Serena Williams Faces Vera Zvonareva in Wimbledon Final

Serena Williams powered her way into the Wimbledon final on Thursday, as the defending champion defeated upset-minded Petra Kvitova in their semifinal showdown, 7-6, 6-2.

After a tense first set, Williams finally took control in the second to give herself a chance to win her fourth Wimbledon singles title. Standing in her way is Russian 21st seed Vera Zvonareva, who rallied from a set down to beat 82nd-ranked Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Despite being the heavy favorite, Williams said she is not taking any chances against Zvonareva. “I’ve had some unbelievable matches against her, she’s really tough,” the American top seed said.

Zvonareva, whose previous best showing at a major was a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open last year, said she was excited to reach her first-ever grand slam final. “It is very exciting. It’s one of my dreams to be in the final.”

Considering the many upsets that have rocked Wimbledon this year, including Roger Federer’s and Venus Williams’ crushing defeats in the quarterfinals, it would not be much of a surprise if Zvonareva can pull off the biggest win of her career on Saturday’s final. However, the Russian must be at her best if she is to stop Williams from winning her 13th Grand Slam event.