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Wimbledon
Women’s Final
Williams Sisters clash yet again
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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•Venus
and sister, Serena
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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Reigning champion Venus Williams on Thursday, demolished
world number one Dinara Safina 6-1 6-0 to set up a clash with
her sister Serena in today’s Wimbledon final.
The five-times Wimbledon champion was in imperious form and
brushed aside the first seeded Russian with an air of disdain.
Earlier, Serena Williams had beaten Elena Dementieva in an
epic contest on Centre Court and the Williams sisters now
face each other in an All England Club final for the fourth
time.
It was another sweltering day in SW19, with temperatures reaching
32 degrees on a dry and sunny afternoon, but Williams barely
broke sweat in thrashing her opponent in just 51 minutes.
Williams began the match with a serve of 112mph, and followed
it with the fastest delivery of the tournament at 124mph to
consolidate her early break in the second game.
The American pounced on some indecision from Safina on her
opening service game to ruthlessly break and seize the initiative
from the outset.
From there on Williams maintained her ascendancy, and was
unflinching in her attacking approach, as Safina grew ever
more despondent at the other end.
In all, number three seed Williams broke her opponent's serve
five times as she bludgeoned first serves and big forehands
to utterly confound the Russian.
After being broken comprehensively in the second and fourth
games, Safina could only watch on helplessly as Williams hammered
winner after winner to clinch the first set in just 26 minutes.
If the opening seven games were one-sided, the second set
was an absolute thumping, with the American rattling through
it without conceding a game.
Safina was broken in the opening game of the set, and her
look of bemusement and sheer embarrassment at her coaches
exemplified the manner of her capitulation.
Despite suffering the ignominy of this defeat, Safina will
remain the world number one regardless of whether Venus or
Serena Williams seals victory in the final today.
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