Serena out to rule her patch

Serena Williams is determined to keep hold of her title as Queen of Wimbledon in tomorrow's final against Maria Sharapova.

The Russian teen sensation has captured the public imagination by storming through to her first Grand Slam final, but Williams is confident of triumphing on what she sees as her own territory.

The No1 seed is aiming to be the first woman since Steffi Graf to win three successive titles, an achievement made all the more special by her struggle to shake off a persistent knee injury.

Williams said: "Yesterday I felt that Wimbledon was my domain, my territory, and I didn't want to give up without fighting. I love it here, I love coming back at 1pm on Tuesday and would like to do that again. Yesterday was the most emotional I've ever felt, I felt like Lleyton Hewitt out there.

"It's been a while since I played one that close and won. The juices were flowing and I proved I have the desire to win. It would be amazing for me to win three times in a row and set a record. I would be very proud of myself."

Williams triumphed in the only previous meeting between the pair. The 22-year-old beat Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 in Miami earlier this year and added: "Maria gave me a good game in Miami and her game has evolved since. But I'm a better player now and it should be a good show tomorrow. I'm not going out there to squash anyone but will just play the ball."

Williams' only regret is that she will not be meeting elder sister Venus, surprisingly knocked out by Karolina Sprem. She added: "I wish Venus was here and wish I was ready to fight her in the final."