Wimbledon 2007: Bartoli v Venus Williams Women's Singles Final - Live!

Williams wins the first set 6-4 Venus cranks up the grunt-ometer with a series of ear-shattering screams of anguish. And it works. Her double-handed backhand is beginning to find its range and she races into a 0-30 lead with two bludgeoned cross-court winners. Bartoli hits back with an unreturnable serve, but she's under serious pressure and double faults, crucially. Two set points to Williams, but the first is gutsily saved by Bartoli, who stays strongly in the point before taking advantage of a short sliced backhand and goes cross-court to save. Bartoli then composes herself on another second serve, but she can't hold off Williams this time, as Venus gets in to the net on a deep forehand and then punches the volley home to take the set.

First set: *Williams 5-4 Bartoli A flurry of big first serves from Williams enable her to dominate this game, holding to love and preventing Bartoli from ever establishing any lengthy rallies, where the 22-year-old has won most of her points thus far.

First set: Williams 4-4 Bartoli* An impressive game win to love from Bartoli, who, with a mixture of baseline defiance and Williams mistakes, is holding her own right now. "Thanks for the tennis updates," writes Jen Joslin. "Please can you also update us on England's (no doubt miserable) batting against WI when they get under way again? I'm working and feeling a bit bereft without an OBO. I must know how my beloved Ian Bell gets on." Apologies OBO fans. Just the 290 for England to win that third ODI.

First set: *Williams 4-3 Bartoli A sixth forehand winner of the match takes Williams to 40-15 as she attempts to stem the run of games flowing in Bartoli's direction, and she does just that when Bartoli fires a forehand long. Happy Williams faces in the supporters' box and an apparently happy Williams squeeze, Hank Kuehne

First set: Williams 3-3 Bartoli* This is shaping up to become an intriguing encounter. Both players exchange some exquisite winners; first Bartoli, with her Selesesque two-handed forehand on the run, and then Williams with a clubbed forehand crosscourt. However, Venus nets a simple forehand and Bartoli closes out the game to square the first set, much to the delight of the pro-Bartoli (or anti-Williams) Centre Court crowd.

First set: *Williams 3-2 Bartoli Break points for Bartoli: two of them and she takes the second on another long Williams forehand to break back and bring the first set back on serve. Williams's forehand remains highly questionable, but then again, so too does John McEnroe's assertion that Bartoli "isn't in very good shape", suggesting that the 22-year-old could shed a pound or two. She's starting to find her feet and the first grand slam final nerves are slowly dissipating.

First set: Williams 3-1 Bartoli* Finally, some signs of life from Bartoli, who, up until now, hasn't been given a chance to settle by the experienced Williams. She batters a forehand past Williams for a lovely winner and looks in control at 30-15, but soon enough she's tossed in another double fault and faces another break point. Venus returns long, however, and lets Bartoli off the hook. Deuce. Williams then climbs all over a short Bartoli second serve, but smears her forehand left and long, but another Bartoli double fault brings us back to deuce. Bartoli is being made to work extremely hard, but she finds an excellent angle to a forehand at the end of another punishing rally and Williams nets. Another poor Venus forehand then goes left again and Bartoli takes the game.

First set: *Williams 3-0 Bartoli Another strong start from Venus, who clearly fancies getting this match done and dusted so she can watch the end of the Tour de France prologue. Possibly. Leading 40-30, she pounces on a short Bartoli return and remorselessly drills a forehand across court and pings the line to take the game. "Did you suffer the misery that was the Wimbledon film last night, James?" asks Simon Rakers. Damn, outed. Poor, isn't it, Simon. What's all this playing semi-finals outside the Centre and No1 Courts? Even without severe rain delays. And what's all this with a British winner?

First set: Williams 2-0 Bartoli* The Frenchwoman is made to work in her opening service game, as Venus takes her to deuce with some entertaining baseline rallies. Bartoli proved last night when two points from defeat in the second set that she's made of strong stuff, but she nets a backhand at full stretch and then serves up a double fault to fall a break behind. "Have you pulled an all-nighter at GU Towers in sympathy with those 'loveable' Wimbledon queuers?" wonders the inevitable Gary Naylor, who'll be delighted to know: a) I didn't; and b) I don't have any sympathy for said people. "Still, this GBG won't last long. Who serves on the committee that seeded Venus at 23? Have they never watched tennis? At risk of accusations of hubris, I'm calling it for Venus 6-2, 6-3."

First set: *Williams 1-0 Bartoli Centre Court is bathed in sunshine and Williams looks right at home. She holds comfortably to love, bullying Bartoli with her serve and baseline game.

Preamble Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to this the lowest-ranked Wimbledon final in the Open era. Incredibly, this is still Venus Williams's sixth SW19 final in the last eight years and Bartoli's first ever grand slam-progression beyond the last 16. Bartoli has reached today's final with three come-from-behind victories in her last three matches, including last night's remarkable success over world No1 Justine Henin, which almost no one in the world predicted. Apart from my rather smug colleague Barry Glendenning, who called her at 20-1 on Betfair yesterday afternoon (not such brave gambling in my book, mind: Bartoli was 129-1 after losing the first set 6-1). So who to call today? Venus is 1-6 and Bartoli 7-2: I'm calling Venus in three sets.