World number two Serena Williams [ Images ] brushed aside qualifier Lucie Safarova [ Images ] 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Toronto Cup and set up a mouth-watering clash with Elena Dementieva [ Images ].

Tennis fans can expect a treat if Williams and Dementieva come close to a repeat of their memorable Wimbledon [ Images ] semi-final in July won 8-6 in the third set by the American before she went on to beat sister Venus in the final.

Williams needed just 57 minutes on a blustery centre court to dismiss 46th-ranked Czech Safarova.

The 11-times Grand Slam winner has displayed impressive form on the Canadian hardcourts, surrendering no more than five games in any match.

Dementieva had to work much harder for a semi-final spot, the fourth-seeded Russian scraping a 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 win over feisty Australian Samantha Stosur [ Images ].

"I think it will be a great match, our last match was really insane," Williams told reporters. "I love playing her, it will be good.

"I just feel like I've kind of played my way into a rhythm. I felt really good out there today, I felt like I was really consistent and moving well."

Williams needed a few games to find her range but once she did Safarova had no answers as the 2001 champion swept seven games to take the opening set and a 4-0 lead in the second.

By contrast Dementieva needed two hours 15 minutes to see off a determined Stosur and clinch a place in her fourth consecutive semi-final.

TRICKY TEST

Stosur, a doubles specialist with 22 titles, is now making her mark in singles and represented a tricky test for the Olympic [ Images ] gold medallist.

The 25-year-old Australian has had a strong hardcourt campaign, reaching the semi-finals in Stanford, California and the final of her last event, the LA Championships.

By reaching the quarter-finals in Toronto, Stosur will move up to number 15 in the rankings, the first Australian to break into the top 15 since Alicia Molik [ Images ] in October 2005.

Both players struggled with their serves in the gusting winds, the pair breaking six times before Stosur took the first set tiebreak 7-3.

There were only two breaks in the second set but both went to the 27-year-old Russian, who raced into a 5-0 lead.

The contest tightened up in the third until Dementieva broke to go 4-3 up, snatching the last four games to seal victory.

"I am looking forward to tomorrow. I feel it (Wimbledon) was one of the best matches of my career, even if I lost it," said Dementieva.

"I just feel like tomorrow is going to be a completely different challenge because we are playing on a hardcourt."