Wimbledon 2016: Thursday London Schedule and Bracket Predictions

Serena Williams will face unseeded Elena Vesnina in the semi-final of the women's event at Wimbledon 2016 on Thursday. However, the reigning champion and world No. 1 will be acutely aware her sister Venus is also vying to reach the final, although her match against fourth seed Angelique Kerber on Centre Court figures to be tougher.

Here's Thursday's singles schedule in London along with predictions for the bracket:

Match	Time (BST / ET)	Court	Prediction
(1) Serena Williams vs. Elena Vesnina	From 1 p.m. / 8 a.m.	Centre	Williams in straight sets
(4) Angelique Kerber vs. (8) Venus Williams	From 1 p.m. / 8 a.m.	Centre	Kerber in straight sets

For the full schedule, including details of the doubles bracket, visit the tournament's official site.

Preview

The Williams sisters having the chance to face each other in the final is nothing new. In fact, the pair have dominated the bracket at Wimbledon for years, as WTA's Kevin Fischer pointed out:

On this occasion, Serena earned her spot in the last four with an emphatic, straight-sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The 6-4, 6-4 win made it double-digit appearances in the final four at Wimbledon for the top seed, per the official Twitter:

Standing between Williams and a chance at another London title is 50th-ranked Vesnina. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has had an unforgettable tournament. She's proving a late bloomer, one who will need to conjure her biggest surprise on the big stage.

But Williams sounds ready for Vesnina's playing style, according to Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times: "She has a really good grass-court game, I think. She has a really good serve."

It's going to be tough for Vesnina to handle Williams' power on Centre Court.

While Serena may be used to taking her place on the big stage at Wimbledon, Venus is more inclined to savour the moment:

The 36-year-old revealed how she resisted the easy path to continue competing for titles:

But not everybody is convinced Venus can do her bit and meet Serena in the final. For one thing, ESPN.com's Mark Hodgkinson believes Australian Open winner Kerber has "never been as self-assured on grass as she is now."

Kerber boasts both a solid defence and powerful forehand that can keep Williams moving across the court and test the veteran's stamina. Experience and the force of history are on Venus' side, but fourth seed Kerber is too accomplished to be swayed into mistakes.

One Williams is a strong bet for the final, but Serena meeting her sister in the decisive match seems unlikely.