The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia - Amid a flurry of errors, Serena Williams hung her head and stared at her racket.

Trailing 5-1 in the final set of an Australian Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters, Williams didn't look like the most dominant player in women's tennis. Neither her shotmaking nor her body language was quite right.

Then, suddenly, the zip came back.

Williams started pushing Clijsters around the court, saved two match points and surged to a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory Thursday, leaving her one victory away from a Serena Slam.

"I really didn't think I'd win it," said Williams, who was bothered by blisters on her feet. "I just kept fighting, one point at a time. Next thing I knew, the match was over."

For the fourth consecutive time in the final of a major, her foe will be family: Older sister Venus beat 2001 Wimbledon runner-up Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-3, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

It will mark the first time in more than 100 years of Grand Slam tournament history that two women have met in four straight major finals.

"We love to play each other," said Serena, who beat Venus in last year's championship matches at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. "Getting this far is just amazing for both of us, and I think I was a bit fortunate to get through, because Kim played a wonderful match."

Whoever wins the latest installment of the Sister Slam series will have a 5-4 career edge in major titles, and a 6-5 edge in head-to-head matches.

Serena will try to do what Tiger Woods accomplished in golf during the 2000-01 seasons - winning the last three major tournaments of one year and the first of the next year. Because the accomplishment didn't occur in the same calendar year, some people didn't consider it a true Grand Slam, instead calling the accomplishment a Tiger Slam.

Serena missed last year's Australian Open with an injury, and this is the first time she's gone past the quarterfinals of this tournament. Venus reached the semis in 2001 but also hasn't won this event.

Looking to the final, Serena said Venus "is actually playing a little better than me at this tournament. I've just got to pull something out of my back pocket to be able to go on to the next level."

They probably won't talk about the upcoming match, Serena said, adding: "I don't like to bring my work home."

On the men's side, meanwhile, Andre Agassi easily dismissed Wayne Ferreira 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the final. He's trying to win his fourth Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam title overall.

Agassi, who won here in 1995, 2000 and 2001 but missed last year's tournament with a wrist injury, has a 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.

Things looked bleak for Serena against Clijsters, who beat her in the final of the WTA Championships last year.

Williams won despite 65 errors, nearly twice as many as Clijsters had. But Williams overcame that thanks to 42 winners - 28 more than the fourth-seeded Belgian.

Clijsters served for the match at 5-2 and 5-4 in the third set. Her biggest regret: two double faults that sent Serena on the way to winning the 10th game.

While Williams improved her play, Clijsters seemed to tighten. Toward the end, Williams "hit everything a little harder and closer to the line," Clijsters said.

On the two match points for Clijsters, Williams forced an error and then put away a volley after a long rally.

Earlier, there was a nine-minute break in the action while a trainer taped blisters on Williams' right foot.

"I just needed to be retaped," she said, because the original tape slipped, "so it was starting to burn."

Although Williams received some boos when she came out, Clijsters said the timeout didn't make any difference, since "I won the next few games."

It was Clijsters' first loss since Lindsay Davenport beat her in the quarterfinals in Zurich, Switzerland, in October. Clijsters then won three tournaments in a row and a total of 22 straight matches.

But she couldn't quite finish off Williams, who's intent on making some more history.

No man or woman has won four straight major tennis titles since Steffi Graf added the 1994 Australian Open title to her victories in the other top events in 1993.

Graf also is among three women with a true Grand Slam. She did it in 1988, following Maureen Connolly in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970.

Williams sisters win doubles title

Serena and Venus Williams combined on one side of the net to win a sixth Grand Slam doubles title Friday, on the eve of their fourth consecutive clash in a major singles championship match at the Australian Open.

The top-seeded Williams sisters rallied from a set and a break down to beat the second-seeded pair of Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain and Argentina's Paola Suarez 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Serena, who beat Venus in the singles finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open last year, will be bidding for her "Serena Slam" when the pair meet in the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday.

"We want to dedicate this win to Mom," Venus said after the victory. "Thanks Mom, we love you and you've been there all the way and we'll be there for you, I promise,"

Team Williams had had beaten Ruano Pascual and Suarez 6-2, 7-5 in the Wimbledon final last year and was 1-1 going into Australian doubles title match.

It was a second Australian Open doubles title for the Williams, who won at Melbourne Park in 2000. Their other titles came at the French and U.S. Opens in '99 and at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2002.

Suarez and Ruano Pascual had three Grand Slam doubles titles, winning back-to-back French Open finals in 2001 and 2002 and the U.S. Open title last year.

Suarez said she hoped the Williams, who were given the No. 1 seeding despite their doubles ranking, would concentrate on singles next time.

"I hope next year Venus and Serena don't play and we can win the championship," Suarez said.

Serena dropped her first service game at love, double faulting at break point.

The Spanish-Argentine combination clinched the set on a disputed call when Venus' backhand return drifted wide. Venus, expecting an overrule, glared in disbelief.

Serena was broken again in the first game of the second set, but the Williams sisters rallied to break Ruano Pascual twice.

In the 10th game, Serena intercepted a volley and Venus put away an overhead to set up set point, then Serena rifled a forehand return down the line to level it at a set apiece.

Venus was broken for the first time, losing the opening game of the deciding set, but Serena saved six break points in the third game to spark a Williams revival.

They lost just one point in the next two games in a five-game winning run to seal the match, with Venus setting up three match points with an ace and Serena slamming a backhand volley cross court to win the championship.