TENNIS Live

Wimbledon - Semi-finals - Women

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
United StatesS Williams67---
ChinaJ Zheng26---

Serena Williams

Nationality USA
Date of Birth 26/09/1981
Height 1.75 m
Weight 61 kg
WTA Ranking 9
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand

Jie Zheng

Nationality CHN
Date of Birth 05/07/1983
Height 1.64 m
Weight 57 kg
WTA Ranking 32
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand
 

Live Comments

  1. 7-6 - Jie Zheng double faults on MATCH POINT and Serena Williams is through to a third all-Williams final at Wimbledon to face her sister on Saturday after earning the strong 6-2 7-6 (5) victory. It should be a great final, and you can join us then for game-by-game comments. Thanks for following our LIVE coverage!

  2. TB6-5 - Zheng gets one back after pressing Serena into the error, but she does get to MATCH POINT with the service winner into the body!! Zheng's challenge to Hawk-Eye is rejected by the machine.

  3. TB5-4 - Zheng keeps the deficit to a mini-break with some fine baseline play. Serena Williams can now serve her way into the final.

  4. TB5-2 - Williams goes 125mph up the middle for the ace to stretch her lead.

  5. TB4-2 - Williams in further command at the change of ends.

  6. TB3-1 - Jie Zheng finally gets on the scoreboard in this breaker.

  7. TB2-0 - Serena goes up an early mini-break....

  8. 6-6 - Service winner, followed by an ace and we've got ourselves a tie-break! This is the exact pattern of Venus Williams's victory earlier today.

  9. 40-40 - A brilliant overhead smash just inside the line inspires a raucous grunt of "COME ON!" from Serena Williams, but she can't confirm the GAME POINT just yet, hitting a foolish drop shot well out. Not the best aspect of the American great's game. Back to DEUCE.

  10. 40-40 - What drama! Jie Zheng sends the backhand return of serve into the top of the net to blow a SET POINT!! Williams is going to likely take that gift as she gets back to DEUCE.

  11. 5-6 - Jie Zheng manages to hold with a devastating display of groundstrokes, wrapping up the nervy game to DEUCE with an overhead smash at the net.

  12. 40-40 - Zheng gives a shriek that is eerily similar to that of Elena Demenetieva's earlier today as Serena Williams applies a ton of pressure at the net and saves a GAME POINT.

  13. 40-40 - Serena batters a meek 91 mph first serve for the winner on the return, and then attacks the net perfectly to earn another BREAK POINT. Again, though, Jie Zheng pushes Serena on her back foot at the edge of the baseline to save. Back to DEUCE.

  14. 40-40 - A great cross-court backhand bails out Jie Zheng, as she is able to save a BREAK POINT. Not quite out of the woods yet though.

  15. 40-40 - Serena gets to DEUCE with a stunning winner down the line.

  16. 30-40 - A huge point to start off with on the restart, 5-5 in the second set with a GAME POINT for Jie Zheng.

  17. 18:15 - Serena and Zheng finally back on the court for a quick warm-up as this is set to start again, hopefully for the last time.

  18. 18:00 - Look at that! A rainbow shining up over Centre Court. That, we hope, is a very good omen.

  19. 17:58 - YIPI-DEE-DOO!! The sun has returned, the covers are coming down, and we will hopefully see some more play shortly! Who knows, we could even see the end of a match?

  20. 17:55 - With few responses to our "do a Eurosport editor's work for him" challenge, now seems like the perfect time to check our quickpoll results. The question was "Will Roger Federer win Wimbledon?" Of the 70,279 people who have responded since June 10, 77 percent (53,973) say yes, while 23 percent (16,306) say no.

  21. ----- - The rain delay has given this blogger a chance to work on his fantasy tennis picks for next week's Gstaad Open. The player line-up includes Stanislas "The Manislas" Wawrinka, Igor Andreev, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Nicolas Kiefer, Guillermo Canas, Ivo Karlovic, and Mikhail Youzhny. Who do you like for that tournament and why? Email jstahl@eurosport.com to do someone else's work!

  22. ----- - In the meantime there's lots of action on the message boards over Andy Murray's prediction that Rafa Nadal is the man to beat at Wimbledon this year. Yaw B writes: "What a list... Bjorn Borg, Novak Djokovic, Simon Reed and now Murray ! ! ! Wouldn't [he] be a whole lot more comfortable at home if he had simply said "Nadal was the better player of the day" and kept his view of the favourite to himself?? I know one more person whose sofa is going to heat up on Sunday!!!" Cheeky Yaw B.

  23. 17:37 - The rain has slowed down some, but there is no sign that the covers are coming off any time soon.

  24. 17:22 - The rain still pouring over Centre Court and the sky still dark. We'll tell you the second we know more.

  25. 16:57 - DOH! The rain arrives about 18 minutes earlier than forecast with Jie Zheng up 40-30 at a critical juncture in the second set. They're saying that this is hopefully a passing shower that has just come out of nowhere. People are running for cover as we heard some thunder recently and there will be a break in play.

  26. 5-5 - As a few sprinkles of rain start to fall, Venus Williams, who won earlier today to reach the final and is now rooting adamantly for her sister to meet her there, has put a hood on to protect from the weather. Serena again rushes ahead 40-0 before holding to 30 as Zheng fires the backhand pass attempt just wide. Not much separating these two in this second set, though it must be said that Serena has been better on serve.

  27. 4-5 - Zheng hits another wonderful backhand finishing shot into the corner to hold a nervy game to 30. The American will now serve to stay in the second set.

  28. 4-4 - No more nonsense. Serena again holds to LOVE.

  29. 3-4 - Not to be denied, Serena simply muscles her way to TRIPLE BREAK BACK POINT with a string of giant forehands before breaking to 15 to level this second set.

  30. 2-4 - Serena, with six aces and 19 unreturned serves coming into this game, has now been pressed to a BREAK POINT as Zheng hits a lovely fading overhead smash. Zheng then BREAKS with a stupendous backhand off of the return of second serve!! We may not have a procession to an all-Williams final just yet!

  31. 2-3 - Zheng lets Serena into a game from nowhere and Williams almost earns a BREAK POINT, but Ana Ivanovic's conqueror puts just enough on her pass attempt to force the American's volley effort into the net. Jie Zheng then holds to DEUCE with a smart backhand to wrongfoot Williams.

  32. 2-2 - Williams goes up 40-0 before Zheng finally takes her first point off of the American's serve since the rain delay. Serena still easily holds to 15 with a service winner out wide. She is sticking with the serve out wide, especially in the DEUCE court, and it is working pretty much every time.

  33. 1-2 - Serena is pressed into the forehand error and Zheng holds again to 15. A very confident game from the former doubles champion, as she begins to find her rhythm.

  34. 1-1 - Service winner, after service winner, after service winner and Serena holds to LOVE yet again.

  35. 0-1 - Zheng rushes ahead 40-0 on serve now and then confirms her opening serve to 15 with a service winner. A much better start to the second set than she had to the first. That long break could have helped the Chinese player mentally.

  36. 6-2 - An overpowering LOVE-Service game for Serena Williams who confirms the opener on her first SET POINT on serve with a huge service winner. As we said, there could be more rain, but the match may be over by then.

  37. 16:15 - More rain has been called for in one hour's time, but that could be enough of a break in the showers for Serena to wrap up this match at this point. The American number one will now serve for the opener.

  38. 16:10 - The players are back out on Centre Court and they will have a quick warm-up before finishing up this opening set.

  39. 16:07 - As we promised, that was a short one. Or so we hope. The covers are off on Centre Court and the skies are blue for the time being.... Hopefully the two women will be back on court in moments. We'll keep you informed.

  40. 15:48 - Never mind!! The rain finally getting so bad on Court 1 with the match on serve in the fifth set that the players just walk off of the court, as the umpire takes that as his signal to call play.

  41. 15:46 - The rain apparently is not bad enough to stop the men's quarter-final over on Court 1, so you can continue to follow that match LIVE by clicking on the link to the right. The winner of that one plays "Tiger Andy" Murray's conqueror, Rafael Nadal in the next round.

  42. 15:42 - But Serena won't be able to serve out for the set just yet, as the rain starts to fall on Centre Court and the covers quickly go up. We will keep you updated as to how long this postponement lasts (fortunately right now it's only partly cloudy over Wimbledon).

  43. 5-2 - Despite some great anticipation along the baseline by Williams, Zheng is able to survive in the end, wrapping up the hold with the overhead smash at the net. Still, Serena will serve for the opening set.

  44. 40-40 - Zheng saves a fourth SET POINT with a great forehand into the corner. DEUCE.

  45. 40-40 - Zheng is bullied along the baseline like a rag doll, and she eventually sends the forehand error into the net to hand the American a TRIPLE SET POINT.... And Zheng saves all three! That really frustrates the sixth seed. But she's still at DEUCE on her rival's serve.

  46. 5-1 - Serena holds comfortably to 15 with a service winner out wide. This match could be quicker than the last. Zheng will serve to stay in the opening set.

  47. 4-1 - Serena Williams breaks serve yet again and, like her older sister, is in complete control in her semi-final match.

  48. 3-1 - Serena recovers a bit of a deficit to hold to 30. A little bit more nervy from the American number one, but still solid.

  49. 2-1 - Jie Zheng is on the scoreboard far faster than Elena Dementieava, who dropped the first four games against Venus, was. She holds to 30 with a fine string of groundstrokes.

  50. 2-0 - Serena takes her opening service game to LOVE. An ominous start for Zheng, as clouds also begin to gather overhead.

  51. 1-0 - And the two-time champion has already broken to 30 with a stunning forehand into the corner that just has far too much mustard for Zheng.

  52. 0-0 - Jie Zheng serves first...

  53. ----- - The American with an equally comfortable path to the final. In the first round Serena beat Kaia Kanepi 7-5 6-3, in the second round she beat Polish teen Urszula Radwanska 6-4 6-4, in the third round she beat 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 6-1, in the last 16 she beat American compatriot Bethanie Mattek 6-3 6-3, and in the quarter-finals she crushed 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-0.

  54. ----- - Jie Zheng, her nation's first Grand Slam semi-finalist, had a stunning road to the semi-finals of course. She's dropped just one set this entire tournament. In the first round, the former world number 27 beat 30th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 6-3, in the second round she beat Briton Elena Baltacha 6-2 7-5, in the third round she shocked world number one and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic 6-1 6-4, in the last 16 she beat Hungarian 15th seed Agnes Szavay 6-3 6-4, and in the quarter-finals she beat 18th seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-2 5-7 6-1.

  55. ----- - If you missed it, Venus Williams bowled fifth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva over 6-1 7-6 (3) in the first semi-final. If the American wins this match, it will be the third all-Williams final at Wimbledon.

  56. 15:00 - Welcome to LIVE text comments and scoring as American Serena Williams looks to join her older sister Venus in the Wimbledon final against China's Jie Zheng. The match will start momentarily.

WTA Race 2008

Points
1 Jelena Jankovic 4355 stay
2 Serena Williams 3681 stay
3 Dinara Safina 3628 stay
4 Elena Dementieva 3040 stay
5 Ana Ivanovic 2952 stay
6 Maria Sharapova 2515 stay
7 Svetlana Kuznetsova 2513 stay
8 Venus Williams 2246 stay
9 Vera Zvonareva 2135 stay
10 Agnieszka Radwanska 2096 stay

Full Table »