Venus, Top 3 Into Semis at WTA Istanbul

Top-seeded Venus Williams continued her claycourt tear through the lower ranks of the WTA Tour Thursday in Istanbul, bulldozing No. 7-seeded Russian teen Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 6-1 to gain the semifinals.

"I was in a good rhythm today, which was good," Venus said of the goodness. "I've had a great week so far, and it's not over yet. I hope to be here for two more days and take the title with me to Paris."

The elder Williams sister was joined in the semis by (2) Nicole Vaidisova (d. (5) Groenefeld), (3) Anna Smashnova (d. (8) Washington), and Bulgarian No. 220-ranked qualifier Tszvetana Pironkova (d. Peer) who is competing in her first WTA event.

Scheduled for Friday are (1) Venus vs. (Q) Pironkova, and (3) Smashnova vs. (2) Vaidisova.