Seeds sail

World No. 1 Dinara Safina reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time on Tuesday with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 win over unseeded German teenager Sabine Lisicki. Despite losing the first set by double-faulting on a tie-break, the top-seeded Russian recovered to beat the world No. 41 in two hours, 28 minutes on Centre Court.

Safina faces defending champion Venus Williams, the third seed, for a place in the final.

Defending champion Venus Williams admitted she feels invincible at All England Club after cruising into the semis with a 6-1 6-2 victory over 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. Venus has yet to drop a set in five rounds this year and her winning streak here has now reached 19 matches. Even more remarkably, she has won 32 consecutive sets here since Japan’s Akiko Morigami took the second set of their third round match in 2007.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva also eased into the last four for the second successive year after crushing unseeded Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2 6-2 on Tuesday. Dementieva made it to the last four at the All England Club for the first time last year before losing to eventual champion Venus.

Second seed Serena Williams also reached the semifinals with a 6-2 6-3 win over Belarusian eighth seed Victoria Azarenka.

The 2002 and 2003 champion, who is yet to drop a set at Wimbledon this year, was rarely troubled as she wrapped up victory inside an hour and 13 minutes on Centre Court.