DEFENDING champion Venus Williams beat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 7-6 (3) to advance to the Wimbledon final yesterday, setting up a potential championship matchup with sister Serena.

Venus Williams, a four-time Wimbledon winner, overpowered the fifth-seeded Russian in the first set and then prevailed in an error-filled tiebreaker to improve her record to 7-0 in semifinals at the All England Club in London.

Her opponent in tomorrow's final will be two-time champion Serena, who beat 133rd-ranked Chinese wildcard entrant Zheng Jie 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Centre Court.

Serena was leading 6-2, 5-5 when heavy showers sent the duo scurrying back to the locker room for the second time.

The players had to endure a 37-minute rain disruption in the first set.

It would be the first all-Williams final since 2003 when Serena beat Venus in the championship match for the second year in a row.

"I am dying for S. Williams to get through," said Venus, who hasn't dropped a set in five matches and will be going for her seventh grand slam title. "This is my seventh final here and I'm looking forward to playing Serena in our third final, and I'm going to be rooting her on.

"At this point, our main focus is obviously both of us getting to the final," she said. "Then from there it's every Williams for themselves."

Dementieva, playing in her first Wimbledon semifinal, looked nervous and was completely overmatched in the first set by Venus' sheer power and pace, but settled down and made it competitive in the second.

After Dementieva knocked a forehand into the net to end the 1 hour, 42 minute match, Venus skipped and hopped up and down with joy like a kid at a birthday party.

"I guess it started to set in a little bit about being in the final. When I'm excited I always jump. That I guess will never change. I'd like to celebrate even more if I'm good enough to take that title."