Serena, Muguruza set up 2015 Wimbledon final rematch at Roland Garros

Three-time champion Serena Williams went just one match away to her 22nd Grand Slam title after setting up a 2015 Wimbledon final rematch against Garbine Muguruza at Roland Garros on Friday.

The world No. 1 American ousted unseeded Dutch Kiki Bertens with a sluggish victory of 7-6 (7), 6-4, while the 22-year-old Muguruza made short effort of 21st-seeded Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4.

Williams was obviously well below her best level, starting both sets with her first serving game broken and committing 31 unforced errors against Bertens' 19 throughout the semi but managed to go through.

She came back from 4-2 down in the first set to force a tie-break though the 58th-ranked Bertens, who handed a first-round exit to Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, earned seven break points and two set points.

The 34-year-old again fell at two dreadful volleys, one of them on set point, but dragged herself through from one break down to take control of the second set.

Just minutes earlier, Muguruza, runner-up at last year's Wimbledon, booked the other place in the women's final, her just second major final, after crashing Australian Stosur 6-2, 6-4.

The world No. 4 Spaniard jumped to a 4-0 first set lead against her 32-year-old opponent before rounding it in one hour and 16 minutes at the Court Suzanne Lenglen with large areas of empty seats though organizers offered 8,000 cheap tickets of 20 euros.

If Serena beats Muguruza in Saturday's final, the defending champion will equal Steffi Graf's 22 major title record, just two behind the all-time leader Margaret Court of Australia.

It has been unusual for the French Open to have two women's semifinals being played at the same time on Friday after many rain delays and a washout on Monday for the first time in 16 years.

Normally women players would have their semifinals on Thursday, leaving the finalists a full day of rest before the championship match on Saturday. Endit