New York:
US third seed Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, advanced to the US Open semi-finals on Tuesday by defeating Italian sixth seed Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Williams, a two-time US Open winner, will next face the winner of a later quarter-final between Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters, the defending champion, and Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur, the French Open runner-up.
Williams became the first 30-year-old woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since France's Mary Pierce at the 2005 US Open.
Improving to 8-0 lifetime against Schiavone, Williams has yet to drop a set in the Flushing Meadows fortnight.