Serena, the champ, is back

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Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesAfter tossing off 13 aces in the quarterfinals, Serena Williams has plenty to celebrate.

WIMBLEDON, England -- With the outdoor courts shut down, the last two Wimbledon women's champions met on Centre Court, the only match going, the only thing to see as the rain fell Tuesday. It was expected to be a titanic matchup of power versus power, the old guard versus the new, but Serena Williams, the 2010 champion, put a steady 6-3, 7-5 beatdown on last year's champion, Petra Kvitova.

It was very important tennis, but neither played the beautiful game, replete with long rallies, huge points and style. Kvitova solved her problems with power, as did Williams. When facing a challenge, as Kvitova would periodically devour a second serve with a huge winner, Williams responded with more power: serves of 115 mph and sizzling backhands. Anyone looking for lobs, drops and slices needed to go to Court 1 and look up Agnieszka Radwanska.

Williams' win was a reminder that she is the only true showstopper in the women's game. She's the one player who must be dealt with. The one whose presence affects the entire tournament. Williams hasn't won a major since Wimbledon 2010, but injury more than the field defeated her. When she is right, she is still the most dangerous performer in the game and the only woman who can control the entire game with her serve.

"I think it was a great match from both of us," Kvitova said afterward, "and I think she just served better than me."

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AP Photo/Adam DavyVictoria Azarenka would like her top ranking back, but she'll have to get through Serena Williams to do it.

Williams will face Victoria Azarenka, who advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Tamira Paszek, in the semifinals. The matchup will be another queen versus heir apparent, as Azarenka desperately craves the cachet of Williams and the true greats of the game. Azarenka won her only major this year in Australia as part of a 26-match win streak that solidified her No. 1 ranking. The streak ended in Miami, and Azarenka has not been the same player since. She lost at the French Open to Dominika Cibulkova and the top ranking to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.

This tournament, Azarenka has played with a special fire. In a 6-1, 6-0 destruction of Ana Ivanovic, it was clear that Azarenka is playing to regain her place at the top. Fittingly, the only true dominant figure in her sport, Williams, stands in the way. Serena has beaten Azarenka seven of eight times, including once on grass, in the 2009 Wimbledon quarterfinals. Part of Williams' competitive genius is in spotting threats, threats to her titles, her rankings, her goals. First Kvitova and now Azarenka.

"You can't play a defending Wimbledon or Grand Slam champion and not elevate your game," Williams said. "I had to weed out the riffraff and just get serious."

From the start, it was obvious that Kvitova -- who won this title last year by crushing Sharapova in the final -- was not merely facing Williams, but her aura, her outsized intimidation.

Last week, Williams was not happy that despite her pedigree she faced Yaroslava Shvedova on an outside court (even though Court 2 is considered a "show court") in the round of 16. Nor was she overjoyed by her uneven game that at times looked as if it might get her bounced from the tournament.

Against Jie Zheng, the rest of Williams' game faltered, but she served up 23 aces, a Wimbledon record. Against Shvedova, she fired 12 more. The Williams who arrived on Centre Court to take on Kvitova was the champion Williams, the one aware of the big stage against the bigger opponents. She played as though she was facing the defending champion and immediately took the court to establish her space. Kvitova watched 13 aces fly past. For contrast, on Court 1, Maria Kirilenko and Radwanska would soon resume, and neither would crack 100 mph for an average speed. Williams routinely hit 116 mph on her first serve, topping out at 120 mph. Serving 6-5 for the match, a look at Williams' game underscored just what Kvitova was up against:

• 117 mph ace down the T, 15-0
• Williams backhand long, unforced error, 15-15
• 117 mph ace down the T, 30-15
• Kvitova cross-court service winner, 30-30
• 116 mph ace down the T, 40-30 (match point)
• 113 mph serve out wide, no return. Game, set and match Williams.

When Williams wasn't powering serves, she was trading power returns down the line with Kvitova, whose huge forehands often went long.

Scouting reports and past performance were not indicators for this match. In her first match here, Kvitova was down 4-1 against Akgul Amanmuradova before winning handily. Each successive match followed suit as Kvitova eased into the tournament. By her fourth-round win over former French Open champ Francesca Schiavone, Kvitova had put her game together.

Meanwhile, Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam winner, has struggled throughout the tournament with one part of her game or another. None of it mattered, however, because Williams has what no one else does. What has saved her, naturally, is the champion inside of her and, as always, the biggest serve in the women's game.

Kvitova was disappointed that she would not defend her title but believes that Williams will win her fifth Wimbledon.

"It's big difficult," she said of anyone beating Williams. "I can't say impossible. She's human. That's why she's a great champion because she knows what she needs to play in the important points, so I think that it's really tough to beat her."

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Howard Bryant | email

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• Senior Writer, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
• Author of "The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron"
• Author of "Juicing the Game"