<p> Unstoppable Serena Williams zeroed in on a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title today by setting up an Australian Open final against her older sister Venus, as the siblings' dream came true.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ruthless world number two proved one step too far for unseeded Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, whose fairytale tournament was finally ended in a crushing 6-2, 6-1 defeat in just 50 minutes.<br /><br />In swatting aside the 34-year-old, in their first meeting since 1998, Serena, 35, stayed on track for a seventh Australian title which would take her past Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 major wins.<br /><br />She has refused to talk about the possibility of finally surpassing the German, but now has a golden chance of further cementing her place in history.<br /><br />Winning the title would also mean the world number one ranking would be hers again, after Angelique Kerber snatched deposed her late last year.<br /><br />Only Venus stands in the way after the elder Williams rolled back the years to beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3 in the other semi-final.<br /><br />It ensured another chapter in their eventful family history as they meet for their ninth Grand Slam final on Saturday, eight years after the last. Serena holds a 6-2 advantage.<br /><br />"I didn't watch (Venus). Obviously I was really proud, she's an inspiration, my big sister," said Serena.<br /><br />"She's my world, my life, she means everything to me. I couldn't be happier for us both to be in the final. It's the biggest dream come true for us."<br /><br />She also paid tribute to Lucic-Baroni, a former teenage prodigy when the Williams sisters were emerging in the 1990s before her career was derailed by personal problems.<br /><br />"Mirjana is an inspiration, she deserves all the credit today. To get this far, after everything she has gone through, that just inspires me."<br />- One-way traffic -<br /><br />Despite her serve not being up to scratch in Melbourne until now, Williams has so many other weapons in her armoury that her opponents have been unable to cope.<br />Lucic-Baroni was no different.<br /><br />Her left thigh was again heavily strapped and the problem put her at an immediate disadvantage, restricting her movement against a player known for her pounding forehand winners.<br /><br />They both held serve comfortably to shake off any early nerves but Williams was looking sharp, capitalising on an unforced error to get the first break and go 2-1 ahead.<br /><br />She consolidated her lead by holding serve again, and a Lucic-Baroni double fault handed her a 4-1 lead.<br /><br />It was one-way traffic as the second seed asserted her authority, unloading some powerful groundstrokes to unsettle the Croat and easily take the first set in 25 minutes.<br />The second set went the way of the first, with Williams crushing Lucic-Baroni's serve to again break in the third game.<br /><br />She was broken again in game five as her magnificent run drew to a close and Williams moved into her 29th Grand Slam final. <br /></p>
<p> Unstoppable Serena Williams zeroed in on a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title today by setting up an Australian Open final against her older sister Venus, as the siblings' dream came true.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ruthless world number two proved one step too far for unseeded Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, whose fairytale tournament was finally ended in a crushing 6-2, 6-1 defeat in just 50 minutes.<br /><br />In swatting aside the 34-year-old, in their first meeting since 1998, Serena, 35, stayed on track for a seventh Australian title which would take her past Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 major wins.<br /><br />She has refused to talk about the possibility of finally surpassing the German, but now has a golden chance of further cementing her place in history.<br /><br />Winning the title would also mean the world number one ranking would be hers again, after Angelique Kerber snatched deposed her late last year.<br /><br />Only Venus stands in the way after the elder Williams rolled back the years to beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3 in the other semi-final.<br /><br />It ensured another chapter in their eventful family history as they meet for their ninth Grand Slam final on Saturday, eight years after the last. Serena holds a 6-2 advantage.<br /><br />"I didn't watch (Venus). Obviously I was really proud, she's an inspiration, my big sister," said Serena.<br /><br />"She's my world, my life, she means everything to me. I couldn't be happier for us both to be in the final. It's the biggest dream come true for us."<br /><br />She also paid tribute to Lucic-Baroni, a former teenage prodigy when the Williams sisters were emerging in the 1990s before her career was derailed by personal problems.<br /><br />"Mirjana is an inspiration, she deserves all the credit today. To get this far, after everything she has gone through, that just inspires me."<br />- One-way traffic -<br /><br />Despite her serve not being up to scratch in Melbourne until now, Williams has so many other weapons in her armoury that her opponents have been unable to cope.<br />Lucic-Baroni was no different.<br /><br />Her left thigh was again heavily strapped and the problem put her at an immediate disadvantage, restricting her movement against a player known for her pounding forehand winners.<br /><br />They both held serve comfortably to shake off any early nerves but Williams was looking sharp, capitalising on an unforced error to get the first break and go 2-1 ahead.<br /><br />She consolidated her lead by holding serve again, and a Lucic-Baroni double fault handed her a 4-1 lead.<br /><br />It was one-way traffic as the second seed asserted her authority, unloading some powerful groundstrokes to unsettle the Croat and easily take the first set in 25 minutes.<br />The second set went the way of the first, with Williams crushing Lucic-Baroni's serve to again break in the third game.<br /><br />She was broken again in game five as her magnificent run drew to a close and Williams moved into her 29th Grand Slam final. <br /></p>