Thursday 8 September 2016 06:53, UK
Serena Williams kept her hopes of a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title alive by beating fifth seed Simona Halep at the US Open.
Williams was given the toughest fight of her tournament so far by Halep but survived in Arthur Ashe Stadium to win 6-2 4-6 6-3.
The American will face 10th seed Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals and stands two victories away from moving ahead of Steffi Graf's Open-era record 22 major triumphs.
Williams is also bidding to overtake Graf's record 186 consecutive weeks at world number one. She must do better than Angelique Kerber at Flushing Meadows to retain top spot.
The 34-year-old was pushed all the way by fifth seed Halep, who forced a decider after saving 12 break points during an enthralling second set.
"I knew I could play a lot better and I felt like I lost my rhythm in the second set," Williams said on court afterwards.
"And Simona started playing well and going for her shots. I knew if I wanted to win this I had to step it up in the third set."
Williams takes on the in-form Pliskova for a place in Saturday's final, with either Kerber or Caroline Wozniacki lying in wait.
The world number 11 had never gone past the third round of a major tournament before but arrived in New York on a high, having just beaten Kerber to claim the title in Cincinnati last month.
Her victory over 18-year-old Konjuh was her 10th in a row and took just 57 minutes.
