Williams reaches US Open final again

NEW YORK (AP):

With another US Open final in sight, and Grand Slam title No. 24 within reach, Serena Williams got past a slightly shaky start and quickly took control.

Williams turned in an increasingly impressive performance for a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 5-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in their semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium last night.

This will be Williams' fourth final in the past six major tournaments. She was the runner-up at Wimbledon each of the past two years, losing to Angelique Kerber in 2018 and to Simona Halep in July. And she was also the runner-up, of course, a year ago at Flushing Meadows, losing to Naomi Osaka.

That final was, and forever will be, overshadowed by Williams' extended argument with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who docked her a point, then a game -- and was barred by the US Tennis Association from officiating any matches in this year's tournament involving her or her older sister, Venus.

Prism of tennis history

So much of what Williams does nowadays must be seen through the prism of tennis history, and that was certainly the case this time. Her 101st career match win at Flushing Meadows tied Chris Evert's tournament record.

"It's just impressive, I guess," Williams said. "I don't think about it. I just come out here and do what I can."

By getting to the final, Williams set a record for longest gap between first career Grand Slam title match and most recent such appearance: It's almost exactly 20 full years since she won the 1999 US Open as a teenager.

Most importantly, if she can beat No. 13 Belinda Bencic or No. 15 Bianca Andreescu in Saturday's final, Williams will equal Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in tennis history. Court, though, won more than half of hers against amateur competition before professionals were allowed to play in majors starting in 1968.