Serena Williams ended the fairytale run of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Australian Open on Thursday with a crushing 6-2, 6-1 win that set up a final against her sister Venus.
Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni could barely contain her joy after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday, 19 years after her only previous singles match win at Melbourne Park prior to her remarkable run.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni could barely contain her joy after continuing her remarkable run at the Australian Open to reach her first grand slam quarter-final since the 1999 Wimbledon championships on Monday.
The Croatian was one of the hottest properties in tennis as a teenager before the personal turmoil of her upbringing caught up with her and she was forced to start all over again in 2008.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni offered no excuses for her meek departure from the Australian Open semi-finals at the hands of Serena Williams on Thursday, keener to discuss the career-high ranking that will follow her stunning run at Melbourne Park.
Indian Aces continued their dominance in IPTL 2 with a 25-18 win over Japan Warriors on the opening day of tournament's Dubai leg on Monday.
Defending champions Indian Aces bounced back in style to beat Singapore Slammers 27-20 and record their second successive win in the Japan leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) season 2 in Kobe.
Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic added her name to a list of anonymous figures to emerge from the Flushing Meadows shadows and step into the US Open spotlight with a shock 6-4, 6-4 win over Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday.
Venus Williams powered into the Italian Open quarter-finals on Thursday with a dominant 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory over fifth seed Johanna Konta.
Garbine Muguruza emerged as a favourite to win the Italian Open after beating Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko to reach the third round after world number one Angeliquer Kerber had earlier bowed out to Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit.
Images from all the action on Day 9 at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday
Serena Williams has been vulnerable this Grand Slam season but unbeaten in the year's first three major championships.
The 30-year-old Russian, who returned last month from a 15-month doping ban, said on her website she would play in the qualifying event staged the week before.
Serena and Venus Williams rolled back the years as they swept through their last four clashes to set up a retro family final at the Australian Open on Thursday, their ninth meeting in a grand slam title-decider.
Pliskova, a finalist at last year's US Open who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week, relied on her booming groundstrokes and strong returning to dispatch her American opponent in 59 minutes.
Round-up of the Rolland Garros tournament being played in Paris.
" As six-time Melbourne Park champion, Serena will be clear favourite, of course, more so because she has reached her 34th grand slam semi-final without losing a set. Lucic-Baroni's path to the last four has been more of a battle, as befits a woman who has overcome huge adversity to get back to the top of the game after years in the wilderness.
The women's draw at the US Open has been in news for the upsets it created. Almost everyday one or some days even two of the top seeds feel to unknown players.
Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova warmed up for Wimbledon with her first grasscourt title, beating in-form Czech Karolina Pliskova 7-5 6-3 at the Aegon International in Eastbourne on Saturday. But the former Australian Open finalist, seeded 12th, had to work hard for the victory early on. She had her serve broken in the first game of the match, setting the pattern for an entertaining tussle as the players traded breaks with abandon.
5 exceptional players who surprised us at Melbourne.
Japan Warriors did not have to break much sweat in getting past Philippine Marvericks 29-15 but it was a tough day out for UAE Royals, who edged out hosts Singapore Slammers 27-23 in their IPTL match, riding on Roger Federer's win in the deciding men's singles, in Singapore on Friday.
Polish fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was the highest women's casualty at the Miami Open on Saturday, blown away for the second time this year by Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Maria Sharapova retired injured from her second round match with Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Italian Open on Tuesday.
Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova avenged her Australian Open quarter-final loss to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni with a 6-3, 6-4 win over the 26th-seeded Croatian to secure a spot in the Miami Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
Karolina Pliskova reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time on Monday and is keen to prove right those tipping her for Grand Slam success.
IMAGES from all the action on Day 8 the Australian Open on Monday
He leads the men's seedings ahead of defending champ Roger Federer, with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov seeded third.
Images from all the action on Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday
Roger Federer continued his smooth progress at the French Open on Friday with a straightforward 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Bosnian Damir Dzumhur to reach the fourth round.
Maria Sharapova will probably have to win 10 matches to claim a second Wimbledon title this year after deciding on Friday not to request a wildcard for the championships.
Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who made the third round of the 1997 US Open also at 15, was the previous youngest player to advance to that stage of a grand slam.
Britain's Johanna Konta has learned much from matches against Grand Slam champions and former world number ones over the last 18 months but on Wednesday her education will be complete when she faces Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Novak Djokovic kept his juggernaut rolling at the China Open by improving to 26-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over local hope Zhang Ze on Thursday.
Venus Williams drew on the experience of 73 grand slam campaigns to come from a set down for a 6-7(3) 6-2 6-3 victory over fellow American Coco Vandeweghe on Thursday to set up a possible Australian Open final against her sister Serena.
Serena Williams must navigate a heavily American quarter of the draw including sister Venus to complete a calendar sweep of the four Grand Slams, while two sensational quarter-finals loom on the men's side after Thursday's U.S. Open draw.
Second seed Angelique Kerber stayed on track in her quest to unseat Serena Williams as world number one by beating Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia 6-2, 7-6(7) on Wednesday to reach the third round of the US Open.
It was a day of surprises at Flushing Meadows in New York as seeded players were knocked out one after the other on Friday.
A staggering number of athletes across sports seem to have found their best game in their 30s, 40s.
An Australian Open electrified by the revivals of seasoned champions will bathe in the warm glow of nostalgia on Saturday when the Williams sisters contest the women's final at Rod Laver Arena.
Caroline Wozniacki upset French Open champion Maria Sharapova in a groundstroke marathon to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals, while Gilles Simon registered the first big surprise in the men's draw.
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