Australian Open: Serena Williams Crushes Agnieszka Radwanska

She became the first WTA player since Amelie Mauresmo in 2005 to clinch the WTA Finals crown without yet being a Grand Slam champion.

“I’m really looking forward to playing against Serena in the final”, Kerber said.

In contrast to her shaky start against Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, it was the 21-time Grand Slam champion at her optimum best in the first set. Williams is seeking her 22nd Grand Slam singles title – a feat which would tie Graf’s record – and holds a 5-1 head-to-head lead against Kerber.

Williams’ win over fourth-seeded Radwanska provided another yet reminder of her dominance in the women’s game.

Despite suffering from food poisoning Serena Williams has continued her title defence without dropping a set yet.

Radwanska’s fastest serve in the first game reached just 140 kph.

Within a minute of the match starting she had a break point as she hit clean winners and attacked the net.

The first set quickly went by in a blur. With not many points to defend until the summer, there is plenty of opportunity for her to keep in the running for a French Open seeding. Broken twice before she sat down for the first proper interval, Radwanska won just seven points in a first set lasting just 20 minutes.

Radwanska had played a much more competitive set, but still finished with a 42-to-4 deficit in total winners.

The chirping intensified as Williams served in the sixth game of the second set, and she looked up angrily after her off-balance forehand from the baseline conceding her only service break.

“She took out a really tough opponent in Victoria”, Williams told reporters.

“Her being lefty definitely helps out as well”.

But her deficit of power, mask-able against other players, was exposed by Serena, who simply did not give Radwanska time to set up shop. Capitalizing on more Williams’ errors, Radwanska broke serve for 3-all. Her first serve and forehand have also vastly improved in the past two years since they last met officially.

“I was like, I have to figure out something and I started playing aggressive again”.

However, she is the first to admit she still has a fair way to go if she is to match it with the world No. 1.

“Actually I am a tri-citizen”, she joked in her press conference after beating Zhang 6-4 6-1. Graf won the first time, and Williams who was just 17 won the second. The world number four is perhaps better for her fourth-round test; having come so close to being sent home she knows she can battle back.

Radwanska sunk to 0-9 against Williams in a rematch of the 2012 Wimbledon final. I saw the match today against Aga [Radwanska]; she was playing unbelievably good.

TRIPLE ACE FINISH In her 16th Australian Open, Williams, who said this week she had no plans to retire any time soon, got on the front foot immediately, and effortlessly.

“She is still in shape and she is hitting very hard, and moving still like she was moving a few years ago”, said Kerber, who has been in the Top 10 for four years but until this week had never advanced past a Grand Slam semifinal.