MELBOURNE -- For a few moments anyway, it seemed as if the ghost of Roberta Vinci had entered Melbourne Park.
After winning the first six games of her semifinal match against Agnieszka Radwanska, Serena Williams began to show signs of tightness. Her groundstrokes lost some juice and her feet moved with noticeably more resistance.
The world No. 1 eventually collected herself, winning 6-0, 6-4 to reach the Australian Open final for the seventh time.
At first, it seemed the only question was whether Williams would become the first player since Chris Evert in the 1984 French Open to double-bagel an opponent in a Grand Slam semifinal.