Serena batters Pavlyuchenkova to join Venus in semis

USA's Serena Williams celebrates winning her match against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, July 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

"When you're younger and you have a dream and you say it and you believe it, that's one thing. But for it to really happen and to come true, it's just a completely different emotion."

Serena's experience showed on Centre Court against Pavlyuchenkova, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at a grand slam.

The American simply bided her time until she was able to seize on moments of weakness from the Russian to ram home her advantage.

She found a chink in her opponent's serving armoury in the ninth game of the first set.