Last Thursday, Serena Williams defeated Elena Dementieva to earn a semifinal berth at the Sony Ericsson Championships at Doha, Qatar.

Williams, who will reclaim the world No. 1 slot when the new rankings are announced on Monday, has won three straight in the round robin segment of the event. She went on a six-game winning streak to oust Dementieva, who had controlled the earlier parts of the first set.

“It was definitely a match I had to be really focused for because she's a really good player,” explained Williams. “She's one of those late bloomers who tends to get better and better and better as every year goes on [and] I was probably playing the most fit girl on tour.”

In another match, Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 to Venus Williams. Venus, who is seeded seventh in the event, is the defending champion.