Title would outrank No 1 spot for Serena

Published on Thursday 29 January 2009 22:15

SERENA Williams may have booked a place in her fourth Australian Open final, but the American remains unhappy with her form despite training harder than ever for the first grand slam of the season.

The second seed overcame a 0-3 deficit and a heavy fall to beat fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-4 and move through to tomorrow's championship match against Dinara Safina, where she will be bidding for a fourth success in as many finals.

"This year I didn't take too much time off at all," Williams had said of her preparations before the Australian Open.

Seeking her tenth grand slam title, Williams entered the tournament looking fitter than she has in many years at Melbourne Park and has said previously she was not performing on court as well as she had in practice.

Despite winning matches while not feeling she was at her best, Williams acknowledged she needed to improve to overcome Safina, who she beat in the semi-finals at last year's US Open. As an additional sweetener, whoever takes the title will also become the new world No 1. "This is definitely not over. I have to play a really tough opponent who wants to win. She's clearly extremely fit. But my goal isn't to be No 1, my goal is to obviously now win one more match here at the Australian Open."

Safina overpowered fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3 7-6 to join Williams in the final.

The combination of Safina's heavier shot-making and aggression proved too much for Zvonareva as the third seed closed out victory in one hour and 46 minutes under a closed roof at the Rod Laver centre court. The 22-year-old Safina reached the French Open final last year, but is now on the verge of a first grand slam title after rebounding from a shaky start to the tournament to produce her best performance when it mattered most.

"To play against Serena and to fight for the No 1 ranking is just going to be unbelievable," said Safina, who is also trying to complete a family double in Australia by emulating her older brother Marat Safin, who won the men's singles title in 2005. "I watched my brother on TV winning this tournament and even when I watch it now I have tears in my eyes. It is great I can follow his footsteps because he was my idol and is still my idol."

Meantime, British teenager Laura Robson maintained her winning run to reach the junior girls' semi-finals.

However, the Melbourne-born 15-year-old fifth seed was given a helping hand when Romanian opponent Elena Bogdan retired injured with the score at 6-3, 2-5.

Robson comfortably took the first set but was struggling in the second before Bogdan, seeded fourth, had to pull out. Robson was due to play Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, who she beat in the Wimbledon final last year, in the semi-finals overnight. Fellow Briton Heather Watson, of Guernsey, lost to Russian Ksenia Pervak 6-3, 7-5.