Williams eyes 22nd Grand Slam title

PARIS, AP:

Serena Williams moved one victory from her second consecutive French Open trophy and 22nd Grand Slam title overall, beating Kiki Bertens 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the semi-finals yesterday.

For the second match in a row, the number one-seeded Williams was hardly at her best, falling behind early and making 22 unforced errors in the first set alone. Williams needed to erase two set points for her 58th-ranked Dutch opponent in the opener, but managed to get through it.

In the final, Williams will face number-four Garbine Muguruza of Spain, a rematch of last year's Wimbledon title match won by the American.

Muguruza advanced by defeating 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur, 6-2, 6-4.

If Williams wins she will equal Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 major championships. Only Margaret Court, with 24, has won more.