Serena sets up possible clash with big sis

LONDON, JULY 4: Eighth seed Serena Williams raced into the semi-finals of the women's singles at Wimbledon on Tuesday with a rampaging 6-2...

LONDON, JULY 4: Eighth seed Serena Williams raced into the semi-finals of the women8217;s singles at Wimbledon on Tuesday with a rampaging 6-2, 6-0 win over unseeded fellow-American Lisa Raymond. Williams won in just 40 minutes and next faces either top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland or her fifth-seeded elder sister Venus.

Serena, the reigning US Open Champion, didn8217;t hang around for his arrival, however, as she mercilessly ground Raymond into the turf, hitting 21 outright winners to Raymond8217;s one. She in turn then raced to Centre Court having made the last four for the loss of just 13 games in the entire event. Raymond, 26 and ranked 21 in the world, won the title at Birmingham two weeks ago for her second career success 8211; but she was up against it in her first Grand Slam quarter-final as the powerful Serena made a scintillating start.

The muscular Serena, who joked Monday that scoffing cheeseburgers was part of her recipe for success, had dropped a mere 11 games coming into the quarters and she promptly broke her opponent8217;s serve to love. Serena, making only her second appearance at the All=England Club after missing last year8217;s event through injury, then had a break point for 3-0 but Raymond clung on to get on the scoreboard.

Losing a game only served to persuade Serena that it was time to step up several gears 8211; and Raymond couldn8217;t cope. Serena8217;s second ace gave her a 4-1 lead. And she served out for the opening set, which she concluded in 24min with another ace followed by a vicious double-fisted backhand. The one-way traffic continued in the second set as Serena, who had beaten Raymond in their only previous meeting in the German Open last year, broke twice for a 3-0 lead with winners flowing majestically from her racket, though she remained reluctant to come to the net.

In truth she didn8217;t need to as she took her ace count to nine and completed an imperious win after conceding just eight points in a 16 minute second set.

Serena will now meet her sister Venus Williams in the semi-finals. The fifth seed Venus defeated top seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a marathon 2 hours, 13 minutes to make the semis.

In the other quarter-final match, Aussie teen Jelena Dokic beat Spain8217;s Magui Serna 6-3, 6-2. Dokic won in 65 minutes and will now play either defending champion Lindsay Davenport or former finalist Monica Seles, who were later meeting in an all-American duel.

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Meanwhile, in men8217;s action Tim Henman8217;s bid for a first Wimbledon singles title was ended by Mark Philippoussis in an enthralling five set-match on Centre Court on Monday. Australian 12th seed Philippoussis, fast emerging as the iron man8217; of this tournament, took three hours 12 minutes to win 6-1, 5-7, 6-7 9/11, 6-3, 6-4, and advance to the quarter-finals where he will face 1992 champion Andre Agassi on Wednesday.

It was a speedy victory by Phillippoussis8217; standards after his five-hour, five set marathon in the previous round against Sjeng Schalken of Holland which featured a 38-game decider. British number one and eighth seed Henman, a semi-finalist in each of the past two years, ultimately had no answer to the booming serves of the man nicknamed Scud8217; for his rocket-like deliveries.