There have been bumps in the road to Wimbledon glory before for the willful Williams sisters, but if Venus and Serena play anywhere close to as well as they did in thrashing high-quality opponents in the fourth round on Monday, they are sure to meet in Saturday's final.
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Their head-to-head matchup is locked at 10-10 and they've met four times at Wimbledon, each winning twice and Venus having taken her sister down in a brilliantly played 2008 final.
They have combined for seven out of the last nine titles and clearly, Centre Court at Wimbledon is the House of Williams and someone is going to have to steal the keys to the front door if they want to keep the family from pocketing their eighth combined title.
"Definitely (it's ours to lose)," Serena said. "I feel like if I'm not playing well, if I don't do the right things, I definitely lose it on my racket."
Serena says that she is more than aware of Venus' presence on the other side of the draw and knows just how well her older sister is playing. Last year, she was sorely disappointed after losing the final. And while she complimented her beloved sister's play, she said she blew it. Serena knows that if she's to win her first Wimbledon title since 2003, she's going to have to enter Venus' rapid orbit.
"I was hitting with her the other day," said Serena, who destroyed Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1 on Monday. "She was beating me, so I was mad. I thought I was playing really well, so I was frustrated."
Once again, Venus came into the tournament as the favorite to win the title and after four brilliantly played matches, she's looking the part. On Monday, she tore apart 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic before the Serbian retired with a left thigh injury down 1-6, 1-0.
Ivanovic's retirement shouldn't take a away from Venus' sterling performance, as she battered the Serbian from the first ball, twisting in big serves, clubbing huge returns and punching crisp volleys. Venus denied the tearful Ivanovic any opportunity to get into the match and there's no denying how very much in charge she's been in every one of her matches.
"I'm a control freak," said Venus, who has only lost 15 games in four matches, "I love controlling. I'm used to that. That's how I was taught to play, so I was pleased to go out there and play well against someone as good as her."
Despite not having won a major off grass since 2001, Venus continues to play at a level far above the rest of the field, with the slight exception of Serena. She's won 31 sets in a row at Wimbledon, which goes all the way back to 2007.
