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Williams advances to the semifinals

Tue 7th, September 2010

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Two-time champion Venus Williams advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Tuesday night with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.

The third-seeded Williams, the last woman to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles when she triumphed here in 2000 and 2001, broke to move ahead 3-2 in the first set but then lost three straight games to fall behind, 5-4. The two-time U.S. Open runner-up held serve to force the tiebreak and claimed the last two points to take the first set.

The sixth-seeded Schiavone broke to get within 4-3 in the second set, only to have the American break back to move to the precipice of winning the match. However, the Italian answered with a break of her own to pull within 5-4 before Williams broke back again to move on after winning for a 52nd time in 53 matches in the last major of the season when taking the first set.

Williams will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between second seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters and fifth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur. That match started the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.