Williams Turns Match Into Latest Mismatch Victoria Azarenka's ride to the final of the United States Open looked routine enough on paper. She avoided any serious threat of an upset, and her workmanlike effort resulted in a predictable trip to the final for the second consecutive year. But the look on her face in her 6-4, 6-2 semifinal victory over Flavia Pennetta on Friday in the first women's semifinal, or in her fourth-round, three-set victory over Ana Ivanovic, provided a different portrait. She spent most of those contests looking exasperated, unable to establish control on her serve or to grab command of the matches. She won both and did not even need a third set for Friday's victory. But she is likely to need to find a higher level for Sunday's final, which pits her against No. 1 Serena Williams. Williams had none of Azarenka's problems getting there. She has lost 16 games in six matches, dropping only three to No. 5 Li Na in a 6-0, 6-3 victory in their semifinal Friday. Although Williams blitzed through the first set in 29 minutes, Li dug in for some grueling games in the second, including a break of Williams's serve in the third game. Williams has been broken only twice in the tournament. But even as Li was running all over the court to save her serve to pull to 3-5 - saving six match points in the process - it was mostly for pride. Williams served out the match in the next game. However brief the challenge, Williams said, the eighth game of the second set was a helpful lesson. "It was a good experience going into the next round that I'll be ready for," she said. If I even get a match point, I'll be ready to stay calm and just to stay focused and relaxed. Until Li won her first game in the second set, Williams had won 24 straight games stretching back to her fourth-round victory over Sloane Stephens. Williams, who has not lost a set in the tournament, won her quarterfinal against Carla Suárez Navarro without dropping a game. "I don't know," Williams said when asked about that dominance. I've just been really focused in all my practices. I've been trying really hard. And I come out here and hear all people saying, "Go, Serena." It really means a lot. Li received her share of support from a crowd that not only had warmed to her but also wanted to see a better match. Li hoped to deliver that, but she said her nerves got the better of her. "Today, doesn't matter who is the opponent; the problem is myself," she said. Li added that it was not her first time in the semifinals, so she should not have felt nervous. But the court seemed enormous, she said, and she was unable to focus. About the only thing that went wrong for Williams on Friday was her semifinal doubles match, played about an hour after she defeated Li. Bidding for their third United States Open doubles final, Serena and Venus Williams lost to fifth-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2. Azarenka, despite her lopsided score against Pennetta, was far less dominant than Serena Williams was against Li. Azarenka's serve was broken five times, after she had yielded seven service breaks to Ivanovic. Only after Azarenka pounded in one last volley winner against Pennetta did she show anything resembling joy, her high-pitched squeal reaching every corner of Arthur Ashe Stadium. "I'm happy I'm in the final," she said. There are always things that can be better. I feel like the first set was a little bit tricky. But just being able to pick it up and raise the level in the important moments, that's what it's all about, to be able to do that. Azarenka, who has won two Australian Opens, has a chance to add a major title at another event well suited to her game. She made it to the final here last year, losing to Williams in a hard-fought match, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. This year brings a rematch, and another chance for Azarenka to clear a big hurdle. Azarenka has won only 3 of their 15 meetings, although she won the most recent one, at a tournament in suburban Cincinnati last month, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6). "I think that the battles that we had, it was really just taking each other out of the most comfortable zone and just fight for every ball," Azarenka said. We know each other pretty well. I know her strengths; she knows my strengths. That's what it's all about, those turning points, who wants it more, who's willing to go for it more. Williams said she was prepared for another tough match. "We always have really good matches," Williams said. She's a great player, and she lifts her game when it counts. Pennetta came out firing winners early against Azarenka, trying to make the most of her first trip to a Grand Slam semifinal, which came unexpectedly as she returned from a wrist injury that caused her to drop out of the top 100 this year. Five straight breaks of serve in the first set led to a dramatic 10th game. Azarenka needed six set points before she got Pennetta to drill a service return into the net. Asked what the turning point was, Azarenka rolled her eyes and said, "When I held my serve finally." Azarenka kept the pressure on Pennetta's serve by returning deep and rushing the net when she could. That left her to figure out what was going wrong on her own serve. "I think the rhythm is sometimes off," Azarenka said. Sometimes can be a bit emotional, but sometimes you are just so focused, you don't realize what you are doing wrong. I had to really keep my focus. Focus was a key word for Williams, too, but it is hard to argue that she has lost it at any point in this tournament. "I have two weeks, two and a half weeks to focus on tennis," she said. That's what I'm going to do. That's what I've been doing.