V. Williams upsets her top-ranked sister

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Venus Williams won a third-set tiebreaker Friday, upsetting her top-ranked sister Serena in the semifinals of the $2 million Dubai Tennis Championships.

Venus Williams, ranked sixth in the world, dominated the first set but Serena was strong in the second before the match evened out in the third set. Venus was able to get an advantage early in the third-set tiebreaker and claim a 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) win.

The match was the 19th time the Williams sisters played each other in WTA action, with the win giving Venus a 10-9 series advantage.

Venus didn't lose a point on serve in taking the first set but took just 52 percent of the points on serve in the second. The third set was tight throughout, with Venus winning four more total points in the set -- the difference in the tiebreaker -- to claim the win.

She will face unseeded Virginia Razzano in the finals. Razzano knocked off second-ranked Dinara Safina and fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva in getting to the semifinals. On Friday, she ousted 16th-seeded Kaia Kanepi 6-1, 6-2. Razzano broke Kanepi's serve six times in 11 tries.

Venus Williams owns a 2-1 series advantage over Razzano, who won the last time the pair met.

The winner of Saturday's title match will take home $350,000.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.