Here is Kevin Mitchell’s aforementioned report.
That’s all for now! Be sure to check back later for a full match report and thanks as always for following along with us.
So it’s a rematch of the Australian Open final between Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams in Saturday’s final. The junior Williams just addressed the prospect of a Kerber matchup in her press conference in the the past hour.
“I made a lot of errors,” Serena said when asked to recall that Melbourne shocker. “She made little to no unforced errors. It was still a three-set match. I felt like I could have played better. I felt like she played great. She came out swinging, ready to win. She was fearless. That’s something I learned. When I go into a final, I, too, need to be fearless like she was. It was inspiring afterwards to realize there’s a lot of things that I need to improve on.”
Would Saturday’s final be more significant because it’s against her Australian Open conqueror or is it just another opponent?
“A little bit of both,” Williams said. “Obviously it’s significant that she beat me in Australia because that’s the last time we did play. And also just as an opponent, she’s great. She does things well. She moves excellent. She’s fun to play.”
Kerber wins second set and match!
Second set: Kerber 6-4 Williams
A sharply struck backhand winner by Williams makes it love-15. Venus *just* misses a winner – very close, surprising that she doesn’t challenge it – and then mixes in a pair of forced errors to fall behind 40-15. Double match point for Williams. What better time for the longest rally of the match? Kerber ends a 19-stroke thriller with a forehand winner and drops to her knees. She’s through to her first Wimbledon final!
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Second set: *Kerber 5-4 Williams (*denotes next server)
Williams smashes a backhand winner: 15-love. A backhand error by Kerber followed by another Williams winner makes it 40-love. A Kerber error gives Venus the hold at love. Kerber now to serve for a place in the final.
Second set: Kerber 5-3 Williams* (*denotes next server)
Another double fault by Kerber to open the game, but three errors by Williams give her a pair of game points at 40-15. An excellent point here – a 14-stroke rally – ends with Williams putting away a forehand winner into the open court. 40-30. But a Kerber winner gives her the hold and puts her within a game of the final. Williams will serve to stay in the tournament.
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Second set: *Kerber 4-3 Williams (*denotes next server)
Three quick points by Williams in the blink of an eye followed by a clean backhand winner to seal the hold at love. But can she get the break? Big service game for Kerber.
Second set: Kerber 4-2 Williams* (*denotes next server)
A pair of double faults puts Kerber behind love-30, but she responds with an ace. Consecutive errors by Williams make it 40-30, then a Kerber forehand winner seals the hold as we cross the hour mark.
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Second set: *Kerber 3-2 Williams (*denotes next server)
At 30-all, Venus rushes the net and opts not to volley back a cross-court attempt from Kerber she thinks will sail long. A mistake as it paints the baseline and Kerber will have a break-point chance at 30-40. Venus saves it to bring it to deuce, but nets a volley after a lengthy rally – the longest of the match at 14 strokes – to move break point down again. Venus showing great touch at the net with a half-volley winner from the forehand side to save it. An error from the backhand side by Williams gives Kerber a third break-point chance, but three straight points give Venus the hard-won hold in a game that lasts nearly eight minutes.
Second set: Kerber 3-1 Williams* (*denotes next server)
Three quick points for Kerber before the Australian Open champion seals the hold at love with a clean winner. She’s yet to lose a point on her serve this set.
Second set: *Kerber 2-1 Williams (*denotes next server)
Better on the serve from Venus here. An easy hold, something the American hasn’t really had today until now. But she’ll need to make headway on Kerber’s serve if she hopes to scratch back into the match.
Second set: Kerber 2-0 Williams* (*denotes next server)
Three straight errors for Williams and just like that it’s 40-love. A backhand sent long by Williams and it’s an easy hold at love for Kerber.
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Kerber breaks!
Second set: *Kerber 1-0 Williams (*denotes next server)
Williams falls behind 30-40 from 30-love up. No consistency on her first serve today and it’s killing her. Another unforced error from the forehand side – where she’s really struggled all match – and Kerber has the early break. Not the start Venus wanted.
Kerber wins the first set!
First set: Kerber 6-4 Williams
Kerber getting a little tight here. First serve letting her down. Falls behind love-15 but a Williams error on the forehand side makes it 15-all. Another missed forehand by Williams makes it 30-15. Kerber within two points of taking the opening set. A lengthy rally ends when Williams nets a forehand for the third straight point to make it 40-15. Two set points coming up. Williams saves the point with a cross-court forehand winner. A second set point at 40-30. Another long point ends when Williams misses on a forehand down the line and Kerber has taken the first set.
First set: *Kerber 5-4 Williams (*denotes next server)
Venus rattles off a few easy points – including her second and third aces of the match – to move ahead 40-15. Kerber crunches a backhand winner to make it 40-30, but strong forehand by Williams draws a backhand error by the German and Venus holds. Kerber will have a second chance to serve out the first set.
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Williams breaks!
First set: Kerber 5-3 Williams* (*denotes next server)
A backhand winner by Williams followed by a Kerber error and it’s love-30. Venus overcooks a volley once again – an alarming theme so far – to make it 15-30, but a Kerber error makes it 15-40 and gives Williams a pair of break-point chances. Kerber saves the first but misses on a cross-court backhand to give Williams the break and a lifeline.
Kerber breaks!
First set: *Kerber 5-2 Williams (*denotes next server)
Two quick unforced errors by Williams – her ninth and 10th of the match – followed by a Kerber winner and now the German has three looks at a break point at love-40. Williams saves the first but commits another loose error to lose the break – and Kerber will serve for the first set after the changeover.
First set: Kerber 4-2 Williams* (*denotes next server)
Kerber wins three straight points from love-15 down to move within game point. Williams pulls within 40-30 on a volley winner, but an error off the backhand side on the next point gives Kerber the first hold of serve after 23 minutes.
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Kerber breaks!
First set: *Kerber 3-2 Williams (*denotes next server)
At 30-all, Kerber delivers a wonderfully struck passing shot off the backhand side that Venus can’t return to earn another look at a break point. At 30-40, Kerber returns a 106mph serve, runs from end to end and turns defense to offense beautifully, ending the point with a backhand winner. Five straight breaks of serve to open this second women’s semi-final.
Williams breaks!
First set: Kerber 2-2 Williams* (*denotes next server)
In the blink of an eye Williams rattles off three straight points and has three looks at a break point at love-40. She only needs the first. Kerber misses badly on a volley and Williams breaks at love.
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Kerber breaks!
First set: *Kerber 2-1 Williams (*denotes next server)
At 15-all, Williams nets a cross-court forehand and finds herself under pressure on her serve once again at 15-30. Another long forehand for Venus – her fourth unforced error of the match so far – makes it 15-40 and Kerber will have a pair of break-point chances. She saves the first when Kerber misses a forehand and the second on a volley winner into the open court. Deuce. An error by Kerber gives Williams a game point, but Williams errs to bring it back to deuce. Eventually Kerber stakes out a third break-point chance and wins the point – the best of the match so far – on a volley winner. And this grand slam semi-final has started with three straight breaks of serve.
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Williams breaks!
First set: Kerber 1-1 Williams* (*denotes next server)
Williams hits a clean winner on the opening point. Long rally on the second point ends with Williams hitting a flat forehand winner down the line well out of Kerber’s reach. Kerber then misses going down the line and suddenly it’s love-40 and Williams will have three straight chances to break back immediately. She only needs one: a short rally ends when Kerber blasts a forehand long. We’re back on level terms.
Kerber breaks!
First set: *Kerber 1-0 Williams (*denotes next server)
A good first serve for Venus (108mph) that pushes Kerber out wide and she nets a forehand after a short volley. Venus nets a volley to make it 15-all. Kerber misses on a forehand but hits a backhand winner on the next point to make it 30-all. An unforced error by Venus off the backhand side makes it 30-40 and gives Kerber a look at a break point in the opening game. Another error by Venus and Kerber has the break. Venus trying to be aggressive in the early going and paying for it, but probably not the worst tactical choice in the long run.
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A fun fact about this year’s women’s last four. The average age of all four semi-finalists is 31 years, nine months – the oldest for a grand slam semi-final field in the Open era. Age before beauty.
So, it’s all set up for a Venus v Serena final in the singles (with the small matter of Venus beating one of the best players in the world first) but we could also have a Venus and Serena appearance in the doubles too. They’re due to play in the quarter-finals today (and the Olympics in Rio next month) so we could be seeing a whole lot of the sisters over the next few days.
Some head to head stats. This pair have met five times previously and Kerber has the slight advantage with a 3-2 record against Venus. They’ve met twice at grand slam events, with Venus winning the first meeting, at the Australian Open in 2009 and Kerber winning at the US Open in 2012. It’s the American who won the most recent match, a last 16 contest in Montreal in 2014. They have actually met on grass before - at the 2012 Olympics, Kerber was the winner there in straight sets.
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Bryan will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how she got on in her previous match:
It is 19 years since Venus Williams first played at Wimbledon, an opening step on the path to what has been an incredible career. Almost two decades on, the 36-year-old is back in the semi-finals here for the first time in seven years, an achievement which in many ways is every bit as good as any of the five titles she has pocketed here along the way.
The American’s 7-6, 6-2 victory over Yaroslava Shvedova, of Kazakhstan, put her into the last four of a grand slam for the first time since 2010 and at 36, she is the oldest woman to make the last four here since a 37-year-old Martina Navratilova in 1994. Given the hurdles she has had to overcome to get here, this one must feel all the sweeter.
“Being in the semi-finals feels good,” said the No8 seed, who now plays the Australian Open champion, Angelique Kerber, of Germany, for a place in the final. “But it doesn’t feel foreign at all, let’s put it that way. The road [to get here] was six years. They go by fast, thankfully. But I’ve been blessed, been really blessed, to have an opportunity to be here, have had an opportunity in the past to do this. I don’t have any regrets about anything that’s taken place in between. It’s been a journey, but it’s made me stronger.”
