SAN FRANCISCO — Top-seeded Venus Williams booked her semifinal berth at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California, Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old wild card CiCi Bellis.
Ranked seventh in the world, the 36-year-old Williams needed only an hour to get past the 203rd-ranked Bellis in an all-American clash.
Williams, who captured the most recent of her 49 singles titles in February in Taiwan, next faces another American, Alison Riske, who was leading 6-3, 0-1 when fourth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe retired from their quarterfinal with a right ankle injury.
Vandeweghe left the court in a wheelchair, pressing an ice pack to her ankle.
Bellis, playing in her first WTA quarter-final was buoyed by an early service break. But former world No. 1 Williams quickly regained the break and broke again with a backhand winner down the line to secure the opening set.
It was all Williams in the second set as she moved a step closer to a third Stanford title to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002.
The other semifinal will pit second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia against third-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain.
Cibulkova won 11 straight games after trailing 2-5 in the opening set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Japanese fifth seed Misaki Doi.
Konta defeated China’s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Berlocq, Elias in semifinals
Carlos Berlocq put aside his poor form in quarterfinals at the Croatia Open to defeat third-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-2.
The Argentine had lost three times in quarterfinals at Umag in 2007, 2011 and 2012.
In the semifinals Berlocq will face Slovakia’s Andrej Martin who upset second-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Last year’s runner-up, Sousa converted only two of 13 break points.
Italian Fabio Fognini is the only seeded player remaining after the 2013 finalist rallied to defeat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Fognini will play Gastao Elias after the Portuguese beat sixth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-4, 6-4.
Lopez makes last 4
Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain set up a Swiss Open semifinal against Dustin Brown by beating Elias Ymer of Sweden in the quarterfinals Friday.
The 20-year-old Ymer, ranked No. 157, saved four match points before the 21st-ranked Lopez sealed a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win at the clay-court event in the Swiss Alps.
Germany’s Brown, ranked No. 99, also advanced in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 against seventh-seeded Mikhail Youzhny.
Second-seeded Gilles Simon of France was ousted in a second round match on a busy day for Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro, ranked No. 110.
Monteiro completed a 6-2, 6-4 win over Simon in a match held over from Thursday, and later lost his quarterfinal match 7-6 (2), 7-5 against Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
