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By Chris Oddo

Serena Williams, Bastad quarterfinals 2013 (July 19, 2013) -- It was another breezy afternoon in Bastad and another breezy victory for Serena Williams, as the world No. 1 defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the semifinals of the Collector Swedish Open on Friday.

Williams converted on all six of her break point opportunities—three in the first set and three in the second set—to complete her fourth career victory over the Spaniard in just over an hour.

The win marks Williams' 26th consecutive victory on clay. The 31-year-old American has not lost on the surface since the 2012 French Open.

Despite not having success while serving, Dominguez Lino did manage to make some inroads against the vaunted Williams serve on Friday. She earned five break points, and won half of her points against Williams' second serve, but she was unable to break until the second set.

“Yes, she plays a tricky game,” Williams said. “She hits high, she hits low, she runs fast, and she's great on the clay.”

Williams' next opponent will be Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic, one of the few players in the draw to have actually notched a victory over Williams in the past. Zakopalova, currently ranked 37 in the world, defeated Williams in Marbella, Spain, in 2009. A month later, Williams defeated Zakopalova in three sets in the first round of the French Open.

“We've played a few times, she's beaten me before,” Williams said. “So, it will be a really good match.”

The third-seed Czech defeated qualifier Rachel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-3.

Zakopalova, 30, reached the WTA's top 20 for the first time on April 15 of this year.

In other action at Bastad, Sweden's Johanna Larsson defeated France's Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-1, while Italy's Flavia Pennetta defeated France's Virginie Razzano for the first time in five career appearances against her, 6-1, 6-3.


(Photo Credit: AP)

 

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