Venus Williams’ longest winning streak since 2004 has advanced her to the final at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Williams won her 15th consecutive match on Thursday by beating Marion Bartoli in the semifinals 6-3, 6-4.
Seeded third, Williams took charge from the start, needing only 11 strokes to win the first eight points. A shaky Bartoli double-faulted four times to lose one game.
Williams fell behind 3-1 in the second set, then surged to the finish to improve to 19-1 this year. She’s bidding for her third consecutive title after winning at Dubai and Acapulco in February.
She earned her first spot in the Key Biscayne final since 2001, when she won the tournament for the third time.
