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Serena Williams will face sister Venus in Saturday's Wimbledon final after prevailing in a marathon tussle with Russian Elena Dementieva. Second seed Serena saved a match point before coming through 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 8-6 in two hours and 48 minutes. The match was the longest women's semi-final in recent Wimbledon history. Venus's encounter with top seed Dinara Safina was in complete contrast, the defending champion completing an embarrassingly one-sided 6-1 6-0 win. That match all but undid the good work of the first semi-final, a pulsating encounter which had provided a much-needed fillip for women's tennis. One criticism directed at the women's game is that Safina has risen to the top of the women's rankings without winning a Grand Slam title. That record remains after a miserable first appearance in the Wimbledon semi-finals, the Russian completely outclassed by Venus in 51 minutes. "This is my eighth final," Venus told BBC Sport.