Serena Williams and her sister Venus will meet
again in a championship final, as both advanced in very different ways during
Saturday's semifinals at the $4.55 million Sony Ericsson Championships.
Venus inched her way through round-robin action and into the final four
despite a 1-2 mark, then advanced to her second straight final in this event
with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jelena Jankovic.
Serena, who captured the group with a perfect 3-0 record, moved into Sunday's
final when Caroline Wozniacki retired with a left abdominal strain while
trailing 6-4, 0-1.
In the final, Serena will not only face her sister, but another opponent
fighting injury. Venus needed treatment on her knee multiple times during the
match, yet still persevered in a grueling three-set bout.
Venus is the first player since Amelie Mauresmo in 2003 to reach the final of
this event with two losses at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.
It wasn't easy. Jankovic broke Venus at 5-5 in the first set, then held her
serve to win the first set. She coughed up a lead in the second set and lost
her serve three straight times in the final deciding set.
Serena played for just 45 minutes in her match and now gets another match
against her sister, whom she beat 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) earlier in round-robin
play. Serena leads the all-Williams series with Venus, 12-10, including three
straight victories.
No matter what happens in Sunday's final, the Wimbledon and Aussie Open
champion Serena will close out 2009 as the No. 1 women's player in the world.
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