Venus Williams' longest winning streak since 2004 advanced her to the final at the Sony Ericsson Open Thursday. Venus won her 15th consecutive match by beating Marion Bartoli of France in the semifinals 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile, Tomas Berdych, building on the momentum of his upset win Tuesday over top-ranked Roger Federer, reached the semifinals by beating Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Berdych's opponent on Friday will be the winner of a late Thursday match between Robin Soderling and Mikhail Youzhny. “I'm very pleased to be in the final, but it's not enough,” Venus said. “I want to take the title.” Her opponent on Saturday will be the winner of a late Thursday match between Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both back from retirement. Seeded No. 3, Venus took charge from the start against the No. 13-seeded Bartoli, needing only 11 strokes to win the first eight points. A shaky Bartoli double-faulted four times to lose the sixth game. Bartoli's play steadied as the match progressed, and her two-handed forehand did some damage. Williams fell behind 3-1 in the second set, then began to move forward more aggressively. She went 8 for 8 on points at the net in the second set. Venus hit eight winners to sweep the final three games and served out the match at love, helped by a pair of aces. “That's my game - to take control and be aggressive,” she said. “Hopefully, the fans find it really exciting.” Sister Serena again watched from the photo pit. She missed the tournament with a knee injury that has sidelined her since she won the Australian Open. On Wednesday, Henin earned a berth in the semifinals by overtaking No. 2-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Clijsters retired, married and became a mother before returning to the tour last August. She advanced to the semifinals by beating No. 9 Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-3, 7-5. With Federer no longer looming in the men's draw, American Andy Roddick will face Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semifinals Friday. Roddick advanced by beating No. 33-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-3, 6-3, while Nadal eliminated No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-3, 6-2. Federer lost to No. 16-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6) in a fourth-round match that ended at 12:16 A.M. Wednesday.
