Wimbledon Lookahead: Williams seeks 21st major, Muguruza 1st

Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 17th consecutive time on Thursday, 6-2, 6-4.

Serena, who extended her winning run at grand slams to 27 matches and her 2015 record to 38-1, is just one win away from holding all four major titles at the same time – a feat she last achieved in 2002-03. She also becomes the first Spanish lady to make a Wimbledon final since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1996.

The Venezuela-born 20th seed led by a set and a break only for 13th seed Radwanska to respond with six straight games and force a decider. “Now I’m feeling that all my effort, all the work that I did before, is paying off”. “I think I was playing really well so I had to stay calm and keep a poker face”. But looking at the numbers, Muguruza has a little between a prayer and a Hail Mary of knocking off Serena in Saturday’s final.

Though Sharapova made her work for it, Williams closed out the second set and the match. On Monday she will make her Top 10 debut at No. 9 and would move up to No. 6 if she wins the title. “I don’t expect that and I’m sure you don’t either”, said Sharapova.

Williams was not in the mood to offer her long-time rival any gifts and nearly broke again in game three, Sharapova saving herself with an ace out wide. At one point, she seemed behind in the second set, but Williams got into a groove and it was too hard for Sharapova to come back.

“It’s going to be the best day of my tennis career”, Muguruza said at the end of her eve-of-final press conference.

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou insisted in advance that Williams’ dominance means there “is not really a rivalry” – and the world number one vindicated that claim to book a showdown with Spain’s Garbine Muguruza. She has done this all summer and all tournament, clucking and chuckling to avoid even the mention of a “Serena Slam” here, as concurrent holder of all the majors, or a calendar grand slam by successfully defending her US Open title in September.

“It’s great for her. It’s great for me”, Williams said. The world No. 1 Williams, having beaten Sharapova 16 straight times, is favored to join Muguruza on Center Court on Saturday.

Muguruza has blasted her way to her first Slam semi with a game flawless for the grass but, as usual, the far less powerful Radwanska, looking to reach her second final, will no doubt find a way of soaking up the pressure and weaving her web of creativity, as she did in her semi against the error-prone Madison Keys. “I’d be on the front page of the paper, I know that”.

“She knows that I can win against her, that I’m not afraid”.

This was a case of chances taken for the 21-year-old, converting three of four break points.

“She was an inspiration for me because when I was watching the TV, I was seeing her play finals, and she was No1”. Getting to 18 majors was super stressful for me.

“I think she had better depth than I did on her shots”.

Williams is unbeaten in majors since winning last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian and French Opens.

Muguruza, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska 62, 36, 63 in the semifinals, has one career title to her name.

Her 35 wins and one defeat this year illustrate what a daunting task lies ahead for Muguruza, but the undoubted underdog is also full of confidence as she enjoys a dramatic upturn in form on grass. “She’s given me problems in the past”, Serena said. “I’ll be concerned if I wasn’t nervous. I was not able to do that in today’s match”.

At deuce in the final game, Radwanska held up her racket in the middle of the point to challenge a backhand from Muguruza that landed near the baseline. “It was 50/50 call”. I decide to challenge.