Venus Williams rolled back the years to reach the final of the women’s singles at Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over British favourite Johanna Konta.

The five-time Wimbledon champion, former world No 1 and sister to Serena – considered by many to be the finest women’s tennis player of all time –  played superbly to win 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court and set up a final against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.

No 6 seed Konta, 26, had hoped to become the first British woman in a Wimbledon singles final since 1977, but her consolation will be breaking into the top five in the world for the first time in the next rankings.

The 37-year-old American 10th seed is the oldest Grand Slam singles finalist since Martina Navratilova finished runner-up at Wimbledon in 1994.

Williams, playing her 20th Wimbledon, showed all her experience to edge out Konta and end British hopes in this year’s singles events.

The American, through to her ninth final, won her first Wimbledon title in 2000 and the most recent of her seven Grand Slam victories came on Centre Court in 2008.

‘I’ve played a lot of finals here,’ Williams said. ‘One more win will be amazing. It won’t be a given but I’ll give it my all.’

She will next face Muguruza, the 14th seed, who thrashed unseeded Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes to advance to her second Wimbledon final.

The Spaniard finished runner-up to Serena Williams in 2015, before beating the American to win the French Open in 2016.

Former world No 1 Tracy Austin said: ‘Muguruza was in the zone. That was one of the matches you train all your life for, and for it to happen in the semi-final of Wimbledon – she was in a dream.

‘Rybarikova was just rushed the whole time. But complete focus and a great game plan from Muguruza.’

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