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 The 34-year-old world number one totally demolished fourth seed
Agnieszka Radwanska in the first set before she emphatically sealed
her place in a seventh Melbourne Park final with three aces in the
final game in the 6-0 6-4 win.
Every time the American has made the final at Melbourne Park she has
gone on to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
"I needed time off just to take a minute and just chill and re-heal,
get ready," she said after the 64-minute battering of the Pole.
"I felt like I really committed myself ... it's just a great thing
to be in the final after taking such a long time off."
Williams withdrew from the last four months of 2015 after she was
bundled out of the U.S. Open in the semi-finals by Italy's Roberta
Vinci, ending her hopes of emulating Steffi Graf's calendar grand
slam in 1988.
The American, however, can join Graf on 22 grand slam titles, the
most in the Open era, if she beats Angelique Kerber, who considers
her fellow German Graf as her idol, in Saturday's final.
Despite not wanting to tempt fate, Williams added she did not want
to repeat last year's memories of the U.S. Open, tacitly sending
Kerber a message she better be ready for a similar onslaught that
Radwanska faced.
"I was one off last year, too," Williams said.
"If I don't win on Saturday, I'll still be one off. It took me
forever to get to 18. I was so stressed out. I don't want to relive
that at all."
Kerber, who is in her first grand slam final, will need to hope that
Williams does not play like she did against Radwanska.
The world number one broke the Pole's serve in the first game with
Radwanska's lack of power highlighted by the blistering nature of
the American's returns.
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Radwanska's fastest serve in the first game reached just 140 kph.
Williams was returning the ball at over 130.
Williams cleaned up the first set in just 20 minutes before
Radwanska elicited the largest cheer of the match when she held
serve in the first game of the second set, avoiding an embarrassing
potential 'double bagel' 6-0 6-0 score.
Radwanska managed her first break in the sixth game of the second
set to level it at 3-3, giving the crowd on Rod Laver Arena an
opportunity to produce a roar of support.
Williams, however, Williams broke again in the ninth game and then
served out to end Radwanska's agony on Rod Laver Arena.
"Going against Aga, you have to be ready or be ready to go home
(and) I was able to do everything that I needed to do," she said.
"I've always said that when I'm playing at my best, it's difficult
to beat me."
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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