Serena joins seasoned semifinalists in Oz

Serena Williams reached her 10th consecutive grand slam semifinal, and kept her bid alive for a record 23rd major title, with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Johanna Konta at the Australian Open yesterday.

Her opponent in the semifinals, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who beat fifthseeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, had a much longer wait to get back to this stage at a major — 18 years.

It’s the second time in the last two years that three women in their 30s have reached the semifinals at a major: Venus Williams, 36, Serena Williams, 35, and Lucic-Baroni, 34. Serena also reached the semifinals at the 2015 US Open, alongside 30-somethings Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci.

“Thirties is the new 10,” Williams said. “No matter what happens, someone 34 or older will be in the final.”

It’s also the first time since 2002 that three American women have reached the semifinals at the same grand slam. Venus Williams plays American CoCo Vandeweghe in the other semifinal today.

The second-seeded Serena Williams was tested by Konta in the second set when the British player broke her to go up 2-1. But Williams broke back at love to level the score at 3-3 and saved another break point in her next service game before closing out the match.

Williams finished with 10 aces, but connected on only 45 per cent of her first serves overall.

“The main focus is actually my serve even though I missed a lot [yesterday],” she said. “I got a little frustrated, but then I just told myself, ‘Serena, stop complaining, don’t be Baby Rena out here’.”

This has truly made my life and everything bad that happened, it has made it OK.

Lucic-Baroni advanced to the last four at a major for the first time since her run to the Wimbledon semifinals in 1999 at the age of 17.

The 79th-ranked Lucic-Baroni is surprised she is getting another chance at this stage of her career.

She and Pliskova combined for 14 service breaks before the Croatian left the court midway through the third set for treatment on her heavily taped left leg.

When she returned, she won eight straight points to hold and get the final break of the match.

“I know this means a lot to every player to reach the semifinals, but to me, this is just overwhelming,” she said, in tears, after the match. “This has truly made my life and everything bad that happened, it has made it OK.”

Lucic-Baroni was once considered a prodigy but her career was sidetracked by personal issues and financial problems.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov had a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over No 11 David Goffin (Belgium) yesterday to reach the semifinals, returning to the last four at a major for the first time since Wimbledon in 2014.

It was the No 15-seeded Dimitrov’s fifth win from as many meetings with Goffin. He’s on a roll in Australia after winning the Brisbane International tune-up tournament ahead of the season’s first major. — AP

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni