NEW YORK, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Looking to meet in a third straight Grand Slam final, top seed Serena Williams and second seed Venus Williams will take the court Friday in the U.S. Open semifinals.
The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, Serena Williams will face fellow American and fourth seed Lindsay Davenport for the fourth straight year at the Open.
The two-time defending champion, Venus Williams will try to extend her perfect record against No. 10 Amelie Mauresmo of France.
The Williams sisters have squared off in three of the last four Grand Slam finals, dating to the 2001 U.S. Open, when Venus earned a straight-sets victory.
That marked the first time sisters had met in a Grand Slam final since 1884. But the sisters since have made a habit of it. Serena defeated Venus, 7-5, 6-3, in June to capture the French Open and triumphed, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, in July to capture the Wimbledon title.
Serena Williams owns a 7-2 lead in her lifetime series against Davenport and has won two of their previous three meetings at the USTA National Tennis Center.
The 20-year-old Serena Williams won their 1999 semifinal en route to her first career Grand Slam crown, but Davenport reversed the result in the 2000 quarterfinals. Serena Williams then edged Davenport in their epic 2001 quartefinal, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5.
"She hits hard, I hit hard. I think it's fun for the fans," Serena Williams said. "I'm just going to go out there and have fun. I think I'll do well, she'll do well. Either way, another American in the final again."
In addition to her Grand Slam successes, Serena Williams has won at Scottsdale, Miami and Rome this year.
Davenport has reached her fifth semifinal since returning from an eight-month injury layoff. The 26-year-old moved into the final four with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Elena Bovina of Russia.
The 1998 U.S. Open champion, Davenport made the finals at Los Angeles and New Haven after getting to the semifinals at Stanford and San Diego to start her comeback from a right knee injury.
Venus Williams has won all four of her previous meetings with Mauresmo. Earlier this year, she rallied at the Paris Indoor event and pulled away to beat her at Antwerp.
"The past is behind me," Venus Williams said of her domination of Mauresmo. "All I can do is play better. All the wins I've had and nice times so far hopefully will go into the semifinal match."
Despite her disappointments against her sister, Venus Williams has taken six WTA titles this year. She triumphed at the Gold Coast event, Paris, Antwerp, Amelia Island, Stanford and San Diego.
Mauresmo will be competing in her second straight Grand Slam semifinal. After reaching the semis at Wimbledon, she posted a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win over American Jennifer Capriati, the third seed, to advance to the same stage here.
