination of the title was set as Serena moved to a 5-2 lead with a love game. The final Venus service game was another catalogue of errors as she faced, and fought off, three match points before capitulating on the fourth with a backhand into the netting. Centre Court - Ladies' Singles - Finals Venus Williams USA (3) 63 2 Serena Williams USA (2) 77 6

Sisters shine on day of finals

Serena and Venus Williams are the ladies' singles winner and runner-up for 2009 Serena Williams deprived her sister Venus of a hat-trick of consecutive wins in a comprehensive 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory in the women’s singles final. The younger sister stepped up her game at important moments, pulling away in the tiebreak and then breaking midway through the second set to put the match beyond Venus’s reach. For nigh on an hour, there was no quarter asked and none given between the 29-year-old number three seed and the 27-year-old second seed. Only two games went to deuce, one on each service, but in the tiebreak Serena was that little bit better. “I don't think I did too many things wrong,” said Venus ruefully after the match. “But I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner.” The second set began much like the first, but then Venus’s serve, usually her greatest weapon, particularly on grass, deserted her. In the sixth game, she sliced a second serve at a mere 66mph that Serena devoured. A break point ensued and worse was to come as Venus double-faulted for the third time in the match, virtually handing the title to Serena. Venus was understandably subdued after the match, refusing either to blame her ailing knee or question her equally faltering serve. Serena, meanwhile, was boisterous, holding court in a press conference where she sported a T-shirt with a risqué slogan and made sideways remarks at Dinara Safina, the world number one who has yet to win a Grand Slam while Serena currently holds three, and the WTA ranking system for allowing such a situation to come about. The sisters were back a few hours later for the women's doubles final, playing the Australians Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The first set was a close battle, with some thrilling exchanges around the net. It went to a tiebreak that the Williams sisters won 7-4. The second set involved Venus and Serena battering their opponents with powerful shots as the Australians tried to mount a brave defence. But the American pair were too strong and they took the set 6-4 to claim their fourth Wimbledon doubles title. The men’s doubles was a typically epic affair, stretching over four sets. Second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic eventually prevailed over top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, retaining the title that they won last year. The first three sets all went to tiebreaks. In the girls’ singles final, Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn put the disappointment of last year’s loss to Laura Robson behind her as she came from a set down to defeat top seed and Roland Garros champion Kristina Mladenovic of France, who struggled with a knee injury as the match wore on.

Venus is from another planet

On one side the power and the glory. On the other utter humiliation.

Rarely can a Wimbledon semi-final have illustrated those two contrasting emotions so starkly as Venus Williams' 6-1 6-0 demolition of Russia's Dinara Safina.

It lasted 51 minutes, the second shortest women's semi-final in the open era.

And when the horror show was over for the 23-year-old Russian and Venus was through to her eighth Wimbledon singles final, the fourth against sister Serena, there was one obvious, if bewildering, question hanging in the air over SW19.

How can the world number one be so devastatingly eclipsed in a grand slam semi-final by the number three seed?

Two reasons.

First, Venus has taken power and precision to a new level this Wimbledon, aided by the hot weather, the fast courts and a desire to lift the Venus Rosewater dish for the sixth time.

Second, the world rankings matter not a jot. They reward quantity over quality which allows Safina to trawl the world amassing a sackful of ranking points while the Williamses focus on grand slams.

At the last count they have 17 of those to their name with another to come on Sunday, while Safina has none, having lost in three finals.

Not that Venus was about to pile any more humiliation on the Russian.

"I respect Dinara Safina. I think women's tennis is fantastic," was all Venus would say to questions about the ranking system.

"The score showed my level of play. I was dictating on every point and there was a lot of pressure on her. I am really pleased with my form playing against the number one. My experience on grass helped me a lot.

"Dinara tried 100 per cent until the match was over. I didn't take anything for granted. She just tried for too much."

Safina, meanwhile, pointed out that she had been in the final of the other two grand slams this year, the French and Australian Opens, and admitted that she struggled on grass.

Safina said of her opponent: "She's too good on grass. It's not my favourite surface and it is her favourite.

"It was disappointing but I have to accept it. Reaching the semi this year means maybe I can change my mentality on grass and come back with more expectations. She gave me a pretty good lesson but it would be different on clay."

Perhaps, but Williams would never have gone down so abjectly on any surface. This semi-final was over almost as soon as it began, Venus winning the first nine points.

Safina knew her only chance was to trade fire with fire but her groundstrokes carried nowhere near the heat, nor accuracy, of her opponent while her serve was distinctly lukewarm by comparison.

One Williams ace in the third game clocked in at 124mph, the fastest serve so far in the women's tournament and one many of the men would have been delighted with.

The placement and spin were also superior which is why even Serena could struggle to live with her big sister if she takes her form this fortnight into Saturday's final.

Safina, by contrast, simply went into meltdown, not an unusual occurrence for members of the Safin family, and she won just eight points in the second set. Not so much a competitor as a spectator to Williams' superiority.

The final will be closer if only because as Venus pointed out: "We both play a similar game. We have the same teacher."

So how do they separate their relationship as sisters and as rivals?

"Well, it's real easy when you get a serve at about 127mph and it comes back as a winner," said Venus. "You soon realise you're playing against an awesome player and you really better get on your toes.

"I'm happy for her to be in the final and I don't necessarily want her to lose, but I want to win. I need to get my titles too and I'm the big sister."

Their head-to-head record is tied at 10-10 but in terms of Wimbledon, Venus is leading that particular tally by five titles to two.

The only thing for sure once more is that the power and the glory once more will be with the family Williams.

Quotes of the day - 03 July 2009

Serena Williams attacks the net during her semi-final match in the Ladies Doubles.

“Are you ready to get out of here (laughter)?” With just two days ago until the end of Wimbledon 2009, Serena Williams has clearly had enough of press conferences. “What would my advice be? I won't be giving them any advice because I'll be heading home tonight.” Andy, if you are looking for tips about how to contend with Roger Federer, beaten semi-finalist Tommy Haas is probably not the best man to go to. “Trying to achieve the fifth straight Wimbledon, equaling Borg's record. For some reason that meant the world to me. I was like in a bubble for two weeks, just trying to achieve it.” We are glad Roger Federer was able to burst that bubble in time to come back and try and win a sixth Wimbledon title. “I think it's been very good. I did better than I ever had before. I had some very good matches. And, you know, I thought I played good tennis.” Andy Murray gives a summary of his Wimbledon 2009 “I believe I can win a Grand Slam, whether it's Wimbledon or US Open or Australia or whatever, I'm going to give myself chances.” And a dose of positivity thrown in for good measure too. See you next year Andy Murray. “She didn't really know much about tennis, so she thought I was playing real great (laughter). She thought I looked cute in the shorts.” Andy Roddick gives an insight into wife Brooklyn Decker's world of tennis. “I've developed a little bit of rapport with the fans. Maybe you guys helping me by asking me a bunch of goofy questions and me giving a bunch of goofy answers.” Why does Rick Astley come to mind?

Ladies' Singles Final Preview

Serena Williams stays focused on Centre Court during her semi-final against Elena Dementieva. You would imagine that Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, home of the Williams sisters, is celebrating now. Another publicity boost for the old town. That sort of thing. Apparently not. They take the ongoing brilliance of Venus and Serena quite calmly, it seems. And the two women accept it because, as Venus points out, the United States is a big place where they have lots of stars in a multitude of sports. It seems that Venus and Serena are a bigger item here at Wimbledon than they are in Palm Beach Gardens. Richard Williams, their father and coach, announced after their respective semi-final victories on Friday that he was heading home "to cut the grass" rather than watch his daughters do battle with each other. He never watches them play each other, he says, never has done and never will. Since this will be their 21st meeting at professional level, Richard's grass must be extremely well tended. The grass on Centre Court is beginning to look a mite bare and scorched after the weather we have basked in for the past two weeks, but it will no doubt bear up for the bashing it will receive from the best pair in women's tennis as, once again, they go about disputing the destination of the Venus Rosewater Dish in the 123rd Championships, appropriately on the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day. Speaking of fourths, this will be the fourth time the two have met in the Wimbledon final, and is a repeat of the 2008 occasion, when Venus won in straight sets. Serena won the other two, back to back in 2002 and 2003 and she is muttering that is about time she won Wimbledon again. She has generally had the edge when it comes to Grand Slam finals against her older sister. Five of Venus' six defeats in the finals of majors have come at the hands of Serena, taking in the whole of the Grand Slam scene, the others being one in New York, one in Paris and one in Melbourne. So dominant have they been at Wimbledon that only one women's final in this new century has not included at least one Williams. That was in 2006, when Amelie Mauresmo beat Justine Henin. Both will be playing their 14th Grand Slam final, Serena's won-lost record being 10-3 and that of Venus a more modest 7-6. As usual, they have been sharing a house near the All England Club's grounds and acting in the sisterly fashion they insist is their habit, though they tend not to share the same courtesy car to bring them to their date with destiny. 'Venus is running like a deer right now, and Serena is hitting the ball as hard as a man' Each woman has won 10 of their 20 matches, what Serena calls "super intense". Asked whether they didn't sometimes tire of facing each other, Serena insisted: "The more we play the better it gets. This one here is for everything. This is what we dreamed of when we were growing up in Compton 20-something years ago. This is what we worked for, and this is what we want." Serena feels, quite rightly, that Venus is playing the best tennis of this year's Championships. She has not dropped a set, has lost just 19 games in six matches and has spent only six and a half hours on court. Serena, thanks to that marathon semi-final against Elena Dementieva, has a court time almost two hours longer, in which she has lost one set. The record of Venus, a five-time champion of Wimbledon like Roger Federer, shows how her game and the courts of London SW19 complement each other. She has now won 34 successive completed sets and has not conceded a set since the third round of the 2007 Championships. Though the two of them are thoroughly schooled in diplomacy when it comes to talking about the other, Venus emphasises the tremendous respect she has for her younger sibling (27 years of age, as opposed to 29): "Even if [Serena] is not playing her best, it is just that fight she has. There's so much to face when you play her. It's definitely a lot to get your mind around. We both play such a similar game. After all, we had the same teacher [their father]. But what is especially the same is the respect that we have for each other on and off the court." Venus concedes that a Grand Slam final against her sister is different from that against any other opponent. "It is different because I'm happy for her to be in the final, but I have to face her and defeat her. I don't necessarily want her to lose, but for sure I want me to win. “I don't ever like to see her disappointed in any way but, at the same time, I don't want to see myself disappointed. I need to get my titles, too. But I definitely want to play her in Grand Slam finals like this because the dream has come true for both of us, and for our family, too." Before taking himself off to attend to that lawn of his, Richard Williams declined to forecast this afternoon's winner, confining himself to these descriptions of his daughters. "Venus is running like a deer right now, and Serena is hitting the ball as hard as a man." There are some who feel that yet another all-Williams Wimbledon final is becoming rather repetitious, but the best players tend to come out on top, and these two are the best in the women's game, and have been for quite a few years now. Challengers have come and gone, but the Palm Beach Gardens girls motor on. It's a shame that they aren't making a bit more of it back there in Florida.

Williamses power into doubles final

Serena and Venus team up The Williams sisters’ domination of the ladies events continues after they destroyed top seeds Liezel Huber and Cara Black 6-1, 6-2, with an exhibition of poise and power to reach the doubles final. Venus and Serena will defend their crown just hours after facing each other in the singles final for the second year running. And Aussie pair Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs who beat Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual will not look forward to playing the Americans on this form. The Williamses did have a rather slow start to the match with Venus fortunate to hold serve in the first game of the match. But after that they never looked back with some terrific returns from Serena allowing the sisters to break the Huber serve at the first time of asking. Some fine volleying from Serena allowed her to hold serve before powerful play from both sisters led to them breaking Black in the next game. At 5-0, Huber did finally manage to hold and that prompted the No.1 Court crowd’s largest cheer of the match. But Serena closed out the first set and the Williams’ big-hitting continued in the second as they raced to a 4-0 lead. Black and Huber both managed to hold serve as the Zimbabwean/American pair, the highest ranked doubles players in the world, tried desperately to make the match a contest. But Venus held serve to see out the match in an hour and a minute and later confirmed they have taken the doubles just as seriously as the singles. “We've been so focused, and that's really been the key word this Championship,” the elder sister said. “Our focus has paid off so far.” Serena agreed: “We've been playing doubles a lot, even though we don't play every tournament. We actually have that team camaraderie. We've been getting a lot of experience, and we know what to do doubles wise.” Court 1 - Ladies' Doubles - Semifinals Cara Black ZIM (1)/ Liezel Huber USA (1) 1 2 Serena Williams USA (4)/ Venus Williams USA (4) 6 6

Americans on top in doubles

Williamses the conquerors The Williams sisters once again stole the headlines in the doubles with a faultless display on Court 18 against China's Zi Yan and Jie Zheng. Venus and Serena, both of whom had sealed victories of their own earlier in the day, completed a perfect "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 to ensure their place in the fourth round. But it was fellow Americans Bob and Mike Bryan who were the first duo to make it through to the fourth round on Day Seven with a convincing straight sets victory over Leos Friedl and David Skoch. The former Wimbledon doubles champions breezed through 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in just under an hour and a half to once again underline their status as genuine contenders for the men’s title. James Blake and Mardy Fish made it a hat-trick of wins for the Americans. overcoming 15th seeds Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. Defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic maintained their impressive record at SW19 after triumphing over the British team of Jamie Delgado and Jonathan Marray 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. The Bryan brothers returned later in the day to record second victories in the mixed doubles. Mike and Bob, playing alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Samantha Stosur respectively both cruised to straight set victories. Top ladies' seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber survived a scare against Czech duo Barbora Benesova Strycova and Iveta Benesova to advance to the next round. Black and Huber recovered from a one-set deficit to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. There was no such trouble for number two seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual who lived up to their billing by reaching the fourth round in relative ease with a straight sets 7-5, 6-3 win over Alla Kudryavtseva and Monica Niculescu. Elsewhere, there were four-set wins for Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach and Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles who beat Christopher Kas and Viktor Troicki and Prakash Amritraj and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi respectively.

Venus well aware of Serena's spirit

Venus follow through It all started in a tournament held at White City in Sydney. Serena Williams, a relative newcomer on the tour, was playing a match against Lindsay Davenport, who was ranked in the top five. At one stage, the rookie was losing 1-6, 2-5 and the crowd could get itself ready for the next match, which featured Serena's elder sister Venus. But Serena kept the crowd and big sister waiting as she fought back to win the match. If Venus didn't already know it by then, she learned that day that little sis Serena was a fighter. This afternoon, it was a case of history repeating itself. Venus was due second on Centre Court, once her sister's match against Elena Dementieva was finished. As she methodically prepared herself for her own challenge, she watched the scoreboard from Centre Court closely - partly to check when she would be due on court but also, of course, to check on Serena's progress. And once again, Serena fought back from the brink to keep Venus waiting. Today, she clawed her way back from a set down to end Elena Dementieva’s hopes of reaching her maiden Wimbledon final. Reflecting on her memories of that Australian tournament, Venus said: “I’ll just never forget. She came back and won that match. It was so intense. I just learned so much from that, her fight. I think that actually has a huge impression on my career, that one incident actually. “We saved the article. It was called White City’s Great Escape. Afterwards I would read it with an Australian accent. We read it over and over again, about how she overcame all the odds and won that match. That’s classic Serena Williams so it was a huge lesson for both of us.” This is exactly why Venus will not take her sister lightly when she faces her on the other side of the net for their 21st meeting in Saturday’s final. The women have a head-to-head tally that stands at 10 apiece and there will certainly be no room for any weaknesses on either side, Venus explained. “There’s not even time to think about kinks [in our games]. You have to play and play well, and that’s what I’m expecting in this final,” she said. “Even if [Serena] is not playing her best, just that fight she has, you’re facing that. It’s definitely a lot to get your mind around. So for me I’ll be focusing on getting past the player and the fight in the final.” But perhaps the five-time Wimbledon champion would have preferred a different opponent in the final? “No, I definitely wanted her to win today. It’s like if she didn’t win or if I didn’t win then the dream doesn’t come true that we’re both playing in the final. So I definitely want to play against her, because the dream has come true for both of us and for our family too.” But while Venus is happy that her younger sister is in the Saturday showdown, the defending champion won’t be taking the contest lightly. “I don’t want to see myself disappointed. I need to get my titles too."

Venus destroys Safina in 51 minutes

Venus Williams enjoys her semi-final triumph over world No.1 Dinara Safina. A brilliant performance by the five-times champion Venus Williams finally exposed the grasscourt weakness of Dinara Safina today. Such is Williams’ utter dominance on this surface that the world number one went into the match as the clear underdog, and Venus made it horribly clear why. Statistically, this was her easiest match of the tournament so far, as she swept aside Safina 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes to set up an all-Williams final against her younger sister Serena. Safina, who had never even reached the second week of Wimbledon before, much less the semi-final, had a miserable time of it in the opening set. For one thing, if she was hoping the crowd would get behind her, she was faced with a Centre Court that was perhaps one tenth full. Understandably, there had been something of an exodus after the marathon previous semi-final. But a greater concern for 23-year-old Safina was that the very first serve she faced in the match was a statement of intent by Williams, timed at 122mph. The game followed much the same pattern, with Venus brushing her aside to love. But much worse, she repeated the love scoreline when Safina came to serve. The Russian made a contribution with her 32nd double fault of the tournament, and Venus finished the job with a forehand pass. In fact, 29-year-old Williams won the opening nine points of the match without reply, the last being a serve of 124mph to match the fastest serve of the tournament so far – which naturally belonged to her in any case. Quite unexpectedly, a couple of Williams errors and a powerful Safina forehand brought up an opportunity to break back. But Safina let the chance pass with a forehand that was far too deep – although really she had no option but to go for the lines with every shot, which obviously left her far more exposed to the likelihood of error. It seemed possible she would get on the scoreboard with her next service game, but from 40-15 it slipped through her hands and she was 0-4. Four points later it was 0-5 when Venus delivered her third love game of the match. Safina was berating herself, hammering the soles of her shoes with her racket. She put together a reasonable sequence finally to make it 1-5, but another huge serve brought up two set points for Venus, and she wasted no time in converting one. The set had taken her 27 minutes, with 10 winners to just one unforced error. It was stunning stuff. If the first set was torture for Safina, the second was actually worse. It must have been little comfort that the overwhelming onslaught cannot have come as any huge surprise, so greatly were the odds stacked in Williams’ favour on this surface. But all tournament Safina has looked unconvincing, and it never seemed likely that she would overturn her unwanted statistic of being the world number one without having won a Grand Slam title. Worse, if anything Williams was taking the assault up a notch. She was not only serving marvellously but producing formidable returns, playing consistently as if the heavy strapping on her left knee was not hindering her in the slightest. At times the ball was hit so hard that Safina simply could not get out of the way in time to produce any useful reply. Safina shouted at herself to improve, but no progress materialised. She was 0-4 down in no time, with Venus in total control. Safina had no answer, and served another double fault to make it 0-5. The crowd had now returned to the Centre Court, but there was little left to see, and what there was made uncomfortable viewing, such was Safina’s misery. Williams made just one unforced error throughout the match to the Russian’s 16. Rarely can a world number one have been so embarrassed. It was the eighth Wimbledon semi-final of her career for Venus, and her eighth win. She has now won 34 successive sets at Wimbledon. It will be an all-American celebration in the women’s final on Independence Day. Centre Court - Ladies' Singles - Semifinals Dinara Safina RUS (1) 1 0 Venus Williams USA (3) 6 6

Williams sisters give tennis masterclass

Serena Williams battles Elena Dementieva for a place in the Ladies' final. We seem to have been here before: another Wimbledon final, another Williams family showdown. For the second year running and the fifth time in all, Venus and Serena will contest the ladies’ final on Saturday. The sisters are as close as sisters can be and yet they appear, in many ways, to be polar opposites. Venus is tall and rangy, a physique that has helped her become the best grass court player of her generation, while Serena is shorter, more muscular and more obviously aggressive in her approach to the pursuit of Grand Slam titles. Not that Venus is a shrinking violet on the court – far from it – it is just that she tends to keep her thoughts and her emotions to herself. The two sisters also took vastly differing routes to their Saturday appointment. Serena played the best match of the Ladies’ Championship so far – and the longest recorded for a semi-final here – by beating Elena Dementieva 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 while Venus took only 51 minutes to beat Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0. The sisters were, however, united in one thing: they both put on a masterclass in the art of being a champion. For Serena, it was a case of passion and courage being just enough to bring her through the toughest of tests. Dementieva ran her ragged, she harassed and harried the world number two and she proved herself to be a fighter every bit as determined as Serena. And Serena still won. Just. But that is what champions do. For Dementieva, the fact that she was able to match Serena for nearly three hours was some comfort while the fact that she had served well – never one of her strengths in the past – and kept pace with the raw power of her rival was a positive sign. “For sure I feel disappointed but it was a very close match,” Dementieva said. “But I think the way I was playing is more important than the result.” Safina was not able to pick many positive bones out of her thrashing at the hands of Venus. The world number one, who is still desperately looking for her first Grand Slam title, was absolutely walloped and she knew it. “I think she gave me a pretty good lesson today,” Safina said. So that left Venus and Serena to go home to the house they are sharing in Wimbledon and to try to plan their respective campaigns for Saturday. To the outsider observer, it sounds like an impossible task – most sisters can fall out over the smallest things and an illicitly borrowed bottle of shampoo can cause a major family argument. How on earth can two sisters ponder playing each other for the biggest prize in the sport? Simple: spend 12 years of your life playing your sister in tournaments around the world and just get used to it. It does, apparently get a little easier with time. “It's different [now to when we were young] because we're different players,” Venus said. “We both play such a similar game. I mean, we had the same teacher. But what I can tell you the same is the respect that we have for each other on and off the court is the same.” Yes, we have been here before but, rest assured, Venus and Serena know how it is done. Last year’s final was one of their most competitive and Venus won. This year, Serena wants revenge. Tune in on Saturday for episode 21 of the Venus and Serena show.

Shocked Safina reflects on rout

Dinara Safina is helpless as she is forced into submission by Venus Williams in the Ladies' semi-final. Even 90 minutes after the end of her semi-final defeat at the hands of Venus Williams, Dinara Safina was still in shock from the extent of the rout. To her credit, the number one seed was unsparing in her assessment of the match which she lost 6-1, 6-0 in a lightning 51 minutes. “She gave me a pretty good lesson today,” said Safina ruefully. “It would be different on another surface. I am not happy with the end result. She is just too good on grass. It’s definitely disappointing to finish the match in less than one hour, and to win only one game. I have to accept it. But this is not my favourite surface, and I still reached the semi-final. So hopefully I can change my mentality on grass and come with a different expectation next year. “It’s the speed on grass which makes the game different. On hard courts or clay I have time to create a point. I need that time. But here there is no time. She goes straight for the winner. She puts you under pressure from the first point. “I tried to hit the ball and go for the shots. I missed by a little bit here and a little bit there, and she was pushing me to go for shots that I was not comfortable with.” Inevitably, of course, the lingering questions will be raised again about the fact that Safina has become the world number one without winning a Grand Slam tournament. She is not the first. Kim Clijsters won the US Open after becoming number one. Last year it was Jelena Jankovic’s turn to reach the top spot, and she is still without a Slam to her name. But Safina is the one in the spotlight at the moment, and for as long as she does not win a Slam title the question will follow her around. “Well, I’ve been in the semi-final at least of the last four Grand Slams,” sighed Safina, as the inevitable query came. “Being number one is the result of how you play the whole year. It’s not about how you play at one or two tournaments. I play consistently. I won Rome. I won Madrid. I have been in the final of the French Open and the Australian Open. Yes, I haven’t won them but this is not the end of the world.”

Venus vociferous on women's tennis

Venus pumped Venus Williams has hit back at any suggestion that women’s tennis is in turmoil following her swift defeat of Dinara Safina in their semi-final. The five-time title-holder denied a journalist's claim that her 6-1, 6-0 defeat of the world No.1 in 51 minutes could be seen as “embarrassing” for the women’s game. “Are you trying to be down on women’s tennis,” the American demanded at her post-match press conference after it was pointed out that the older Williams sister simply destroyed the Russian. “You’re trying to be down, basically,” she snapped. “I don’t deal with down at all. I’m just making sure you’re not trying to be down because I respect Dinara Safina immensely and I think you should too.” When the journalist now firmly in Williams’ line of fire suggested: “When you see the No.1 losing 6-1, 6-0, it doesn’t look great for women’s tennis does it?”, the five-time Wimbledon champion was quick to respond: “I think women’s tennis is fantastic.” In fact, the 29-year-old said that instead of being worried about what it represented, she rather “liked the score” at the end of her match. “I think the score just showed my level of play. I was just dictating on every point. And I think when she has some opportunities to make some plays it was hard because there was a lot of pressure on her. " And she was happier to agree with another journalist’s assertion that today’s result meant that she had “beaten the computer” – the one which sets the world rankings based on points accumulated at tournaments all year round rather than considering the level of performance on the biggest stages. She said: “I’m not the No.1 seed. I shouldn’t be expected, I guess, to win this match. Obviously my record on grass, I think, and my experience helped me a lot today.” But she refused to go one step further and say whether the rankings system should be changed. “It’s too early to say. We have to go on and see how that works this whole year, because the ranking system is new. It’s too early to say right now.”

Venus in a different orbit

Venus Williams After the supreme excitement of Serena Williams's three-set victory over Elena Dementieva in the opening semi-final on Centre Court, the match that followed was always likely to be an anti-climax. But what occurred was the equivalent of descending from the top floor of a skyscraper to the basement as the older Williams, defending champion Venus, destroyed Dinara Safina of Russia 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes. Safina, it should be remembered is the world number one and even after this deep embarrassment she will remain number one - for the time being at any rate. That she was totally outclassed is evident from the scoreline, but the reason is less easy to arrive at. Was the 23-year-old Russian, already financially secure enough to base herself in Monte Carlo, the victim of nerves? The more obvious explanation is that she was never permitted a look-in by perhaps the most experienced and battle-hardened grasscourt exponent in the game. The match was also devoid of atmosphere, since half the Centre Court's 14,000 spectators had opted to stretch their legs or head for the refreshment areas after the best part of three hours watching the first semi-final. The first set was over in just 27 minutes, barely enough time for the resting spectators to have sipped their tea or Pimms. The slow drinkers and eaters would have missed most of the second set. The first set offered little in terms of excitement. Instead it was a show of authority from Venus, which propelled Safina along the slippery slope to expulsion. When, at 0-5, the Russian finally managed to cling on to her serve, there was the sort of sympathetic applause normally directed at a British qualifier going out tamely. Yet they were offering sympathy to the world's top-ranked woman. It should have been the perfect occasion. The defending champion playing the world number one, Russia v the US, in a perfect setting on a perfect day. But nobody except Venus seemed very concerned. As in all her matches this fortnight, Venus wore strapping on her left knee. She could have had both legs in plaster and still won. Everything was wrong about Safina, from the micro skirt and shirt that looked as if they had shrunk in the wash - exposing her midriff - to her badly-executed and overhit shots. The applause, even for a popular champion, was merely polite and Venus' response was similarly muted. It had all been embarrassingly easy.

Road to the final - Venus Williams

Venus on the charge 1st Round: Venus off to a flyer Venus Williams d. Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-3, 6-2 A good work-out with a hot sun on her back would have been exactly what Venus was looking for as she embarked on the pursuit of her sixth Wimbledon victory in the past 10 years, and that was what the sturdy Voegele, aged 19, provided. Champion Venus playing it cool 2nd Round: Venus power batters Bondarenko Venus Williams d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 6-3, 6-2 The older Williams sibling was completely untroubled by the younger Bondarenko sister, winning 6-3, 6-2 in a straightforward display of power tennis lasting just 59 minutes. It was her 16th successive match win at Wimbledon. Venus gives press the runaround 3rd Round: Venus power batters Bondarenko Venus William d. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 6-0, 6-4 Williams was untouchable on serve, conceding just two points, while each of Suarez Navarro's service games was a long deuce affair, especially the opening game, which went on for five minutes. Clearly, Venus was tiring of all this when, at set point, she settled it with an ace. 4th Round: Ivanovic injury sends Venus through Venus Williams d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) (13), 6-1, 0-1, retired The 12th seed was all but blasted off No.1 Court in the first set by the tournament favourite and defending champion Venus Williams in their fourth round match. Feature: Venus sympathy over Ivanovic injury Quarter-final: Venus too hot for Radwanska Venus Williams d. Agnieszka Radwanska (1), 6-1, 6-2 Another stroll in the Wimbledon sunshine carried Venus Williams past opposition that varied between the overawed and the inadequate and into the semi-finals of the 2009 Championships. The latest victim was Agnieszka Radwanska, the 20-year-old Pole seeded 11th, who managed to retrieve three games from the carnage as Venus won 6-1, 6-2 in 68 minutes. Venus has eye on Final Semi-final: Venus destroys Safina in 51 minutes Venus Williams d. Dinara Safina (1) (RUS) 6-1, 6-0. 29-year-old Williams won the opening nine points of the match without reply, the last being a serve of 124mph to match the fastest serve of the tournament so far – which naturally belonged to her in any case. Feature:

Preview: V. Williams v Safina

Dinara Safina getting fired up on Centre Court during her quarter-final against Sabine Lisicki. It is not often that a player ranked number one in the world, who is also the number one seed, goes into a Grand Slam semi-final as the out-and-out underdog. Such is the case for Dinara Safina, when she faces the defending champion Venus Williams for a place in Saturday’s Wimbledon final. One glance at the background statistics is enough to clarify the reason why. Williams, now 29, has seven Slam titles to her name, including five on the lawns of the All England Club. She has appeared in seven previous Wimbledon semi-finals and won all of them. Not only has she not dropped a set so far this Wimbledon, she has not dropped a set here since the third round in 2007, putting her currently on 32 consecutive sets won. She is, of course on this surface, serving faster than Safina and winning more of her first serve points. She has served more aces and far fewer double faults. All that makes tough reading for 23-year-old Safina, who is struggling with the unwanted fact of being world number one at a time when she has yet to win a Grand Slam title – although this year she has been runner-up in both Slams to date. The good news for the Russian is that she cannot be dethroned from that number one spot when the new rankings come out next Monday, no matter what happens between now and then. But by making the semi-final here she is carving out new territory, having never even ventured into the second week before. Both her last two rounds were tough three-setters, and to those who have watched her play it has seemed as if she is desperately trying to talk herself into a convincing mindset with every stroke of the ball. “I have never got so far here before so I’m happy,” insisted Safina. “I’m taking one match at a time and at the moment it’s working.” But Safina needs something extraordinary to happen for it to continue working against Venus. She trails 2-1 in their career encounters to date, all of which have taken place in the last year. But she can take heart from the fact that she beat Williams in their most recent encounter, in Rome on clay this spring. “This is definitely Venus’s best surface,” acknowledged Safina. “She loves playing here. I have nothing to lose. I want to go and play the way I can play. I beat her in Rome so I know what she’s doing, I know her weapons. I have my weapons too. I cannot have a slow start with her because here it’s so fast. So I have to really go on court pumped from the first point. I’m still learning. I still have room to improve.” She will especially have to improve her double fault count. Safina herself said she served “250” in her quarter-final against Sabine Lisicki, although it was actually 15. But Venus has delivered just 10 throughout the entire tournament. Yet for all but her first round match Williams has played with a heavy strapping on her left knee – the one she pushes off during service – and has been cagey answering questions about it, careful to give away little about the precise problem and how it is affecting her. Judging by her performances, the answer to that query is not at all. “Do I feel invincible here?” smiled Venus. “I’d like to say yes, but I really do work at it. Against Safina, all I can predict is more of the same stuff I’ve been doing. Just very aggressive. I think she definitely plays aggressively, tries to move forward when she can, and also plays good defence and tries to take advantage of serving well when she can. "She definitely has a good mix of both aggressive and defensive games, and that’s a good balance. I do have strategy. Maybe it doesn’t look like it, but I think that’s my secret weapon – that it doesn’t look like I’m thinking, but I am.” It was put to Venus that on paper the number one seed should be favourite, making her the underdog. So is that how she feels? “She [Safina] has top ranking but I have more experience in this tournament and more success,” replied Venus. “When I go out there I’m going to feel like I want to make it happen on my side of the net.”