Safina's ranking as world number one looked like a statistical error as she suffered the ignominy of suffering the most lopsided semi-final defeat since Billie Jean King beat Rosie Casals by the same score 40 years ago.

The Russian sprayed errors long and wide to fold in just 51 minutes.

Grilled about whether she deserves the top ranking after her outing, Safina could only say: "It's definitely disappointing, finishing the match less than one hour and winning only one game... I have to swallow this defeat but it's not the end of the world."

A backhand service return into the net not only ended Safina's ordeal but also handed Venus her 35th consecutive set at Wimbledon as she set up the dream final everyone had expected long before a ball had been hit at this year's championships.

Venus, who was beaten by Safina when they met in the Italian Open semi-finals just two months ago, was delighted that the sisters were back where they belonged.

"I'm happy for Serena to be in the final but I have to face her and defeat her. I don't necessarily want her to lose, but for sure I want me to win," said Venus, chasing a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles titles, and her sixth overall.

"I don't like to ever see her disappointed in any way. But at the same time, I don't want to see myself disappointed.

"But if she didn't win (her semi-final) or if I didn't win then the dream doesn't come true that we're both playing in the final. So I definitely want to play against her, because the dream has come true for both of us and for our family, too."

... contd.