Serena Williams Cruises Past Barbora Strycova, Advances to 2019 Wimbledon Final

Serena Williams swept past Barbora Strycova on Thursday to reach the 2019 Wimbledon final.

The United States legend was dominant in a 6-1, 6-2 victory and will play Simona Halep in Saturday's final after the Romanian beat Elina Svitolina in straight sets. Williams has a chance to tie Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles with 24.

Strycova failed to reach the heights she achieved when eliminating Johanna Konta in the previous round. Williams only allowed her opponent to feed off scraps during the encounter, and the American took the first set with little fuss.

Strycova lost her serve twice, with Williams in top gear. The eventual winner raced to a 5-1 lead, and the Centre Court crowd showed their appreciation.

The Czech was clearly struggling with her movement but did not call for the trainer, and the pace of Williams' game was a problem the 33-year-old could not solve. Strycova appeared fatigued in the final set, and Williams was ruthless as she claimed a double break of serve to close out the match.

The American, with her balancing and timing close to perfection, advanced to her 11th Wimbledon final after just 59 minutes on the court.

Halep was in superb form in the last four, and her win over Svitolina was comprehensive. The 27-year-old prevailed 6-1, 6-3 and smashed 26 winners on her way to victory. 

The No. 7 seed is playing the best she's ever performed on grass and should provide a tough test for Williams as she goes for her second Grand Slam title.