Williamses ignite 4th of July fireworks

WIMBLEDON, England – For the eighth time in 10 years, the Wimbledon women’s trophy will be lifted by a Williams.

The Williams sisters are back in the final again – Venus for the eighth time and Serena for the fifth. And it’s the fourth Williams-vs-Williams final at the All England Club and eighth in a Grand Slam title match.

Fittingly, the show will take place on the Fourth of July, Independence Day in the United States.

“The more we play, the better it gets,” Serena said. “When we play our match on Saturday, it’s for everything. This is what we dreamed of when we were growing up in Compton (California) 20-something years ago. This is what we worked for, and this is what we want.”

If the semifinals are anything to go by, five-time winner and two-time defending champion Venus is clearly the one to beat.

Two-time champion Serena had to save a match point and use all her fighting skills to overcome Elena Dementieva of Russia, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6, in a tense match Thursday that lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes – longer than any Wimbledon women’s semifinal in at least 40 years.

“It’s definitely one of my more dramatic victories for sure,” said Serena, who hit a backhand volley winner off the netcord to erase match point in the 10th game of the final set.

The Center Court spectators barely had time to pop out for a refreshment and settle back into their seats by the time Venus completed a 6-1, 6-0 demolition of Dinara Safina in 51 minutes – the most lopsided women’s semifinal since 1969.

“The hardest part is next to come – to play Serena Williams,” Venus said.

Venus won Wimbledon in 2000 and ‘01 before Serena beat her older sister in the 2002 and ‘03 finals. Venus won again in 2005 and 2007 and beat Serena in last year’s final. Serena holds a 5-2 lead in all-Williams championship matches at Grand Slams. Overall, the sisters are 10-10.

“That’s intense, huh?” Venus said. “I guess this will be a tipping point match. My hope is that there will be many more to come.”

The men’s semifinals are Friday, with five-time champion Roger Federer facing Tommy Haas of Germany and two-time finalist Andy Roddick playing Andy Murray. Federer is closing in on a record 15th Grand Slam championship, while Murray is seeking to become the first British men’s winner in 73 years.

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row. Venus was cheering for Serena to win Thursday, but will now do all she can to stop her sister and win her eighth major title. (AP)