Tuesday 25 August 2015 15:35, UK
Serena Williams booked her place in the final of the Cincinnati Open after completing a 6-4 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina on Saturday.
The world No 1 struggled with her serve for a second consecutive match, however, and committed 34 unforced errors. Despite this, Williams moved one win away from defending her title.
Williams' will bid to complete a calendar Grand Slam at the US Open from August 31, a pursuit that kept her early struggles in perspective.
"I wanted to not worry about this match, but worry about the next few matches and next few weeks and start playing better for that," Williams said.
"I got off to a super slow start today but I started going for it and I think that helped me out."
The 14th-seeded Svitolina broke Williams' service early in the opening set, but could not keep the momentum or capitalize on the American's eight double-faults.
In the second set, two straight backhand winners allowed Williams to break Svitolina's serve and move 3-1 up.
The 20-year-old Ukrainian broke back but Williams responded to take control of the match before sealing it with an ace.
She will defend her title against Romanian Simona Halep, who thrashed Jelena Jankovic 6-1 6-2 in the other semi-final.
"I played great tennis tonight. I was confident and I think that's why I played my best tennis," Halep said.
"I have my chance tomorrow (against Williams) but I expect a tough match. With her you never know; you can win, maybe, or you can lose fast."
