Serena Williams beats Ekaterina Makarova in semis to remain on course for US Open title hat trick

World number one Serena Williams remained on course for a hat trick of US Open titles with an easy straight set win over Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.

The American powered to a 6-1, 6-3 victory in exactly an hour as she closed in on a sixth victory in New York, and a third in succession. Williams, seeking to win her 18th Grand Slam title, will play Danish 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki in Sunday's final.

Williams said that she is so happy, and no one has an idea what it means to her, and added that she didn't know she would be there, The BBC reported.

Her victory was in marked contrast to that of Wozniacki, who was leading a much closer contest in the first semi-final when China's Peng Shuai retired in the heat.

Williams had no such problems and, after failing to make it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam this year before arriving in New York, she has looked a class apart at Flushing Meadows.

She spent just five and a half hours reaching the semi-finals without dropping a set and needed only 26 minutes to take the first against Makarova. The Russian was playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final and carried the confidence boost of having knocked the Williams sisters out of the doubles, alongside Elena Vesnina, earlier this week.

But with Williams in excellent form, it counted for about as much as her 2012 Australian Open win over the American, the report added.