Venus Williams out-slugged champion Maria Sharapova to reach her fifth Wimbledon final with a 7-6 6-1 victory on Centre Court on Thursday.

Showing the kind of form which won her the title here in 2000 and 2001, Venus tamed her tough 18-year-old Russian opponent in a hard-fought semi-final and will now face Amelie Mauresmo or Lindsay Davenport on Saturday.

Venus, seeded 14th, won the first set on a tiebreak after an exhilarating rally before racing away with the second set which she took when Sharapova blazed a shot wide.

The 25-year-old, whose sister Serena beat her to win the title in 2002 and 2003 and lost to Sharapova last year, ensured that the Williams family would represented in the Wimbledon final for a sixth successive year.