Serena Williams has this match by the windpipe. Mirjana Lucic Baroni - whose last Grand Slam semi-final was back when Michael Owen's hamstrings were still solid - looks like her campaign has taken a half-yard of pace out of her.

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Serena is barely being pushed on serve, taking the game to 15 with second gear still deployed.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is having to play with her foot to the floor just to keep pace with Serena Williams.

She racks up an ace and a double fault as she goes for her serves in a death or glory tactic. Betting big, but she gets her pay-out, taking the second set's opening game.

Like a steamroller with a sprint finish.

Serena ends the opener with a love hold. This has been brutal and clinical in equal measure.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni knuckles down at 30-30, finding two popping serves to prevent Serena Williams from dragging her into a baseline dog-fight.

She is being mauled in those.

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Serena Williams is in slice-and-dice mode and making ribbons out of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

A whistlestop hold of serve and with less than 20 minutes on the clock, she is a game away.

And a double fault to finish from the Croatian underdog.

A double break down, is this opening set a write-off already?

Both players are a little off kilter as some basic errors take us tumbling to deuce.

Serena Williams is still wrestling with her serve.

Two double faults and two aces as the points live and die on the world number two's racquet en route to 40-30.

Lucic-Baroni can't take advantage, cuffing well long to allow Williams to stretch out on the scoreboard.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni socks a monster backhand down the line, leaving Serena in the starting blocks.

But a double fault and an over-ambitious forehand - trimming her margins too thin - give the American 15-30.

Serena gives the Lucic-Baroni serve some of the corporeal punishment she dished out to Johanna Konta's in the previous round and she has a break point at 30-40.

Lucic-Baroni over-cooks as she attempts to keep Williams back behind the baseline and her serve has already been burgled.

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It's Lucic-Baroni putting the pressure on first with four early winners but Williams escapes from 15-30 with some trademark unreturnables on serve.

Some heavy returning early on from Williams, who skids one through fast and low to catch Lucic-Baroni out for 30-30. A Williams forehand then finds the net - and Lucic-Baroni wallops a forehand into the corner to hold. Solid start.

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These two have met twice before, but it's not going to provide much of a form guide. Their last meeting was a 6-3 6-0 win for Williams at Wimbledon in 1998, the other a three-set win for the American a few months earlier. Things have changed considerably since then.

Right, after the drama, emotion and celebratory twirling of big sister's victory, little sister Serena looks all business as she lines up alongside Lucic-Baroni at the net....

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Right, we will be back in 10 minutes or so with live text commentary on Serena Williams' meeting with Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second semi-final.

Catch you there.

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Venus Williams: "It means so much mostly because she played so well, I had to play defence the whole time. There was never a moment of relaxation. To be able to get to a final through a match like this... And I am so excited for American tennis.

"I felt 'Oh my God, Venus come on, this is match point, you are supposed to win this one'. And then suddenly the match was over.

"Everyone has their moment in the sun, maybe mine has gone on a little longer than other people, but I have nothing else to do so...

"It is an unbelievable to watch Serena play tennis - the way she hits the ball and the competitor she is - and it would be a dream to see here on the opposite side of the net on Saturday."