Tennis Tennis Venus into Indian Wells semis for first time since 2001 Seven-time grand slam winner Venus Williams eased past Carla Suarez Navarro and into the Indian Wells Masters semi-finals. Dejan Kalinic 16 March, 2018 07:22 IST American Venus Williams - Getty Images Dejan Kalinic 16 March, 2018 07:22 IST Venus Williams reached the Indian Wells Masters semi-finals for the first time in 17 years with a straight-sets win over Carla Suarez Navarro Thursday. Williams, the eighth seed at the WTA Premier event, cruised past Suarez Navarro 6-3 6-2 in their quarter-final clash. The seven-time grand slam champion reached the last four at Indian Wells for the first time since 2001, when her withdrawal from a meeting with Serena saw the sisters booed, leading to neither entering the tournament again until 2015. Venus has been in fine form at the event this year, not dropping a set on her way to the last four, where Daria Kasatkina awaits. The 37-year-old never looked troubled against Suarez Navarro, who converted just one of seven break points. Venus – who mixed 16 winners with 23 unforced errors – made the most of her chances, capitalising on four of five break points on her way to victory in one hour and 11 minutes. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address. Dugout videos