Serena in semis

Melbourne, Feb 16: Serena Williams has returned to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time since she won the tournament in 2017. Williams claimed the last five games and beat No. 2 seed Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals despite 33 unforced errors. She set up a showdown with Naomi Osaka for a spot in the final. Williams is seeking a record-tying 24th major singles championship. She was terrific in the first set against Halep but had a bit of a wobble early in the second and trailed 3-1. Williams turned things back around and let out a big smile when her forehand winner ended the victory. (AP)