US Open 2018 Live: Naomi Osaka* 6-2, 1-0 Madison Keys (* denotes server) Madison Keys has squandered six break point chances but she continues to create chances. 17 shot rally with both players thrashing the ball on the forehand and Keys blinks in the end to let a seventh break point go waste. She creates another one as Osaka sends her forehand long. And saved once again! Osaka finding the smallest of angles and the backhand reply is off the line to bring it back to deuce. Another chance now for Keys as the game reaches almost eight minutes. Keys with a thumping forehand winner on the serve. But she follows it up with a return into the net. 0/9 on break points now Keys. 10th break point chance now for Keys with a lovely drop shot volley. And make that another chance going to waste. Osaka with a big serve and opening up the court with a deep reply. 6th deuce of the game now. Osaka with a backhand into the net and yet another break point - fifth of this game. Will this be it? Game over 10 minutes now. WHAT. A. SECOND. SERVE. Huge, huge ace down the tee and Keys can't help but smile with the bravery on that serve. Another break point for Keys and another ace. What is this game?<doc-sep>(CNN) Serena Williams brushed aside Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets to advance to the US Open women's final, taking her a step closer to equaling the all-time record haul of grand slam titles. Williams, 36, was at her imperious best in defeating her Latvian opponent, taking only 66 minutes to dispatch the 19th seed 6-3 6-0 to reach her ninth US Open final. The 23-time grand slam champion will meet Naomi Osaka of Japan in Saturday's final after the 20th seed beat American Madison Keys 6-2 6-4 to become the first Japanese woman to advance to a grand slam final. Should Williams beat Osaka, who was one year old when Williams won her first grand slam in 1999, she will equal Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam singles titles. "It's honestly really incredible," said Williams, who is ranked No. 26 in the world after a heavily interrupted year following the difficult birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia. "A year ago I was fighting for literally my life at the hospital after I had the baby. Every day I step on this court I'm so grateful that I have an opportunity to play this sport. "No matter what happens in any match, semis, finals, I just feel like I've already won." Dominant display Sevastova broke Williams' serve early in the match, but once the American great found her rhythm it was clear that there was only going to be one outcome. While she was dominant with her powerful groundstrokes, the former world No.1 also showed her strength at the net, winning 24 of 28 points when coming forward. It is the six-time winner's first US Open final in four years and only once has she dropped a set on her way to this year's final, in her last-16 match against Kaia Kanepi Photos: The first of many. A 17-year-old Williams beats Martina Hingis at the 1999 US Open in straight sets to win her first major title. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Conquering clay. Serena beats sister Venus at Roland Garros 7-5 6-3 in 2002 to claim her second grand slam at the French Open. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: A few weeks later, Serena makes it a hattrick of grand slams with victory over Venus at the Wimbledon final in July 2002. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Serena comes out on top after another final with Venus, beating her sister in straight sets to win her second US Open title in 2002. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: A grand slam of grand slams -- the first "Serena Slam." Serena wins a first Australian Open title -- and a fourth major on the trot -- by beating Venus in three sets in 2003. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Serena wins the 2003 Wimbledon final 4-6 6-4 6-2 against sister Venus to defend her crown. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: A second Australian Open title for Serena and a seventh grand slam after a 2-6 6-3 6-0 victory over compatriot Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Melbourne final. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Victory over Maria Sharapova in the 2007 final secures a third Australian Open title for Serena. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Serena on Times Square with the US Open trophy, a title she won without dropping a set at the 2008 tournament. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Ten years of grand slam success and a 10th major for Serena as she beats Dinara Safina in straight sets at the Australian Open final in 2009. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Another victory over sister Venus in a Wimbledon final and Serena clinches her third title at SW19 in 2009. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Serena poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy in 2010, her fifth Australian Open title. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: A two-year wait, but Serena notches a 14th major with yet more success at Wimbledon. She beats Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 5-7 6-2 in the 2010 final to level with sister Venus with five Wimbledon titles. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Wimbledon 2012 was Williams' first grand slam since spending almost a year out of action between summer 2010 and 2011 with a leg injury and subsequent pulmonary embolism. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Thirteen years after her first US Open title, Serena grabs a fourth by beating world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the final Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Serena with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower after victory over Sharapova in the 2013 final. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Another US Open for Serena, beating Azarenka in the 2013 final for the second successive year. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Victory at the US Open in 2014 moves Williams to joint-fourth in the all-time list of major winners, alongside Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Another fine start to a year as Williams wins the 2015 Australian Open -- once again beating Sharapova in a major final. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: A second grand slam of the year and a third French Open after a 6-3 6-7 6-2 win over Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova in 2015. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: A third major title of the year thanks to a straight-sets win over Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the 2015 Wimbledon final. But there was to be no "Serena Slam'"of four majors in the same calendar year. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: A seventh Wimbledon title for the then world No.1 and now equal with Steffi Graf's Open era record of major titles. "This court definitely feels like home," says Williams after her straight sets win over Angelique Kerber in 2016. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: At the start of 2017, sister Venus is beaten in straight sets as a seventh Australian Open is secured and an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title won. Later we would find out she won while pregnant with her first child. Hide Caption 23 of 23 "This is just the beginning. I'm only a few months in and really looking forward to the rest of the year and next year," Williams, who will be competing in her 31st grand slam final, added. "I just feel like there's a lot of growth still to go in my game. That's actually the most exciting part. "Even though I'm not a spring chicken, I still have a very, very bright future." Historic meeting Osaka, who has made great strides in 2018, winning Indian Wells in March, said the opportunity to meet Williams in the final was a powerful motivator. "This is going to sound really bad but I was thinking, 'I really want to play Serena'," she said, adding when asked why, "because she's Serena! What do you mean?" Osaka celebrates a point against Keys. Early in the second set, after a dispiriting end to the first set from Keys, the American looked set to mount a comeback, breaking Osaka's first service game in a 22-point, six break-point game. The partisan crowd tried to buoy the home favorite as she gained in confidence but it was a tough ask as Osaka brought her back down to earth. At 20, Osaka will be the youngest women's US Open finalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. She said that beating Keys for the first time felt "really weird." "I've never beaten Madison. I was just glad to get through this match, she's such a good player," she said. She thanked the crowd and had a special message for her mother, who was watching from the stands at Arthur Ashe. "Mom, I did it! I love you! Thank you." Asked if she had a message to her final opponent, she repeated "I love you" to laughs around the stadium. "I love everybody! Thank you!"<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Serena Williams won her last US Open title in 2014 2018 US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 27 August-9 September Coverage: Live radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website Serena Williams says she still has a "really long way to go" to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. Williams plays Anastasija Sevastova in the semi-finals on Thursday and is the only major winner left in the draw. A seventh US Open title would see the American equal Margaret Court's Grand Slam haul but Williams has lost her last two semi-finals in New York. Williams, 36, also lost to Angelique Kerber in this year's Wimbledon final. "I'd been a couple of steps away at the last Grand Slam, so I'm definitely not ahead of myself," Williams said. "I still know that no matter whether I'm in the semi-finals or the finals, I have a really long way to go to win." Williams is also aiming for a first Grand Slam title since giving birth to her daughter last year. The semi-final, which starts at starts 0:00 BST on Friday, is Sevastova's first in a Grand Slam semi-final and comes after her win over defending champion Sloane Stephens in the quarter-finals. Sevastova retired from the sport in 2013 because of recurring injuries and spent two years studying leisure management before returning in 2015. "It was an amazing journey, this three, four years," the world number 18 said. "After I stop, at some point I will look at it and I will be proud of myself, for sure. "I hope I will enjoy it, playing semi-finals. It's not every day you play semi-finals of a Grand Slam." Williams' route to the semi-final First round: Beat Magda Linette 6-4 6-0 Second round: Beat Carina Witthoeft 6-2 6-2 Third round: Beat Venus Williams 6-2 6-1 Fourth round: Beat Kaia Kanepi 6-0 4-6 6-3 Quarter-final: Beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-3 Back to 'business' for Osaka Osaka was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and Haitian father but moved to the US with her family aged three The second semi-final sees 2017 runner-up Madison Keys face Japan's Naomi Osaka, who is making her first appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final. Osaka, who has long been tipped as a future star of the women's game, is the first Japanese woman to reach the last four of a Grand Slam for 22 years. "It means a lot but I was much more emotional for the quarters and now I feel like it's sort of business again," the 20-year-old said. "Quarters was my mental goal, every time I played a Grand Slam. "And then after I went into the quarters, I want to keep going, so I feel like I have to be focused again and keep trying really hard."<doc-sep>
Last updated on .From the section Tennis Serena Williams will bid for a record seventh US Open title on Saturday 2018 US Open women's final Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: Saturday, 8 September Time: 21:00 BST Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and text commentary on the BBC Sport website. Serena Williams has another shot at winning her first Grand Slam title since giving birth after defeating Anastasija Sevastova in 66 minutes in their US Open semi-final. Williams, beaten by Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final in July, won 6-3 6-0 against Latvian 19th seed Sevastova. The 36-year-old American will play Japan's Naomi Osaka in Saturday's final after the 20th seed beat Madison Keys. Victory will equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. "It is really incredible. A year ago I was literally fighting for my life at the hospital after having the baby," said Williams, who missed last year's US Open because of the birth of her child, Olympia. "Every day I step out on this court I am so grateful to have an opportunity to play this sport. "So no matter what happens in any match, I already feel like I have already won." Serena in stats The American will compete in her 31st Grand Slam final and ninth US Open final. Having lost her past two semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, Williams will make her first appearance in the final since beating Caroline Wozniacki in 2014. The 17th seed has won the US Open a record-equalling six times - the same amount as compatriot Chris Evert. Williams will be the third oldest women's Grand Slam finalist in the Open era and, if she wins, the oldest champion, overtaking her own record set at the 2017 Australian Open. Williams close to her very best Serena Williams will be competing in her ninth US Open final on Saturday Williams was out of the game for over a year after announcing her pregnancy in April 2017 and then giving birth last September. Now, she is back playing at her home Grand Slam and looking close to her very best. A dominant win over older sister Venus laid down a significant marker in the third round, before a straight-set win over Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-finals showed she was able to compete with the world's best players once again. That meant she came into her semi-final as the favourite against a player who had never before reached a Grand Slam semi-final. But the ease with which she ran away with the match - winning 11 of the final 12 games and losing just 12 points in the second set - was startling. "This is just the beginning. I'm only a few months in and really looking forward to the rest of the year and next year," Williams said. "I just feel like there's a lot of growth still to go in my game. That's actually the most exciting part. "Even though I'm not a spring chicken, I still have a very, very bright future." Attacking Williams blunts Sevastova Williams made a slow start in front of an expectant crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which had the roof closed because of rain and thunderstorms. She lost her serve in the first game and trailed 2-0 before winning four in a row to take command. quote I just usually come in to shake hands. I wanted to try something different and it worked in my favour Serena Williams Williams started to find her range and her power could not be contained by Sevastova. More striking was the former world number one's willingness to come forward, approaching the net on 28 occasions and winning 24 of those points. Once she took the first set in 39 minutes there was no way back for her 28-year-old opponent. Williams hit 14 winners in the 25 points she needed to take the second set in 27 minutes. "I've been working hard on my volleys," Williams said of her aggressive gameplan. "I have won a few doubles championships, so I know how to volley. "I just usually come in to shake hands," she joked. "I wanted to try something different and it worked in my favour." Sevastova, who beat defending champion Sloane Stephens to reach the last four, said: "When she's in front it's tough to play.