Venus Williams' appearance in January's Australian Open final wasn't, as it turned out, a temporary return to the head table of grand slam tennis for the 37-year-old.
Rather it turned out to be a sign of things to come, with Wimbledon providing more success.
The US star reached a second grand slam final this year and simultaneously ended the chances of a first British women's winner at Wimbledon since 1977 when she dispatched Johanna Konta -- who grew up idolizing the tennis playing Williams sisters -- 6-4 6-2 in a fine display of powerful, athletic tennis at The All England Club.
Indeed it hasn't been a great last two days for the locals, who saw hobbled, defending men's champion Andy Murray bundled out by Williams' fellow American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.
If Williams defeats Garbine Muguruza today (Saturday), the world No. 11 would become the oldest women's grand slam winner in the Open Era, surpassing younger sister Serena who got the better of Venus in Melbourne.
Muguruza certainly shouldn't be discounted, even if Williams might be relieved not to be confronting her sibling, who is pregnant and off the tour. Williams leads Muguruza 3-1 head-to-head but lost their last tussle, this year in Rome.
But that tournament is played on clay, not grass, as Muguruza knows.
"She knows how to play, especially Wimbledon finals," Muguruza said of Williams. "It's going to be, you know, like a historic final again."
The Spaniard has looked a different player since exiting the French Open -- when she admitted to struggling with the pressure of defending the title -- and crushed the unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1 6-1 in the first semifinal on Centre Court.
It was Serena who beat Muguruza in the 2015 finale at SW19.
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
But Thursday belonged to Williams, whose sustained excellence and longevity at Wimbledon are spelled out by these numbers: A ninth final, 87 match wins -- one more than Serena -- 101 total matches and 20 visits.
Capping this fortnight for her in perfect fashion -- a fortnight that began with questions about a car accident she was involved in that led to the death of a 78-year-old man in Florida -- would be a sixth crown and first grand slam since her 2008 triumph here.
Williams caressed a forehand winner down the line on a third match point to seal victory over Konta and celebrated in understated fashion. You couldn't take the smile off her face, though there was no pirouette like when she downed CoCo Vandeweghe in the Melbourne semifinals.
Williams and seventh-ranked Konta possess similar styles. They are both tall, power players with big serves who also cover the court with aplomb. Konta actually led their head-to-heads 3-2, including a victory over Williams at the tournament closest to her home, the Miami Open, in March.
But on Thursday, Konta was put under relentless pressure by Williams as the British player made 35 forced errors, with Venus also powering home 19 winners and hitting only nine unforced errors.
PIVOTAL
There was little to separate them on the grass -- a controversial issue this tournament -- in the first set. A pivotal two games, however, decided the set and probably the entire outcome.
Down two break points at 4-4, Williams produced a serve out wide, backhand winner combination. On the second, an excellent second serve into the body gave Konta no chance. It wouldn't be the last time Williams came up with that serve, Konta turning away when a similar serve followed in the second set. Konta then felt the pressure serving at 4-5 in the opener, falling behind quickly 0-40, and couldn't save the game.
Williams had the important advantage and pressed it home for 3-1 in the second. Konta went from 0-40 to 30-40 on serve but was broken on the third break point.
Konta, who courageously produced gripping three-set wins over Donna Vekic, Caroline Garcia and Simona Halep, just couldn't mount a comeback, though she left the court to a standing ovation, rightfully so.
But it was Williams who left as the winner on the day. – CNN
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