Serena Williams survives Marie Bouzkova scare to reach Montreal Masters final

American tennis star and former world number one Serena Williams produced a spirited performance as she bounced back from a first set down against Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova to cement her spot in the summit showdown of the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday. 

After losing serve three times to go down in the first set, eighth-seed Williams won four straight games to force a decider before she clinched four of the first five games of the tie-breaker to seal a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Bouzkova in a thrilling semi-final clash that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

Williams eventually finished with a total of 36 winners while making 38 unforced errors. She also served 11 aces to clinch her 500th career WTA match and reach her fifth final of the Montreal Masters.

Reflecting on the match, the 23-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she needed to be more consistent and make less unforced errors.  

"In the first set, I was going for a little too much, so I just had to just play a different game. That was really important for me was to just change it up and move it around and not be so predictable," the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) quoted Williams as saying. 

"It's a good lesson for me in the future, as well, more than anything. I definitely feel more grooved in, but at the same time I feel like -- you know, I feel good still. I feel really good. I've been doing a lot of training and all the right things, so we'll see how I feel tomorrow," she added. 

Williamson will next lock horns with Canadian star Bianca Andreescu, who made it to her third final of the Canadian Open with a 6-4, 7-6 win over American tennis star Sofia Kenin.

Notably, the American tennis star has booked her place in the final of a WTA event, outside of the four Grand Slams, for the first time since a win over compatriot Madison Keys at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2016.