Serena Williams powers past Barbora Strycova to enter Wimbledon final

Serena Williams powered through to her 11th Wimbledon final as she overwhelmed unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova in a brutal 6-1, 6-2 victory on Centre Court on Thursday.

Clobbering huge serves and forehands, the veteran American was always in control as she set up a showdown with Romanian former world number one Simona Halep in Saturday`s final.

The 37-year-old Williams will become the oldest woman to contest a Grand Slam final in the professional era and victory will take her alongside Margaret Court`s record 24 singles majors.

Strycova, the oldest first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist at 33, boasts a tricky game that scrambled the mind of Britain`s Johanna Konta in the quarter-finals.

But seven-times Wimbledon champion Williams is made of much sterner stuff and simply bulldozed her way through her opponent`s lightweight resistance.

Strycova held for 1-1 in the first set but any notion that a contest would break out disappeared in the blink of an eye as she went 5-1 behind.

She had a chance to slow the Williams advance when she got to 0-40 on the 11th seed`s serve with the help of a netcord but Williams raised the tempo