Match point haunts beaten Dementieva

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - It will be a while before Elena Dementieva can erase the sixth point of the 10th game of the third set of her Wimbledon semi-final against Serena Williams from her memory bank -- if ever.

It was the split second when a first Wimbledon singles final flashed before her eyes and the moment when the chance of an epic and probably deserved victory over the American twice former champion slipped through her fingers.

With Williams 4-5, 30-40 down in the decider and fighting for her all her worth, Dementieva had a glorious chance to drill a backhand into the yawning gap past her net-rushing opponent. However, instead of going down the line she hit it crosscourt and Williams wobbled a winning volley off the tape.

Her moment had passed.

Williams broke the Dementieva serve at 6-6 and served out for a 6-7 7-5 8-6 victory in a gripping match lasting just under three hours -- the longest women''s semi-final since the game turned professional in 1968.

"The only regret I have is maybe I should take a little bit more risk on match point, I should go down the line," Dementieva, the Olympic singles champion but so often the bridesmaid of women''s tennis when it comes to the grand slam tournaments, told reporters.

"I''m disappointed with the shot because I''m very surprised I didn''t go down the line. I mean, that passing shot, this is my favorite shot to make.

"I mean, maybe it was too quick, so I didn''t see she was moving to cover crosscourt. She was very close to the net. I mean, down the line or even lob would work," she added wistfully, re-playing the point out loud.

Dementieva, a French Open and U.S. Open runner-up in 2004, was thrashed by Serena in the semi-final of this year''s Australian Open but she upped her game on Center Court to match her opponent blow for blow in what she described as her best ever performance on a grasscourt.

It was certainly the best women''s match seen in these parts for some time.

With a little more luck at crucial moments she could now be looking forward to taking on the other half of Team Williams, reigning champion Venus, in the final.

She had a break point when leading 4-3 in the second set but watched forlornly as the Hawkeye replay of a Williams forehand thunderbolt showed it to have caught the very outer edge of the intersection of baseline and tramline.

She also had the chance to take the second set into a tiebreak, too. On one of the four break point chances she had at 5-6 down on the Williams serve she hit a nervy backhand into the net but Williams saved two of them with huge aces.

"I wasn''t sure if it''s Serena or Andy Roddick on the other side of the net, 125mph all the time," the 27-year-old, who like Serena had not dropped a set on the way to the last four, said.

"It was a huge percentage of the first serve but I was able to break her a couple of times and I was in the lead in the third set."  Continued...