Ana Ivanovic to meet Venus Williams in Auckland Classic finals

Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic has set up a decider with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the final of the Auckland Classic after defeating her doubles partner Kirsten Flipkens 6-0, 7-6 (7/3) in their semi-final on Friday.

The win gives the world number 16, who has failed to capitalise on her sole Grand Slam success at the 2008 French Open, the chance to win her first WTA Tour title since November 2011 and will be a confidence booster ahead of her showdown with Williams, who has won eight of their nine previous meetings.

According to Sport24, Williams, who benefited from a walkover after fifth seed Jamie Hampton withdrew after injuring her right hip during a morning warm-up, will be playing in her first appearance in a WTA final since she won a tournament in Luxembourg in October 2012.

Now ranked 47 and unseeded in Auckland, Williams, who claimed her last Grand Slam in 2008, is seeking to rejoin the game's elite after struggling with auto-immune disease and injury, the report added.