Williams wins semifinal at Australian Open

US Tennis star Serena Williams maintain her dominance on the court as she defeated Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska to cruise to the final of the women’s singles event of the Australian Open here on Thursday.

A former World No.2, Radwanska pulled up more soundly in the second set, leveling proceedings at 3-3 after falling behind an early break, and pushing Williams to produce her best tennis in the final game – which she opened with three of the eight aces she hit on the day. Williams broke Radwanska’s service to open the match and was rarely troubled in the 21-minute first set.

“She goes on court and she just wants to kill it”, Radwanska told reporters after her 64-minute loss at the hands of the world number one. The victor will face Kerber or Konta in Saturday’s final – uncharted territory for both players. “I was able to do everything that I needed to do. Unbelievable serve. Everything, she was going for it. I couldn’t do much”. Radwanska had played a much more competitive set, but still finished with a 42-to-4 deficit in total winners. “She was playing unbelievably good”. She fended off the danger of Camila Giorgi in the opening round with a straight set 6-4, 7-5 victory, followed by consecutive clinical performances against Su-Wei Hsieh 6-1, 6-2, Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-1, Margarita Gasparyan 6-2, 6-1 and Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1. I know that she brings a lot, you know, to the game.

Kerber actually hit with Graf a year ago in Las Vegas where Graf lives with her husband, four-time Australian Open champion Andre Agassi.

Those four months of rest left many, Serena included, wondering if she would compete at the year’s first Grand Slam.

A subdued Rod Laver Arena crowd hoped that Radwanska would at least make it competitive in the second set.

Radwanska, ranked fourth in the world, is no stranger to the top level of women’s tennis but she was made to look a minnow by Williams, who looks ominously back to her very best.

Australian-born Johanna Konta, who now has British citizenship, plays a women’s semifinal against Angelique Kerber on Rod Laver Arena after defending champion Serena Williams takes on Agnieszka Radwanska.

But after causing a major boilover by ousting Venus Williams in the opening round, she rolled all the way to semis before coming up short against Kerber. I think she started unbelievably, with such a power and speed.

Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares advanced to the doubles final with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino and Lucas Pouille and will next meet Canadian Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek, who beat Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (11), 6-4.

Williams started to miss a few and Radwanska started to compete, breaking the top seed to level at 3-3 and then drawing the biggest applause of the match when she pulled her opponent in with a drop shot then pushed away the victor with a neat backhand volley. They cheered when she finally held her serve to open the second set.

Serena leads 5-1 having lost to the German at Cincinnati in 2012.

“I accept the score but at least it should be five games in the second set”, said Wiktorowski.

It’s been a familiar feeling among the players Williams has brushed aside on the way to the final, her seventh at Melbourne Park.