Serena Williams maintains mastery of Maria Sharapova, advances to final.
LONDON — Serena Williams is just one victory away from another Grand Slam milestone.
The top-ranked Williams maintained her 11year dominance over Maria Sharapova, beating the Russian 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to reach her eighth Wimbledon championship match and 25th career Grand Slam final.
In beating Sharapova for the 17th consecutive time, Williams won her 27th consecutive Grand Slam match and now will be playing for a fourth consecutive major title — a “Serena Slam” — and the third leg of a calendar-year Grand Slam.
“At least I made it to a final of four,” Williams said. “That’s pretty good.”
Williams served 13 aces, including three in the final game, had 29 winners and never faced a break point in overpowering the fourthseeded Sharapova, who had six double-faults and could not find a way to cope with her rival’s relentless pace.
“When she stepped up her game, I was able to step up mine as well,” Williams said.
It will be Williams’ first appearance in the Wimbledon final since 2012, when she won her fifth title at the All England Club.
“I think it definitely gets better,” she said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the final here. I just feel really good just to be in another final, so it’s really cool.”
Williams’ opponent will be 21-year-old Garbine Muguruza, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the first semifinal. She is the first Spanish woman to advance to the Wimbledon final since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1996.
Williams has won two out her three matches against Muguruza, but the Spaniard beat her 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open last year. That was Williams’ most lopsided loss in a Grand Slam.
“It’s great for her. It’s great for me,” Williams said. “She actually beat me before. She made me improve, so she has me on my toes. It’s not going to be an easy match, so I’ll be fighting a lot.”
Williams is unbeaten in majors since winning last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian and French Opens. A victory here would match the “Serena Slam” she achieved in 2002-03. Williams would then need to win the U.S. Open to complete a true Grand Slam — a sweep of all four majors in the same year, something which hasn’t been accomplished since Steffi Graf did it in 1988.
Williams also is one victory away from a 21st Grand Slam title, one short of the Open-era record held by Graf.
Williams extended her career record against Sharapova to 18-2. Sharapova beat Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam title, but the rivalry has been one-sided for more than a decade.
“I always expect her to play the best tennis against myself and a few other elite players,” Sharapova said. “She does always come up with great tennis. You have to be able not to just produce your best tennis but more. Obviously, it hasn’t happened for me.”
The tone in Thursday’s match was set early when Sharapova double-faulted three times in the opening game, giving Williams the break. Williams needed just over 30 minutes to take the first set.
Sharapova made things tighter in the second set but double-faulted again on break point to give Williams a 3-2 lead. Williams served out the match at love with the three aces and a service winner that Sharapova barely got her racket on.