It's All Williams, All Over Again

Sisters Set for Showdown In 3rd Wimbledon Final

WIMBLEDON, England, July 3 -- When it came to forecasting the women's draw at Wimbledon this year, the pre-tournament buzz revolved around two topics: Maria Sharapova's ever-changing fashion, and the changing of the guard atop the game.

But the Russian's tuxedo-inspired togs proved as short-lived as her Wimbledon fortnight, and the Serbians seeded first and second soon followed Sharapova out of the All England club's ivied walls before the first week was over.

The lesson that followed was the folly of overlooking the Williams sisters, regardless of their world ranking -- particularly when a Grand Slam title is at stake. Venus and Serena drove that lesson home emphatically Thursday, trouncing their semifinal opponents to set up an all-Williams final for the third time in Wimbledon history.

Venus, 28, the tournament's four-time and defending champion, was first to secure her spot in Saturday's championship, overpowering an error-prone Elena Dementieva, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).

Serena, 26, was forced to wait out two rain delays en route to a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory over China's Zheng Jie, who played well above her No. 133 world ranking. Zheng repeatedly caught Serena off-balance with sharply angled cross-court backhands, coming within one point of forcing a third set. But Serena had no interest in prolonging a victory she viewed as inevitable and produced massive shots, including 14 aces, to join her big sister in Saturday's championship.

It has been five years since the Williams sisters have met in a tournament final. It was here on Wimbledon's Centre Court, where top-seeded Serena successfully defended her 2002 title by defeating Venus in three sets. And it was during the era when the sisters dominated the game, winning five of six of Grand Slam events from June 2002 to July 2003, and redefined the sport with their power and aggression.

But injuries, personal tragedy and other interests intervened. Venus battled an abdominal injury in 2003. Serena fell out of the top 100 in 2006, hobbled by a knee injury. They grieved the 2003 murder of their sister Yetunde. And they refused to pour all of their energy into tennis, dabbling in acting, fashion and interior design.

Serena had a more impressive start to the 2008 season, winning three tournaments in a row. Venus had not even reached a final before Thursday. And both looked ill-prepared at last month's French Open, losing within hours of one another in the third round.

Serena and Venus arrived at Wimbledon seeded sixth and seventh, respectively, despite sharing six Wimbledon titles between them. They also shared a goal of reaching the final, regardless of what the seedings suggested.

"Then from there, it's every Williams for themselves," Venus said Thursday. "Our goal is just to be healthy. I think if we can be healthy, then we can do well and continue to climb the top. Of course we believe we can be on top. But we just have to keep our fingers crossed, keep working hard and go for it."

Though neither had played a grass-court match in 12 months, the sisters have competed with the confidence and commitment of old. Neither has lost a set through five rounds of play. And no woman currently wielding a racket, it seems, can match their power or pace.

Dementieva certainly couldn't, losing her serve three times in the opening set.