Australian Open 2015: Serena Williams advances to semifinals

Serena Williams moved one step closer to her 19th Grand Slam title by beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2 in 65 minutes Wednesday to advance to the Australian Open semifinals.

The No. 1-ranked Williams displayed her immense power, reeling off heavy returns that included 58 winners compared to 38 from Cibulkova, last year’s runner-up.

Williams played on Rod Laver Arena right after her older sister, Venus, lost her quarterfinal to 19-year-old American Madison Keys. The loss dashed hopes for the first Williams sisters semifinal at a Grand Slam in years but sets up an all-American matchup of the young generation against the old guard.

All five previous times Williams has advanced to the semifinals she has won the title at Melbourne Park.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press