This year's largely male dominated Wimbledon had its longest and best women's match at the start of yesterday's semi-finals. Serena Williams the second seed won it from match point down in the final set against Russia Olympic champion, the slender and speedy Elena Dementieva.

Serena saved that match point with a stretched action backhand volley that cut out a flashing passing shot. She had been three love down and it began to look like she was going out.

The match had not started with any of that quality or with any of that passion. It had been patchy to say the least. It was their depth of desire as much as their skill that transformed it into a classic.

Big sister Venus's 6-1 6-0 win over Dinara Safina in the other semi-final which followed was a complete contrast. The number one player in the world (on a computer I should add) Safina will be a really good Wimbledon player one day but not until she learns to cut down her exaggerated backswing on her ground stroke. The ball comes through much more quickly and lower on grass and Dinara needs to play many more hours on this surface before she really understands it.

It will be the fourth time the Williams sisters will face each other in a Wimbledon final. Serena leads 2-1 and they also met in the semi-finals when Venus won. The overall score in this family rivalry is 10 matches each.

Meanwhile the Andy Murray story gets bigger and bigger. Tennis clubs all over Britain are going to find swarms of children wanting to take up the game as a consequence - I just hope they are ready.

If Murray beats the former number one and US Open Champion Andy Roddick today then the nation will be talking about little else. But can he beat him, that is the question.

Well he beat him here in the 3rd round three years ago when Murray was still an emerging talent so it is a possibility and some will say a probability. Murray knows how Roddick will play - he is a cavalier with a big heart, he hits the ball hard, especially his serve and he is always on the lookout for a chance to get to the net.

I have spoken about providence giving Murray a hand the last two weeks and it may have helped him out again. This morning's weather conditions could influence this match. It is very clammy and there has been heavy rain. The centre court is covered but the roof has not been closed yet. If it remains as clammy as this, I would have thought it would have been easier for Murray to diffuse Roddick's serve. If that is so then perhaps providence yet again has played a part in his progress.

In the other semi-final Roger Federer takes on Tommy Haas and Haas has it all to do. Federer has never lost here in the semi-finals and he is bidding to become the first player to reach 7 straight Wimbledon finals that is an extraordinary sequence.

That is the mark of the man's supremacy -is he the most complete player ever? Personally I think so. Federer has never lost to Murray in a final and it is on the big occasions that the real champions find their inspirations to scale the peaks.

The final foot-note today is that attendance records continue to be broken. They are 31,500 up on last year - don't tell me it is all down to the sunshine.