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Venus, Serena on crash course

WIMBLEDON, England — Pretty much everyone is impressed by the way Venus and Serena Williams dominate at Wimbledon.

That is true, particularly when it comes to Wimbledon, where recent records and the rankings don’t seem to have any bearing on how the Williams sisters will fare. Remember: Serena Williams showed up at the All England Club with a 4-5 record since early April. Her older sibling Venus was not much better in that span, going 6-5. Both trail No. 1 Dinara Safina in the rankings.

And yet, if No. 2 Serena beats No. 4 Elena Dementieva in today’s semifinals, and No. 3 Venus gets past Safina, they would set up the fourth all-Williams title match at Wimbledon and second in a row. As it is, one Williams or the other has won seven of the past nine championships here.

“I mean, it’s been quite incredible what Venus has been able to do here at Wimbledon also, winning five times, just being so consistent for so many years,” Roger Federer said. “

Yes, there is little doubt who is expected to meet in Saturday’s final.

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

and is trying for No. 6 overall. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and 2003 finals at the All England Club.

Should a championship match come about, they would turn into rivals. Until then, though, they are teammates.

They’re sharing a house during the tournament. They practice together — an advantage no one else on tour has. And they’re playing doubles as a pair.