NEW YORK : Serena Williams overwhelmed 17th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals Friday to extend her U.S. Open winning streak to 20 matches.
If Williams can make that 21 in a row by beating Caroline Wozniacki in Sunday's final, the 32-year-old American will become the first woman since Chris Evert in the 1970s to win three consecutive titles at the tournament.
After Makarova held to 1-all, she went 40 minutes until taking another game. Powered by swift serves and stinging forehands, Williams grabbed nine straight games, including a stretch in which she took 22 of 24 points.
Williams' semifinal was far less dramatic than Friday's earlier match, when Wozniacki's opponent, China's Peng Shuai, retired in the second set because of heat illness and left the court in a wheelchair.
