Venus joins sister Serena in semifinals

NEW YORK -- Venus Williams reduced her U.S. Open quarterfinal against Monica Seles to something akin to an instructional video.

Want to see aces at more than 110 mph? Check. Some forehand winners? OK. Sure-handed volleying? There you go.

The two-time defending champion simply had too much in every department and beat Seles 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday night to join younger sister Serena in the semifinals, putting each one victory away from a third consecutive all-Williams Grand Slam title match.

Venus, trying to become the first woman to win three straight U.S. Opens since Chris Evert took four in a row from 1975-78, plays 10th-seeded Amelie Mauresmo next. Mauresmo came back to beat Jennifer Capriati 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The other women's semifinal will have top-seeded Serena -- who lost to Venus in the 2001 Open final and beat her for the titles at the French Open and Wimbledon this year -- against Lindsay Davenport. They won Tuesday.

Defending men's champion Lleyton Hewitt and two-time Open winner Andre Agassi set up a semifinal showdown with victories Wednesday. Hewitt beat No. 20 Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco 6-1, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2, while Agassi fought back to defeat No. 32 Max Mirnyi of Belarus 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 at night to get to the Open semis for the eighth time.

Agassi-Hewitt will feature the game's two best returners of serve and the last two baseliners to win Wimbledon, Agassi in 1992, Hewitt in July. Hewitt has won their last three meetings, including two on hard courts this year.

It's another intergenerational duel between a player in his 30s and one in his 20s, just like Pete Sampras vs. Andy Roddick in a quarterfinal Thursday.

At 32, Agassi is trying to become the oldest Open champion since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.