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NEW YORK -- Chalk up another magnificent accomplishment in the brilliant career of Venus Williams.Despite not playing competitive tennis since Wimbledon in July, Williams advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open by defeating Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5), 6-3 early Tuesday evening.
"I feel like when the stakes were higher I was able to raise my game," said Williams. "She did, too. She played some great points. She's just so feisty that you have to kind of keep her at bay."
Williams becomes the first 30-year-old to reach the U.S. Open semifinal since Mary Pierce accomplished the feat in 2005.
With Sam Querrey eliminated in the fourth round of the men's championship earlier in the day, Williams is the last American standing in the singles competition at Flushing Meadow. Despite the long wait during Querrey's four and a half hour match with Stanislas Wawrinka, Williams was relatively sharp from the outset. She said the long wait is never a hassle.
"I'm a pro at waiting for my match," said Williams. "Singles, doubles, you name it, I've waited. I've waited for rain delays. That's a part of tennis. There is no certain time that the match before you will end, especially like a match like that. So you have to expect that maybe it will go long. I'm a pretty laid-back person, so I don't get too tight waiting."
Unlike her easy matches in the opening four rounds, the No. 4 seed had a tough battle with the gritty Schiavone, the Italian who won the French Open earlier this year. When Williams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set tiebreaker, Schiavone reeled off four consecutive points to even it up. When Williams appeared to be coasting to a victory with a 4-1 lead in the second set, Schiavone fought back to within 4-3 and 5-4 before Williams finally closed out the match by breaking her opponent's serve.
In the end, Williams' big serve and her ability to win points at the net -- she was 18 of 30 -- were the difference.
"She played good in the most important moments," Schiavone said of Williams, "and she served good when she needed to."
Williams, who won the tournament in 2000 and 2001, has reached her seventh U.S. Open singles semifinal. However, this is just her second appearance in the semis since 2002. She has yet to lose a set in this year's tournament. After losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, Williams withdrew from three tournaments -- Stuttgart, Cincinnati and Montreal -- with knee tendinitis.
In the semifinals, Williams will face the winner of the match played Tuesday night between defending champion Kim Clijsters and No. 5-seeded Samantha Stosur.
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