LONDON -- In recent years, Serena Williams has been prone to slow starts, particularly against far lesser players. And in some of those matches, she never recovered.On a glorious sunny afternoon at the All England Club, Russian Elena Vesnina stepped onto Centre Court, the latest potential banana peel hoping to trip up the No. 1-seeded Williams.This time, the 34-year-old Serena did not slip. Not even close.With the calm, measured performance of a six-time champion, Williams completely unstrung the unseeded Vesnina 6-2, 6-0 to advance to her ninth Wimbledon final (Saturday, 9 a.m. ET on ESPN/WatchESPN). It was clinical, almost cruel.I felt like I had no chance today, Vesnina said later. She was in a great mood, and her serve was working really well for her. She had a really high percentage of first serves. She was placing it amazingly.Said Serena in her postmatch BBC interview: I was really focused today. ?I was ready. Its never easy out there. Every point you have to fight for.Really? It sure didnt look that way on Thursday.Match time: 48 minutes -- in the semifinal of a Grand Slam, no less. Its been 17 years since a semifinal was over that swiftly.You had to feel for the shell-shocked patrons at Centre Court, who paid 126 pounds ($164) for the privilege of watching. It was over so quickly that organizers delayed the start of the second semifinal to ensure that all spectators had a chance to arrive, causing a murmur to ripple through portion of the crowd already in attendance.The only drama after that emphatic result: Would Serena play her older sister Venus or No. 4 seed Angelique Kerber in Saturdays championship match? It turned out to be Kerber, who had upset Serena earlier this year in the Australian Open final.?I felt like she played great, Serena said of that match. She came out swinging, ready to win. She was fearless. Thats something I learned. When I go into a final, I, too, need to be fearless like she was.The numbers were almost unreal: Serena lost only three points on her serve in the entire match, winning 28 of 31 points. She was a perfect 12-for-12 in the second set. Sixty-one percent of those serves (including 11 aces) did not come back. All told, Serena won 53 of 74 points, a beatdown of ridiculous proportions, considering the stage.This is the best weve seen her from start to finish all year, said U.S. Olympic coach and ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez.Vesnina, to her credit, had been an overachiever here. She began the year ranked outside the top 100 and, just short of her 30th birthday, had climbed back to No. 50 with her best career result in a Grand Slam. Oddsmakers installed her as a 14-to-1 longshot, which in retrospect seems a tad optimistic.Serena has now been the WTAs No. 1-ranked player for 177 weeks in a row and seems destined to break Steffi Grafs record of 186 consecutive weeks on top. The other Graf milestone, however, is the one she really wants.After failing to win the past three majors -- losing in the finals of this years Australian Open and French Open -- Williams still finds herself one victory shy of Grafs Open era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.Now shes only two sets away.I think for anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment, Serena observed. For me, its about obviously holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better accomplishment for me.For me, its not enough. But I think thats what makes me different. Thats what makes me Serena.The fact that shes doing this at 34, closing in on 35, is extraordinary.Shes already the oldest woman to win a major in the Open era, a feat she accomplished here a year ago at the age of 33. And now she can extend that record by another year.In a moment typical of the match, Vesnina was serving at 0-2 in the second set, down a break. Her second serve was clearly wide, but she challenged. Even when the replay showed the ball several inches wide, she seemed perplexed and stood still for a while longer.Afterward, you had to laugh.I think [Vesninas] saving herself for doubles, John McEnroe cracked during the BBC broadcast, referring to the quarterfinal match in which Vesnina and partner Ekaterina Makarova are scheduled to take on the Williams sisters.Serena didnt sound like someone content to merely approach the finish line. Those losses to Kerber in Melbourne and Garbine Muguruza in Paris -- especially now -- are clearly still at the forefront of her mind.Its weird, Serena said. I cant believe Im in the finals again.Obviously, Im 0 for 2 [in major finals this year], so Im determined to get at least one this year.Obviously. Cheap Air Max Sale . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Cheap Air Max 2017 . LOUIS -- St. http://www.airmaxoutletsale.us/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Air max Outlet . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Cheap Air Max Outlet . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. A day after denying Karnataka a replacement for Manish Pandey, Maharashtra had a change of heart as David Mathias was allowed to bat on the second day of the Group B clash at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.Pandey was pulled out of Karnatakas squad after he was called up to replace the injured Ajinkya Rahane in Indias Test squad in Mumbai. Following the late change, Karnataka had approached match referee Pranab Roy for a replacement only for their request to be turned down by Maharashtra captain Swapnil Gugale.Mathias came out at No. 7, after the fall of Pavan Deshpande with Karnataka on 251 for 5. Mathias hung around for just 23 balls and scored 6 before being trapped lbw by medium-pacer Nikit Dhumal. But by then, Karnataka were already well ahead, leeading Maharashtra by 101 runs in the first innings.ddddddddddddKarnataka had begun the day on 67 for 1 in response to Maharashtras 163, faced with the prospect of playing with 10 batsmen. The rules state that a replacement can be drafted in only with the consent of the opposing captain, although Karnataka would have been allowed a substitute while fielding. Gugale pointed out the importance of the game for Maharashtra when asked about the reason for turning down the request on Wednesday.Karnataka are already through to the knockouts, while Maharashtra are vying for the final qualification spot with Odisha and Delhi. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '