Women's Singles Semi-finalsThe first seed, Lindsay Davenport, plays the third seed, Amelie Mauresmo, while the 14th seed, Venus Williams, faces the second seed, Maria Sharapova, in today's semi-finals at Wimbledon. The seeding committee could hardly have been more accurate in who they thought might reach the last four of this year's championship.

Williams has played better than her pre-tournament form had indicated but still the American, who tries to meet most things with some sense of equanimity, was irritated that they believed that she had fallen so far.

So there is a point to prove as well as a debt to settle as Sharapova earned her first Slam title on Centre Court last year at the expense of younger sister Serena.

Venus's first-set demolition of Mary Pierce in the quarter-final was a high point of the competition and on a par with Davenport's confident defeat of Kim Clijsters in the same round.

How she handles the intensity of Sharapova will determine the success or otherwise of Williams's tournament. Sharapova has not been unsettled to the degree where she might have been fearful of losing but nor has she risen to the heights of Williams, who looks fitter and stronger by the day. But physically they are equals.

All four players have been here before, Sharapova most recently and the only one who currently holds a Grand Slam title, but Davenport and her French opponent are hungry. The 29-year-old American has not won a Grand Slam since January 2000 while Mauresmo has yet to claim her first major.

The all-round game of the 25-year-old has taken her to this point without dropping a set but she has faced nothing like the quality that Davenport will offer.

The American leads their head-to-head meetings 8-3, and more importantly, has won their last seven meetings.