Serena to play Zvonareva in Wimbledon final

(CNN) -- Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams charged into her sixth Wimbledon final where she will play Russian Vera Zvonareva on Saturday.

Williams ended the dreams of unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova with a 7-6 6-2 victory in their semifinal on Centre Court on Friday.

Earlier, Zvonareva came from a set down to beat another unseeded player, Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova, 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Williams was extended by Kvitova in a near hour-long first set, which saw both exchange breaks before going into a tiebreak.

The world number one raced into a 4-0 lead before Kvitova fought back and it needed a strong service winner from Williams to close it out 7-5.

Williams broke the left-hander in the fifth game of the second set and extended her advantage in the penultimate game.

But that was not before Kvitova had won the rally of the match, a 19-stroke thriller, to save a break point.

But Williams eventually took the game to go up a double break and served out for the match.

Only Zvonareva stands between her and a fourth Wimbledon title to add to her victory in the Australian Open earlier this year.

But the tournament favorite is still wary of the challenge of her talented opponent.

"I've had some unbelievable matches against her, she's really tough," she told BBC Sport.

The 25-year-old Zvonareva reached her first grand slam final after seeing off Pirinkova, who beat Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.

"I haven't quite realized what I've done yet," Zvonareva told AFP.

"It is very exciting. It's one of my dreams to be in the final."

The turning point of their match came in the sixth game of the second set as Zvonareva made the breakthrough on Pirinkova's service and went on to level at a set all.

A break in the very first game of the decider put Zvonoreva on top and she broke again as Pirinkova missed a forehand.

But she will need to be at her best in Saturday's showpiece as Williams bids for her 13th grand slam singles title.