Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Three-time champion Serena Williams was a hard-fought quarterfinal winner Friday at the $2.44 million Rogers Cup.
The world No. 1 stalwart outlasted 11th-seeded former top-ranked star Caroline Wozniacki 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 on the hardcourts at Montreal's Uniprix Stadium. Wozniacki had been riding an eight-match winning streak, including a recent title in Istanbul.
Serena converted on her third match point when her good friend Wozniacki misfired long on one final backhand after 2 hours, 40 minutes of tennis.
The 32-year-old Serena is now 7-1 lifetime versus the 2010 Rogers Cup champ Wozniacki.
The American great, fresh off her U.S. Open Series title last week in Stanford, captured this long-time Canadian event in 2001, 2011 and last year and was the runner-up here in 2000. Her semifinal opponent on Saturday will be 14th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro or her older sister Venus.
Serena beat Romanian Sorana Cirstea in last year's final in Toronto, as this tournament shifts between Montreal and Toronto each year.
The 2014 Rogers Cup champion will collect $467,300.
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