Serena into French final, eyes 22nd slam title

9:37 AM ET

PARIS — Serena Williams moved one victory from her second consecutive French Open trophy and 22nd Grand Slam title overall, beating Kiki Bertens 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the semifinals Friday.

For the second match in a row, the No. 1-seeded Williams was hardly at her best, falling behind early and making 22 unforced errors in the first set alone. Williams needed to erase two set points for her 58th-ranked Dutch opponent in the opener, but managed to get through it.

In the final, Williams will face No. 4 Garbine Muguruza of Spain, a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon title match won by the American.

Muguruza advanced Friday by defeating 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4.

Serena Williams is one win away from a 22nd Grand Slam title after defeating Kiki Bertens 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the French Open semifinals Friday. Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

If Williams wins Saturday, she will equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 major championships. Only Margaret Court, with 24, has won more.

Because of repeated rain that sabotaged the schedule this week, the women’s semifinals were played simultaneously in front of similarly empty stadiums, Williams vs. Bertens at Court Philippe Chatrier, Muguruza vs. Stosur at Court …

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