DUBAI: Venus Williams continued to raise hopes of a return to the top echelons with her third straight sets win in a row and a place in the semi-finals of the Dubai Open on Thursday
The seven-times former Grand Slam winner overcame Flavia Pennetta, the seed-destroying Italian, 6-4, 7-5 with a mixed performance which included a slow start and a tense finish but some typically powerful ground stroking during the guts of the match.
However, she failed to serve out for the match at 5-4 and then went love-40 down when she attempted to close it out at 6-5, and there were suggestions she might have been getting low on energy.
Pennetta looked threatening late in the match, earning two break points at 3-4 in the second set, and became even more dangerous when she converted a break point to get back from 3-5 to 5-5. But ultimately Pennetta could not find her best when it mattered most, allowing Venus to escape.
Venus next plays Caroline Wozniacki, the former world number one from Denmark. (Agencies)