Richard Williams said Serena persuaded him to stick around for that doubles match. But he'll get on a plane Saturday, making sure to remind the pilots not to tell him who wins the singles final. How will he find out which daughter is this year's Wimbledon champion?

Not from TV. Or the Internet. Or by checking their Twitter feeds.

No, he'll find out the way he does every time one of his kids claims a Grand Slam championship: He'll read the sign that his neighbors in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., always post on the gate of their house — "Congratulations, Venus!" or "Congratulations, Serena!"

"All I know," Richard Williams said, "is a Williams is going to win." Serena nearly didn't make it. Seeded second, she hadn't lost a set all tournament, yet found herself trailing the fourth-seeded Dementieva.

The Russian is often pointed to as the best player without a Grand Slam title — if it isn't her, it's probably Safina — and the biggest weakness in her game long has been her serve.

She double-faulted eight times, but there were moments when that stroke got her out of trouble, including a second-serve ace at 110 mph. Surprisingly, it was her normally sturdy groundstrokes that let Dementieva down. Of course, Serena had something to do with that.

Dementieva's match point came at 5-4 in the third set, with Serena serving at 30-40. Dementieva had a backhand passing shot set up and tried to hit the ball cross-court, but Serena hit a backhand volley that clipped the tape and landed in.

"The only regret I have — Maybe I should take a little bit more risk on match point, go down the line," Dementieva said.

It was one of dozens of spectacular points in a match filled with momentum swings and superb play. With the temperature hitting 90, Dementieva slathered white sunscreen on her face and behind her knees, and put a plastic bag of ice on her neck and armpits at changeovers. Both women took time to catch their breath after lengthy rallies.

The match might very well have hinged on a key point, when Dementieva led 4-3 in the second set and Serena double-faulted to 30-40. One more point, and Dementieva would serve for the match. But Serena hit a forehand winner that barely — we're talking less than a quarter-inch — landed on the chalk on a sideline. It was one of only seven forehand winners for Serena.

"My forehand didn't show up today. I think he went to Hawaii," she would say later, finally able to smile about it. "It's always good to win when one of your strokes is on vacation."

Her serve was most decidedly on the scene. Wimbledon's official statistics for aces date only to 2000 on all courts, and to 1995 on the show courts, and they show no woman hitting more than 19 in a match until Thursday.

"I wasn't sure if it's Serena or Andy Roddick on the other side," Dementieva said.