The 33-year-old American, who won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles titles in 2008, recovered from a poor second set tie-break with a series of electrifying shots and acrobatic volleys in the decider, completing victory with another ferocious forehand cross-court after a shade over three hours.

“It’s hard to believe it’s my first semi-final in Tokyo after all these years,” said Williams.u00a0

Venus Williams