Serena tops Cornet in Charleston, reaches third consecutive final

"She gets a lot of balls back, and those kind of players are usually around for a good 20 years," Williams said.

Williams, who ousted No. 2 Maria Sharapova in Friday's quarterfinals, won her past two tournaments in Bangalore and Key Biscayne, and was 18-1 this year. Her only loss was in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Reaching her latest final ensured the eight-time Grand Slam winner passed $19 million in career earnings for No. 6 on the women's all-time list.

She played in the Charleston final previously in 2003, losing to Justine Henin.

A day after No. 9-seeded Zvonareva knocked out top seed and defending champion Jelena Jankovic, she broke No. 4 Dementieva for 3-1 in the first set and held on, then rallied from 3-0 down in the second to force a tiebreaker. In the third, Zvonareva again rallied in a match in which she took her chances far better. Zvonareva converted seven of 10 break points, Dementieva only five of 22.

"I was just trying to find a way to win the match. I kept fighting and I think it worked for me today," Zvonareva said.