Serena Williams on title defense, races to Australian Open semifinals

Serena Williams moved one step closer to her 19th Grand Slam title by beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2 in 65 minutes on Wednesday to advance to the Australian Open semifinals. [caption id=“attachment_2067841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts as she plays Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia during their quarterfinal match. AP[/caption] The No. 1-ranked Williams displayed her immense power, reeling off heavy returns that included 58 winners compared to38 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. AP