Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber Advance To Face Off In Wimbledon Finals

The women’s semifinals took place at Wimbledon in London on Thursday, as both Williams sisters, fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber and Russian Elena Vesnina all took the court.

Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber Advance To Face Off In Wimbledon Finals

Serena Williams (No. 1) is off to her third straight Grand Slam final of 2016 after defeating Vesnina in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. She now has the chance to win her 22nd Grand Slam and tie Steffi Graf for the second-most Grand Slam titles in history. The American was clearly the favorite to win the semifinal.

“I felt like I had no chance today,” Vesnina said, per Greg Garber of ESPN W. “She was in a great mood, and her serve was working really well for her. She had a really high percentage of first serves. She was placing it amazingly.”

Serena, however, was humble in victory.

“We’ve had tough matches before and I knew she could bring it to me on this surface,” she said, per BBC Sport. “It’s never easy out there, every point you have to fight for. I can’t believe I’m in the final this year. I’m 0-2 this year, so I’m determined to win one.”

Mark Masters of TSN also shared a snippet of her post-match conference on Twitter:

Williams — the defending champion — finished off Vesnina with 11 aces and 28 winners, and won 96 percent of her first-serve points in a match that lasted only 48 minutes. Serena’s last title came at Wimbledon in 2015.

Meanwhile, Kerber — who defeated Serena to win the 2016 Australian Open in January — beat the top seed’s older sister, Venus Williams, also in two sets, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.

Although she wasn’t dominant against Venus, Kerber still won 73 percent of her first-service points and had only 11 unforced errors against 21 for eigth-seeded Venus.

“I know Venus is playing well at the moment,” Kerber told BBC Sport. “Everything worked and it is a very good feeling. I have a lot of experience now. I’m really enjoying my tennis life. I’m playing my best tennis. I will give everything I can in the final.”

ESPN’s Max Bretos expressed his excitement for the upcoming women’s final on Twitter:

“Folks disappointed we won’t get a Williams Final at #Wimbledon . Serena / Kerber Final is better anyway. Best 2 players in World,” Bretos tweeted. 

Though Kerber defeated Serena in their last matchup in January, the American is 5-2 against her all-time. Kerber has won two titles on the year and is 28-10, though Serena has a title win of her own and is now 24-4 in 2016. In her post-game conference, Serena said Kerber was “fearless” in their last match, and added she will strive to be the same in this year’s final.

The women’s final is set for Saturday morning.

PHOTO: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Angelique Kerber of Germany plays a forehand during the Ladies Singles Semi Final match against Venus Williams of The United States on day ten of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)