Venus reaches Zurich semis to maintain Doha hopes

By Mark LEDSOM

TENNIS: ZURICH, Oct 18: Venus Williams remained on course for a strong end to an inconsistent season when the American beat Italy's Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Zurich Open on Friday.

Third-seeded Williams has won just one title this season - albeit at Wimbledon - and is still looking to gain enough points this week to join younger sister Serena at the season-ending WTA Championships.

Following the second round exits of her nearest rivals fr a place, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska, the former world number one took another big step towards the Doha finale by maintaining her perfect record against the world number 23.

The opening set was a messy affair with Williams eventually coming out on top of a five-game run in which both women failed to hold serve. The American finally found her rhythm when it counted, serving out to love to end the sequence and seal the set. Reuters