Williams, Cirstea to clash for Rogers Cup title

Toronto, ON – World No. 1 star Serena Williams was a straight-set victor in her semifinal matchup with Agnieszka Radwanska and will play for her third Rogers Cup title against Sorana Cirstea.

Williams outlasted the third-seed Pole in a 1-hour, 51-minute affair, earning a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 triumph in a rematch of the 2012 Wimbledon final.

The top-seeded American is a two-time champion here, winning in both 2001 and 2011 while finishing as a runner-up in 2000. With a victory in the final, Williams will claim her 54th singles title and move into solo possession of ninth place on the all-time list. She's currently tied with Monica Seles.

Cirstea will be the challenger and will play in her first final in nearly five years after knocking off a third Top-10 opponent in this tournament.

The Romanian clawed through a second-set tiebreaker on Saturday to finish off 2012 Rogers Cup runner-up Li Na, earning a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) victory over the World No. 5 player.

Cirstea defeated World No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki in the second round before taking out last year's champion, No. 7 Petra Kvitova, in the quarterfinals. It will be her first appearance in a final since winning Tashkent in 2008.

The newest Rogers Cup titlist will claim $426,000.