Serena beats Wozniacki to reach US Open final

New York: Three-time champion Serena Williams overpowered world number one Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the US Open.

Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, who lived up to her billing as the most dangerous 28th seed in the history of the US Open, sent Wozniacki tumbling out of yet another major, blasting 34 winners, including 11 aces, past the Dane, who couldn`t find an answer even with the aid of the American`s 34 unforced errors. Despite her world number one ranking, Wozniacki`s best Grand Slam performance remains her 2009 runner-up finish to Kim Clijsters at Flushing Meadows in 2009. Williams, meanwhile, will take on ninth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur on Sunday for a 14th Grand Slam crown, and her first since Wimbledon 2010. That victory was followed by a litany of health problems for Williams, starting with a cut foot that required surgery and including life-threatening blood clots in her lungs. The drop in her ranking caused by her 11-month layoff led to her lowly seeding here. Although she had shown she was ready to challenge with two hardcourt titles in the build-up to the US Open, Williams` joy was evident in her spinning leap of celebration. "It has been such an arduous long road and I can`t believe it, I really can`t," Williams said. Signs that Wozniacki`s consistency and determination -- cited by Williams as her rival`s greatest attributes -- wouldn`t be enough came in the fourth game, when she fended off a triple break point then fought through three more deuces, but still couldn`t prevent Williams from claiming the break for a 3-1 lead. Two aces in the next game helped Williams consolidate the break, her forehand winner on game point bringing out a passionate "C`mon" from the American. With the momentum on her side, Williams took a medical time out to have the tape on her right foot adjusted, then returned and broke again to lead 5-1. Wozniacki recovered a break in the seventh game, but she was quickly down 0-40 in the next, finally surrendering the set on Williams` third set point. With the pressure on in the second, Wozniacki was broken to love to trail 3-1, double-faulting on break point. But in characteristic fashion, she didn`t go down without a fight. She broke back as Williams served for the match in the ninth game -- aided by two sloppy forehands and two double faults from Williams -- only to drop her serve one last time. Bureau Report