Rome, May 18 (EFE).- American Serena Williams continued one of the best stretches of her storied career, advancing to the Rome final with a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 victory Saturday over Simona Halep. The world No. 1 needed just over an hour to dismiss the overmatched Romanian world No. 64, who had battled through the qualifying stage to make it all the way to the tournament's final four. Williams' return dominated the match, allowing her to break Halep's serve five times in seven tries and win 71 percent of the Romanian's first-serve points.

Top seed Serena Williams booked her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Rome Open on Friday after a comfortable 6-2, 6-0 win over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro. Williams took just over 56 minutes on Central Court to brush aside the Spaniard, who offered little in reply to the American's all-round more powerful game. The world number one, who will claim her 51st WTA title if she triumphs this weekend, will meet the winner of the quarter-final between Jelena Jankovic and Simona Halep.

Serena Williams retained her Madrid Open title on Sunday with a devastating display to beat world number two Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4. The title is Williams' 50th of her singles career and extends her amazing run over Sharapova whom she hasn't lost to in 12 meetings since 2004. And Williams believes winning a title on red clay for the first time since 2002, after Madrid's switch back to the more traditional surface after an experiment with blue clay last year, is the perfect preparation for the French Open.

World number one Serena Williams withstood a sterling effort from 30-year-old wildcard Anabel Medina Garrigues to book her place in the Madrid Open semi-finals with a 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 victory on Friday. Williams had cruised through to the last eight without so much as dropping a set and she did enough to edge a tight opening set against the World No. 63 with just the one break of serve when Garrgues was serving at 3-4 down.