Wimbledon could end Williams vs. Williams

LONDON, June 19 (UPI) -- Serena and Venus Williams were placed in opposite sides of the women's Wimbledon bracket Friday, meaning they could meet in the tournament finals.

The Williams sisters have won seven of the last nine Wimbledon titles. The all-time series between the two is tied at 10-10, but Serena owns a 5-2 edge when those meetings are in Grand Slam finals. However, Venus defeated her sister in last year's Wimbledon final.

Serena is ranked No. 2 in the world and Venus No. 3, so a true seeding would have them meet in the semifinals. But Wimbledon officials put Venus in the top half of the draw, setting up a possible semifinal match between her and world No. 1 Dinara Safina.

If the seedings play out, Venus Williams would play world No. 6 Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals while Safina would draw fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova. Safina has lost twice since taking over the No. 1 ranking -- both times to Kuznetsova, including a rout in the finals of the French Open.

Serena Williams could find No. 8 Victoria Azarenka awaiting her in the quarters while the other part of the lower half of the draw would feature fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva.

The Wimbledon championships begin Monday. The women's singles final is scheduled for July 4.