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Serena slams Cibulkova to set up Keys semi-final
Serena Williams broke her run of slow starts at the Australian Open on Wednesday to hammer Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 and set up an all-American semi-final against teenager Madison Keys.
Serena Williams broke her run of slow starts at the Australian Open on Wednesday to hammer Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 and set up an all-American semi-final against teenager Madison Keys.
An injury-hampered Keys dug deep to beat Williams' older sister Venus in three sets earlier in the day, but Serena was in no mood for a contest as she broke the Slovakian 11th seed twice in each set and gave her nothing on serve.
Williams closed out the match when last year's finalist Cibulkova clubbed a return past the baseline and the American grinned broadly as she smiled and waved at the Rod Laver Arena crowd on a sunny, breezy day.
Top seed Williams will head into the semi-final fresh after her one-hour five-minute rout as she bids to win her first title at Melbourne Park since 2010.
Match statistics from the Australian Open quarter-final between Serena Williams and Dominika Cibulkova on Wednesday (x denotes seeding):
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Dominkia Cibulkova (SVK x11) 6-2, 6-2
Time: 1hr 5mins
Williams - Cibulkova
15 Aces 1
3 Double Faults 3
31 Winners 13
18 Unforced Errors 18
4/7 Break Point Conversions 0/2
58 Total Points Won 38
