DOHA, Qatar - Serena Williams said she didn’t arrive at the Sony Ericsson Championships expecting to win. Plenty of other people did that for her. Williams bested big sister Venus again yesterday winning 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the season-ending tournament for her third victory of the season. Williams also won Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking earlier in the week. “It feels great,“ said Serena, who also won the WTA Tour’s season-ending event in 2001. “I totally didn’t expect to come here and win.“

Which of the recent incidents was the rudest? Vote in our poll.

Serena Williams returns to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in their third-round match. Williams, an 11-time major champion, is seeking her fourth U.S. Open title. NEW YORK—Serena Williams found herself in a time warp yesterday, playing against a left-handed serve-and-volley specialist who had a game that brought back memories of Martina Navratilova, even if the talent wasn’t at that level.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams began their U.S. Open title defenses yesterday with easy wins in matches that probably will stick only in the memories of the players they beat. Federer defeated NCAA champion Devin Britton 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, and Williams rolled over wild card Alexa Glatch 6-4, 6-1 to fashion a predictable start to the last major championship of 2009.

NEW YORK In one breath, Serena Williams says she considers herself the favorite at the U.S. Open. In the next, she says she doesn’t want to be touted as the woman to beat at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, which begins Monday. At one point, Williams says she has no target number for major titles. At another point, she says she really was hoping to surpass Monica Seles’ nine major singles championships—and now that Williams has 11, she wants to catch Billie Jean King’s career count of 12.

Defending champion Serena Williams was seeded No. 2 for the U.S. Open yesterday, behind Dinara Safina, because the tournament stuck to its policy of strictly following the rankings. Roger Federer was seeded No. 1 for the fifth time at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament. He is ranked No. 1 and has won the U.S. Open five years in a row.

Serena Williams kept telling herself she was facing just another foe in the Wimbledon final yesterday, just another woman who hits the ball quite hard, just another player trying to deny her a Grand Slam title. She wasn’t facing just anyone, of course. She was playing her older sister Venus. And when the latest all-Williams final finished, when Serena wrapped up a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory for a third Wimbledon championship and 11th major title overall, she jogged to the net with her arm extended for a handshake.

WIMBLEDON, England—Venus Williams is just about the perfect older sibling: She supports Serena endlessly, protects her fiercely and even lets her pick which bedroom she wants when they’re on the road. Where does Venus draw the line? At Grand Slam championships. The sisters face each other again in a major final, meeting today for the Wimbledon title for the fourth time.

WIMBLEDON, England—Richard Williams refuses to watch his daughters, Venus and Serena, play each other. Says he simply can’t bear to see it, no matter the setting, no matter the stage. So once again, the patriarch of the greatest sister act in tennis history is heading home to the United States before the Wimbledon final.

women’s semifinals WIMBLEDON, England Wimbledon could be headed for another all-Williams final. Then again, it could be an all-Russian matchup. The Williams sisters are one round away from another Grand Slam championship showdown, but they will first have to get past Russian opponents to set up their eighth meeting in a major final and fourth in the Wimbledon title match.

WIMBLEDON, England—It is looking more and more like another all-Williams Wimbledon final is on the horizon. Only once in the past nine years has there been a Williamsfree women’s final on the hallowed grass of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and three times the sisters have played each other for the title. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., siblings, who have taken home seven of the past nine Wimbledon championships, are one round from another meeting.

No. 3 Venus Williams will face No. 1 Dinara Safina of Russia while No. 2 Serena Williams takes on No. 4 Elena Dementieva of Russia in Thursday’s semifinals.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Venus and Serena Williams are one round away from meeting in another Wimbledon final. Five-time champion Venus overpowered Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday, and two-time winner Serena followed her into the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Victoria Azarenka.

Second-seeded Serena Williams reacts during her 6-1, 7-5 victory over qualifier Neuza Silva. Williams won back-to-back Wimbldeon titles in 2002-03. WIMBLEDON, England—The new roof wasn’t tested. Roger Federer was—briefly. The retractable roof stayed open yesterday at Wimbledon, and Federer fell behind early in the opening match on Centre Court before charging past Yen-hsun Lu , 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion, is bidding to become the first woman to win three consecutive titles since Steffi Graf from 1991-93. WIMBLEDON, England Who says the oldest and most tradition-laden of tennis’ major championships doesn’t change with the times? There is, at long last, a retractable roof atop Centre Court at Wimbledon this year. Video review of line calls and equal prize money for men and women came along ages ago (well, OK, in 2007).