Serena, Halep cruise into Wimbledon final

   Barbora Strycova and Elina Svitolina played in their first Grand Slam semifinals today.

   It did not go well.

   Eleventh-seeded Serena Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, dismantled the unseeded Strycova, a 33-year-old Czech, 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes.

   Seventh-seeded Simona Halep dismissed the eighth-seeded Svitolina, a 24-year-old Ukrainian, 6-1, 6-3 in 73 minutes to reach her first Wimbledon final.

   Williams, a 37-year-old part-time Silicon Valley resident, will try to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles when she faces Halep, a 27-year-old Romanian seeking her second major crown, on Saturday at 6 a.m. PDT (ESPN). 

   Williams leads the head-to-head series 9-1. She won the last meeting 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January. 

   Williams and Halep will face each other for the second time on grass. In their first career encounter, Williams triumphed 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round at Wimbledon in 2011. 

   Tennis Channel commentator Lindsay Davenport said the surface at the All England Lawn Tennis Club is playing slower this year, helping the 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) Halep.