SERENA WILLIAMS claimed she would be prepared to match the men by playing five-set matches after making a perfect run through to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The two-time champion spent a little over an hour on court yesterday, cruising to a 6-2 6-3 win over teenager Victoria Azarenka on Centre Court to set up a last-four meeting with Elena Dementieva.
Women players now receive equal prize money in the grand slams despite still playing best-of-three-set matches but Williams insists she is ready to make the step up.
“I’m ready for five-set matches,” she said. “On grass it would be fine.”
Andy Murray’s fourth-round tie with Stanislav Wawrinka lasted longer than three of yesterday’s women’s quarter-finals combined, but Williams believes the fans are getting value for money.
“I definitely think so,” she said. “You get to see these female players playing their best tennis not losing a set. I think that’s tremendous.
“It’s one, two, three and four in the semis so I think the seeding is right. Those top players are really playing their top game so (the fans are) definitely getting your money’s worth.”
Both of tomorrow’s semi-finals will be American-Russian affairs, with Venus Williams facing top seed Dinara Safina, and Serena admits the Americans are improving in every match.
“We definitely upped our level of game today,” she said. “We had really tough opponents.”
Venus, who had already made light of her quarter-final opponent Agnieszka Radwanska, watched her sister produce an error-free first set to draw first blood against Azarenka.
Serena made light of the searing heat to produce a running forehand in the third game and then out-hit her young opponent to gain the first break to lead 4-2.
She consolidated the break with a two-handed backhand struck through gritted teeth, and raised her game yet further to break once more to take the set in just 26 minutes.
The Arizona-based Azarenka briefly upped her game in the second set to suggest her straight-sets victory over Williams in Miami earlier this year was no fluke.
She threatened to strike back in the opening game of the second set, successfully challenging a baseline call to force her first break points of the match, but Williams simply produced three booming serves to avert the danger.
There was a rare moment of alarm for the American when she went over on her ankle in a baseline tumble, but she quickly got back on her feet to force a break point.
The 19-year-old had to dig deep to hold her serve in the fourth game after coming up with two double faults and then pounced on a series of second serves from Williams to achieve the first break of the second set. The response was typical as Williams broke back immediately, held to love and then broke the teenager again before serving for the match.
