Williams Sisters Meet Again
To Make Final, Serena Survives Dementieva, Venus Breezes
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Friday, July 3, 2009
WIMBLEDON, England, July 2 -- Venus and Serena Williams have dominated women's tennis for so many years that there's hardly an accomplishment they haven't achieved.
But Thursday, each found a new way of leaving her imprint on the game, as Serena emerged victorious from the longest women's semifinal of Wimbledon's modern era, while Venus triumphed in the most lopsided.
The result was a Williams family dream come true. For the eighth time, the sisters will meet in the final of a Grand Slam event, with the All England club providing the setting Saturday for a second consecutive year.
Said Venus, Wimbledon's five-time and defending champion, "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."
Serena, 27, had the far tougher road, fighting off match point against Russia's Elena Dementieva before prevailing, 6-7 (7-4), 7-5, 8-6, in a match that lasted 2 hours 49 minutes.
Venus, 29, wasn't tested on any level by Dinara Safina, routing the reigning world No. 1 and top seed, 6-1, 6-0, in 51 minutes. The match was over as soon as it started, with the Russian painfully ill at ease on the grass that only accentuates Venus's rare power and pace.
Venus won the first 10 points, faced a break point only once and committed just one unforced error in the match.
Still, she flung the verbal equivalent of a sister's protective arm around Safina during her news conference afterward, which was peppered with questions about how the Russian could be deemed No. 1 when she had just been eviscerated on Wimbledon's Centre Court.
"She is so talented and has played so consistently in the last year," Venus said of Safina, 23, who has yet to win a major title. "I went out there and was able to stay focused. I have so much experience on this court, it helps a lot."
But such questions are sure to continue in the wake of Thursday's results and the sisters' dominance at Wimbledon this year.
On one hand, their accomplishments -- over the last two weeks and the 14 years that preceded them -- can hardly be overstated.
Serena has won 10 major titles; Venus, seven.
