Williams survives Sanchez scare

Venus Williams now faces Monica Seles

Venus Williams had to call upon all her resolve to overcome Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and move into the semi-finals of the Olympic tennis tournament.

After losing the first set Williams looked in serious danger of losing to the Spaniard but she rallied to go through 3-6 6-2 6-4.

The victory stretched her unbeaten run to 30 games, dating back to a defeat by Sanchez-Vicario at the French Open in June.

Williams failed to hold her serve once in the opening set and Sanchez-Vicario took full advantage.

The US Open and Wimbledon champion repsonded in the second set but even at 5-3 and 5-4 up in the decider she was pushed all the way by Sanchez-Vicario.

Williams will now meet her compatriot Monica Seles for a place in the final.

Seles wasted little time in her victory over Belgium's Dominique Van Roost, 6-0 6-2.

Fantastic

"The score is definitely a fantastic score," said Seles. "I don't know that I played that well."

But Van Roost was full of praise for her opponent. "In the first set she didn't make one mistake," she said. "In the second set she got a little tired. In the first she was too good."

Australian tennis fans were finally given something to cheer about as 17-year-old Jelena Dokic made it through to the semi-finals of the women's event.

Having seen home stars Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt all make early exits in the men's event, Dokic raised the spirits of the home crowd with a three set victory over South Africa's Amanda Coetzer.

Dokic overcame the seventh seed, 6-1 1-6 6-1 to book her place in the last four against tenth seed Elena Dementieva, who overcame Austria's Barbara Schett 2-6 6-2 6-1.

And Dokic now has her eyes firmly set on a medal.

"I said to myself if I can get through today I can get a medal," she said. "Now I'm even thinking about a silver.

"The way I'm playing now I can win my next match."