AUCKLAND (Agencies): Serena Williams wore down a tenacious Laura Siegemund to make the WTA Auckland Classic semi-finals on Friday, as the 23-time Grand Slam winner chases her first title in three years. Siegemund had upset US teen prodigy Coco Gauff to reach the final eight and kept up the pressure until the first set hit 4-4, when Williams moved up a gear to win 6-4, 6-3 in just under 90 minutes.
Williams showed her class as she broke Siegemund and then held serve to take the first set. The German claimed her own service break early in the second set but her opponent broke back to level at 3-3 and then commanded the next three games. Although still troubled by the Auckland wind, Williams said she was determined to prove herself this week as she uses the competition to fine-tune ahead of the Australian Open. “The conditions definitely didn’t help, so it was good to get through that,” she said. Williams had her last tournament win at the 2017 Australian Open and before she arrived in Auckland she had not played since losing the US Open final last September.
