![\"SERENA_AND_VENUS\"](\"https:\/\/www.capitalfm.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/files\/00\/SERENA_AND_VENUS_PLAY_209661484.jpg\" "\\"SERENA_AND_VENUS\\"")
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 semi-final in the tournament’s history.<\/p>\nLONDON, July 3 – Serena and Venus Williams will meet in the Wimbledon final for the fourth time after a rollercoaster Thursday 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 semi-final in the tournament’s history.<\/p>\n
The American second seed’s 2hr 49min victory went a long way to restoring some desperately-needed credibility to the women’s game.<\/p>\n
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 embarrassingly one-sided 6-1, 6-0 victory in just 51 minutes.<\/p>\n
It was the most one-sided women’s semi-final in 40 years.<\/p>\n
Venus, who beat Serena in the 2008 final, will be playing in her eighth Wimbledon title match.<\/p>\n
"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.<\/p>\n
"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."<\/p>\n
While more questions will be raised over Safina’s world number one ranking when she has yet to win a major, two-time champion Serena was praising Dementieva who fell in the semi-finals for the second successive year.<\/p>\n
"It was really tough. Elena has been playing so well," said Serena, who saved match point at 4-5 in the final set.<\/p>\n
"At match point I just thought it’s my serve, just stay calm and think positive."<\/p>\n
Dementieva was left to regret her missed match point.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
"That’s my only regret. I should have taken more of a risk by going down the line," said the 27-year-old Dementieva.<\/p>\n
"A passing shot is my favourite shot to make. Maybe it was all too quick. I didn’t see that she was moving to cover the cross-court. I should have gone down the line or even used a lob."<\/p>\n
Olympic champion Dementieva, who had won three of the pair’s last four meetings, defied predictions of a one-sided encounter by breaking the American in the first game although Williams hit straight back.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Safina suffered a Centre Court horror show, committing 16 unforced errors to Venus’s one and was beaten on a first match point when she netted a lazy return.<\/p>\n
Despite the defeat, Safina, still searching for a Grand Slam breakthrough, will remain world number one next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON, July 3 – Serena and Venus Williams will meet in the Wimbledon final for the fourth time after a rollercoaster Thursday 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12319,"featured_media":2867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"yoast_head":"\n