Tennis - Serena brushes aside Tatishvili in Bastad

Williams barely broke a sweat, dropping only five games in a match that lasted just over an hour.

It was the first time that the two had faced each other with the world number one and top seed coming through against the world number 104 in typically brutal fashion.

The 31-year-old American struggled with her serve throughout the match, making just 58% of her first serves and was broken 3 times by her Georgian opponent.

Although red-hot favourite, Williams is now in a stronger position with 2nd seed, and world number 23, Simona Halep retiring hurt in her match against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

WTA Bastad round two results

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) 6-2 6-3

Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat 2-Simona Halep (Romania) 4-6 7-5 2-0 (Halep retired)

Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) beat 6-Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-1 2-6 6-3

WTA Bad Gastein round two results

2-Annika Beck (Germany) beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 2-6 6-4 6-4

Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) beat 3-Irina Begu (Romania) 6-3 6-3

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat 6-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 7-5 1-6 6-1

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-4 6-4

Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) beat Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) 5-7 7-5 6-3

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Tennis - Serena brushes aside Zakopalova to make Bastad final

Williams’ early dominance was total as she rattled off the first eight games to bagel her Czech opponent and open up a two game advantage in the second set.

Zakopalova did manage to fashion a break of her own to tie the second set at 2-2 but Williams, who lost to Sabine Lisicki in the last-16 of Wimbledon, broke back to take the set and the match just shy of an hour and ten minutes.

Williams will face home hope Johanna Larsson in Sunday’s final.

The Swede came from behind to overpower her Italian counter-part Flavia Pennetta 2-6 6-3 6-4.

WTA Bastad semi-final results

1-Serena Williams (US) beat 3-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-0 6-4

8-Johanna Larsson (Sweden) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 2-6 6-3 6-4

WTA Bad Gastein semi-final results

Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) beat Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 7-5 6-7(1) 6-4

Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) beat 8-Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-4 6-3

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Tennis - Serena too strong for Karatantcheva in Bastad

The world number one and top seed was too strong for Sesil Karatancheva of Kazakhstan as she raced to a 6-1 6-2 victory.

Williams is the red-hot favourite for the tournament with the second seed in the event – Romania's Simona Halep– being ranked only 23rd in the world.

Still it is a popular event on the tour and was voted WTA's tournament of the year in 2012.

A packed crowd watched Serena in action but the contest last only 64 minutes as world number 131 Karatancheva found the step up in class a little too much.

Next up for Williams is a clash with Georgia's Anna Tatishvili, who defeated Swiss wild card Belinda Bencic in three sets.

WTA Bastad round one results

Andrea Gamiz (Venezuela) beat 4-Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-1 6-3

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) 6-1 6-2

6-Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Anastasia Grymalska (Italy) 6-3 5-7 6-1

Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) beat Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (Spain) 6-3 6-3

3-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Ellen Allgurin (Sweden) 6-1 6-1

Nina Bratchikova (Russia) beat Lesley Kerkhove (Netherlands) 6-3 6-1

Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) beat Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 2-6 6-4 6-4

Teliana Pereira (Brazil) beat Dinah Pfizenmaier (Germany) 3-6 6-2 7-5

Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 7-6(2) 6-1

Mathilde Johansson (France) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 6-2 6-3 

WTA Bad Gastein round one results

Petra Martic (Croatia) beat 4-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia) 6-4 6-3

Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) beat Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal) 6-2 6-4

Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) beat Dia Evtimova (Bulgaria) 6-2 2-6 6-3

2-Annika Beck (Germany) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 7-5 6-3

6-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-1 6-4

Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-3 6-1

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Michaela Honcova (Slovakia) 6-2 6-2

Lisa-Maria Moser (Austria) beat Elena Bogdan (Romania) 7-6(6) 2-6 6-4

Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) beat 5-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-2 6-2

Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) beat Tadeja Majeric (Slovenia) 6-1 6-3

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Tennis - Williams wins fourth clay title of season in Bastad

It made it 28 clay court wins in a row for Serena with five of her seven 2013 titles coming on the surface - four on red clay and one on green clay (Charleston).

Larsson got off to a good start in her home tournament, breaking in the opening game, and was 3-1 in front early but the eight seeded Swede only went on to win two more games as Serena took control.

It was the 53rd WTA title of Williams' career and puts her level with Monica Seles for ninth on the all-time list in the Open era.

Meanwhile in Bad Gastein, Austria, Yvonne Meusburger delighted the home fans by winning the first title of her career against Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic 7-5 6-2 .

Meusburger is ranked only 86th in the world but enjoyed a fantastic tournament – not dropping a single set all week.

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