Mason, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Reigning U.S. Open champion Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic won in Saturday's semifinal play at the $2.5 million Western & Southern Open tennis event.
The world No. 1 stalwart Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 12 seed, by a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 margin on the hardcourts at Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Williams and her good friend Wozniacki met for the second time in two weeks, as the American stopped the Dane in a quarterfinal in Montreal last week. Williams is now 8-1 lifetime versus Wozniacki, including wins in their last five meetings.
The 32-year-old Williams has never won the title here in five previous appearances. The only other event she has played six times without claiming the title is Sydney.
The ninth-seeded Ivanovic, meanwhile, appeared to be headed for a straight-set victory as she led 4-0 in the second set after winning the first. Fifth-seeded Maria Sharpova rallied to survive, but Ivanovic eventually persevered for a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory.
Ivanovic defeated Serena in the fourth round of this year's Australian Open, but has lost the past two matches, including a defeat in the quarterfinal round at the Bank of the West Classic.
The 2014 Cincy champion will collect $467,300.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.