2018 US Open
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York
Dates: Aug 27-Sep 9
Six-time champion Serena Williams swept aside Anastasija Sevastova on Thursday (Sep 7) to reach a ninth US Open final, where she'll face Japanese trail blazer Naomi Osaka.
Serena, seeded 17th as she seeks to add to her 23 Grand Slam titles for the first time since the birth of her daughter Olympia last year, needed just 66 minutes to dispatch the 19th-seeded Sevastova 6-3, 6-0.
Naomi Osaka, seeded 20th, became the first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam final with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American Madison Keys - last year's beaten finalist.
Serena called her return to the US Open final for a ninth time "incredible" given that she was undergoing surgery for life threatening blood clots this time last year in the wake of giving birth.
"To come from that, in the hospital bed, not being able to move and walk and do anything, now only a year later, I'm not training, but I'm actually in these finals, in two in a row," said Serena, who also reached the final at Wimbledon.
"To come this far so fast ... I'm really looking forward to the possibilities."
Serena lost out in the semi-finals of her last two US Opens, in 2015 and 2016.
But with six titles in New York she needs just one more to surpass Chris Evert for most all-time - and she needs just one more Grand Slam title to equal Australian Margaret Court's all-time record of 24.
- Source: News websites
