Wimbledon: Day 11

A look at who won and what’s next at the All England Club. World rankings in parentheses:

Who won

* Venus Williams, United States (7) d. Elena Dementieva, Russia (5), 6-1, 7-6 (3) – Williams even ventured to the net 21 times (winning 15 of the points), unleashing just a bit of her inner Navratilova. As if she needed another way to thrive at Wimbledon.

* Serena Williams, United States (6) d. Zheng Jie, China (133), 6-2, 7-6 (5) – To prepare for any future meetings, Zheng said she’s hoping her hitting partner, who is also her husband, might be able to approximate Williams’ serve, which decided this match. “Maybe he need more practice,” she said.

* Rainer Schuettler, Germany (94) d. Arnaud Clement, France (145), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 8-6 – Here’s the clandestine semifinalist, weathering the second-longest match in Wimbledon history at 5 hours 12 minutes, two days, three separate delays, one match point for Clement, two for Schuettler. Sometimes Wimbledon just teems with unsung melodramas.

What’s next

* Roger Federer, Switzerland (1) vs. Marat Safin, Russia (75), men’s semifinal – The reborn Safin, into his first Wimbledon semifinal, said, “I think it’s just a little bit too difficult it would be for me to beat” Federer. It’s a reminder that one thing that makes Safin so popular among reporters is his capacity to produce the rare sound of candor.

* Rafael Nadal, Spain (2) vs. Rainer Schuettler, Germany (94) – So after 5 hours 12 minutes against Clement, they’re going to let Schuettler walk out to Centre Court to play the player you’d least like to play after playing somebody else for 5 hours 12 minutes. It’s cruelty.

* Venus Williams/Serena Williams, United States (11) vs. Nathalie Dechy, France/Casey Dellacqua, Australia – They’re into the semifinals, the Williamses, seeking their third Wimbledon doubles title and first since 2002. Like they need more plates.

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Chuck Culpepper