SW34 is TENNIS.com's Wimbledon blog that will provide on-site news, insight and commentary about a pair of legendary 34-year-olds, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, as they look to once again triumph at the All England Club.

LONDON—In Thursday’s semifinal, a supremely confident Serena Williams swept aside surprise semifinalist Elena Vesnina, 6-2, 6-0, in 48 minutes, the shortest semifinal in Wimbledon history.

“It’s never easy out there,” the world No. 1 said. “Every point you have to fight for. It’s never easy.”

The 34-year-old’s biggest strength this tournament has been her booming serve. Her very first serve on Thursday was an ace, sending a very clear message to Vesnina.

“The serve is very important for me, I think, in general,” Williams said. “I feel really dominant when I do serve like that. I feel really confident.”

For a player to have any chance against Williams, she must match her on serve and play almost flawless tennis—and perhaps pray that the world No. 1 has an off-day. That’s a lot to ask.

There’s not much of a reason to note head-to-head records when it comes to Williams, as she has a winning record against pretty much everyone. (She’s now 5-0 against Vesnina.)

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Unlike in some of her previous rounds, Williams’ erratic unforced errors were nowhere to be found. Her winners, however, were on point, with 28 to just seven unforced errors. Compare that to her first-round match—when she had 19 winners to 18 unforced errors—and you can see how a champion steps up her game as the fortnight wears on.

“I felt great in other tournaments, as well,” Williams said. “But I feel a little different [here]. I just feel more relaxed and more at peace than I may have been in the past.”

She looked at peace from start to finish, as she took plenty of time to compose herself between points on Thursday. The American’s positive demeanor gave her a threatening presence.

“She was really happy,” Vesnina said. “I mean, we played [a] couple of times against each other. I know, kind of, her attitude. She was really happy today on the court. She was really enjoying herself.”

Vesnina stepped up her own service performance to get on the board for 4-1 in one of the longest games of the set. Williams’ response? Wrapping up her service game in what felt like seconds.

Without any moments of frustration, or patches of going through the motions, the American secured the first set 6-2 with an ace.

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“Sometimes when you are fighting, sometimes you want something so bad it can hinder you a little bit,” Williams said. “Now I'm just a little bit more calm.

“I think confidence brews peace and calm in champions. I think that's how I feel.”

Williams’ precise serving carried into the second set, as she hit two aces and a service winner in her first service game for 2-0. It wasn’t as much the speed— Vesnina’ first-serve speed was comparable—but the way the 34-year-old zoomed in on the lines.

“I felt like I had no chance today, first of all,” Vesnina said. “I felt like Serena was playing really good. She was in a great mood, and [her] serve was working really well for her. She had a really high percentage of the first serves. She was placing it amazingly.”

In Williams’ first round, she won a respectable 79 percent of her first-serve points, and that went up to 90 percent in her quarterfinal win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. On Thursday, the number was a near-perfect 96 percent.

Her service speed is also consistent, averaging 108 m.p.h. in four of her five matches. She reached her highest speed of 123 m.p.h. in three matches, including Thursday’s semifinal.

Despite this being Vesnina’s greatest performance at a major, her dream run ended crushingly in front of a Centre Court crowd that was hoping for more.

“I think I tried everything” Vesnina said. “…But it was just not meant to be today. It was all about Serena.”

At 2-0 and 30-30, Williams pulled off a crisp backhand passing shot. She stayed in a dramatic crouch for a few seconds, with her racquet raised, and it illustrated just how much the moment meant to her. A Vesnina double fault handed her the break.

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“I think I've been training my mind for years and years, and I've been preparing for these moments for decades,” Williams said. “I feel like it's been experience and it's been success. It's been failure. It's been everything that created the opportunity for me to be able to be ready in those situations.”

To move ahead 5-0 for a triple break lead, Williams pulled off another smooth pass. She hit an on-the-run forehand down the line off a very solid Vesnina volley.

The Russian has been more successful in doubles, reaching as high as No. 3 and playing in the Roland Garros final last month. She knows her way around the net, but Williams knew how to get past her.

“I’m very happy I was really focused today, because I know we’ve had a lot of tough matches before,” Williams said. “I knew that she could really bring it to me, so I was ready.”

The thought of Williams dropping a service game was as ridiculous as Wimbledon changing its surface from grass to clay. Her 11th ace got her to triple match point, and a swinging volley winner sent her into her ninth Wimbledon final.

Instead of having to face her older sister, Williams will take Angelique Kerber, her Australian Open conqueror. The German will need to replicate her incredible performance in Melbourne if she’s have to any chance on Saturday.

Locals say that London is the most beautiful city in the world when it’s sunny. Maybe, maybe not. But Williams is unquestionably the most dangerous player on the planet when she’s calmly confident.