Venus, Serena set up Wimbledon showdown

ArticleData Array ( [Article] => Array ( [article_id] => 1044007 [headline] => Venus, Serena set up Wimbledon showdown [abstract] => Sisters Serena and Venus Williams will meet in the Wimbledon final for the fourth time after a day of epic drama and farcical no-contest. [keywords] => Wimbledon, tennis, Williams, Venus, Serena, Dementieva, Safina, final, semi-final [content] =>

Sisters Serena and Venus Williams will meet in the Wimbledon final for the fourth time after a rollercoaster day which witnessed epic drama as well as a farcical no-contest.

Serena reached her fifth final with a 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 8-6 win over Elena Dementieva where she saved a match point in the longest women's semi-final in the tournament's history.

The American second seed's two hour 49 minute victory went a long way to restoring some desperately-needed credibility to the women's game.

But Russian top seed and world number one Dinara Safina then suffered a spectacular Centre Court meltdown when five-time champion Venus coasted to an embarrassing 6-1, 6-0 victory in just 51 minutes.

It was the most one-sided women's semi-final in 40 years with Safina guilty of 16 unforced errors compared to one for the champion.

Venus, who beat Serena in the 2008 final, will be playing in her eighth Wimbledon title match.

"It's my eighth final here and it's a dream to be able to have the opportunity to hold the trophy again" said Venus.

Venus 'too good' on grass

"Dinara is a talented player but I have more experience on Centre Court and that helped a lot. It's so exciting to play Serena again, that will be the hard part."

The defeat for the Russian top seed will raise more questions over her status as the world's top player especially when she has still to win a Grand Slam title.

The Williams sisters have 17 majors between them.

"Venus is just too good on grass," admitted Safina who will remain the world number one regardless of the outcome of Saturday's final. 

"This is not my favourite surface. It's disappointing to finish in less than one hour and win only one game.

"She gave me a good lesson today but we only play two tournaments a year on grass. I tried to go for my shots and I like to build points. She can hit winners straightaway."

Two-time champion Serena praised Dementieva who fell in the semi-finals for the second successive year.

Match point missed

"It was really tough. Elena has been playing so well," said Serena, who saved match point at 4-5 in the final set.

"At match point I just thought it's my serve, just stay calm and think positive."

Olympic champion Dementieva was left to regret her missed match point.

With Williams approaching the net, the Russian went cross-court, rather than down the line, and the American gleefully accepted her opportunity with a simple saving backhand.

"That's my only regret. I should have taken more of a risk by going down the line," said the 27-year-old Dementieva.

Dementieva defied predictions of a one-sided encounter by breaking the American in the first game although Williams hit straight back.

The Russian bravely fought off three break points in the eighth game before going on to dominate the tie-break despite a nervous double fault on the first of three set points.

Fifth final for Serena Williams

Williams, stung by the Russian's all-out assault, broke straightaway in the second set and was quickly 2-0 ahead. But Dementieva refused to yield and broke back to love in the sixth game for 3-3.

Williams, bidding to reach a fifth Wimbledon final, fought off two break points in the eighth game, but nipped ahead on a break to 6-5 when the American successfully challenged a ball which had been called good by the linesman.

Dementieva wasted four break points in the 12th game and was made to pay when Williams sent down a 12th ace to level the contest.

The Russian blonde broke a weary-looking Williams to lead 3-1 in the decider, but handed the advantage straight back with a tense service game.

Williams, with the experience of having won 10 Grand Slam titles in her career, saved a match point in the 10th game with a backhand volley.

The 2002 and 2003 champion capitalised on her escape by breaking to lead 7-6 and took the match when Dementieva pushed a return wide.

 

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Andy Roddick ended Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon campaign on Wednesday, winning an epic quarter-final against the Aussie tennis star.

The American No.6 seed beat the Australian 6-3 6-7 (10-12) 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-4 in three hours and 50 minutes.

He next faces British hope Andy Murray, while five-time champion Roger Federer meets Tommy Haas in the other semi-final.

Hewitt failed to make inroads on Roddick's booming serve, while his own faltered as he struggled with the left thigh strain he suffered during his fourth-round victory over No.23 seed Radek Stepanek on Monday.

"It was a little bit sore stretching out, on my serve as well," Hewitt said. "That was probably the biggest issue. But I still was able to go the distance and go five sets.

"One of the worst things was trying to push off from my left leg... I didn't serve quite as well as I would have liked."

But the 2002 champion also commended Roddick's serve, which proved crucial.

"He's definitely one of the great servers out there," Hewitt said. "He's up there with the best of them."

Roddick raced to an early 3-0 lead and he came back from 0-30 down in the deciding game to convert his first set point when Hewitt netted a backhand.

Hewitt went 4-1 up in the second set, but Roddick broke back in the seventh game and served up three aces in a row to come back from 15-40 down and hold serve.

The Australian fought off two break points on his next service game, while Roddick again dragged himself back from 0-30 down to hold and force the tiebreak.

Hewitt conceded the first point, but made amends immediately for 1-1.

He sent down a ripping forehand to draw level again at 5-5 after trailing 1-3 and cheers of "let's go Lleyton, let's go" could be heard from the hill beyond the walls of Court No.1.

When Roddick hit a forehand long on the final point, Hewitt claimed the tiebreak.

Apart from giving up the first point of the third-set tiebreak with a volley that flew wide, Roddick dominated, helped by two double faults from Hewitt.

The Australian looked finished at the start of the fourth set, going down a break after the opening game.

But he converted the first of two break points to draw level at 2-2 and when Roddick's backhand floated wide in the 10th game, Hewitt claimed another break to force the match to a fifth set.

Hewitt's discomfort from his leg was evident - he leaned over and clutched his thigh after handing Roddick a break point in the first game of the fifth set, but the tenacious South Australian worked his way out of trouble to hold serve.

Hewitt had to save two more break points in the third game, and in a remarkable tussle in the fourth, he failed to convert three opportunities against Roddick after some gutsy play by the American.

The turning point came when Roddick converted his second break point in the ninth game, swatting Hewitt's drop shot back past the Australian with a ripping forehand.

He claimed victory on his first match point when Hewitt's volley sailed long.

 

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