Serena Williams vs Dominika Cibulkova: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open

Earlier Tuesday, 19-year-old Madison Keys prevented an all-Williams semifinal by ousting Venus Williams. Serena Williams responded with a statement victory over Dominika Cibulkova that should give her plenty of momentum as she tries to avenge her sister's exit.

The world No. 1 was overpowering throughout her 6-2, 6-2 win over the 11th-seeded Cibulkova, taking control with a break early and limiting her mistakes in Tuesday's quarterfinal triumph. Williams will be playing in her first Australian Open semifinal since walking away with the championship in 2010.

Despite continued inaccuracies with her first serve, Williams maintained a consistent composure and a stranglehold on the pacing. She hit 15 aces and won 72 of her service chances, including an 83 percent rate on first-serve tries.

It proved a stark contrast to her fourth-round matchup with Garbine Muguruza. There, Williams looked like a disorganized mess, dropping the first set before righting the ship just in time for a comeback victory. Here, Williams seemed laser-focused from the outset—perhaps a result of her respect for Cibulkova's game.

"Well, she is a really good player. I mean, to be her size, she hits so hard and she plays so well," Williams told reporters coming into the match. "She's just such a power, compact, great player. I just have to stay focused and not underestimate her. She actually almost beat me before. I want to make sure I come ready and prepared."

Rob Griffith/Associated Press

Cibulkova was looking to eclipse her career-best performance here last year, where she lost to Li Na in the final. She appeared well on her way after getting past a rejuvenated Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round, but the fine form did not follow her to the quarters. The Slovak hit 18 unforced errors against 13 winners and had three double faults—critical errors when you're at a talent disadvantage against someone like Williams.

"As you can see, I'm not the tallest player on the tour. I need to have something extra if I want to beat these top players," Cibulkova told reporters.

After splitting the first two games, Williams went about systematically demoralizing her younger opponent in the first set. She did not face a break point while converting both of her own attempts, allowing Cibulkova to win a mere six return points. That came despite less than 60 percent of her first-serve attempts finding their way in play. Cibulkova, who double-faulted three times in the frame, fell apart when her own first-serve attempts failed.

The second set mostly brought more of the same. Williams coolly broke Cibulkova on her first service opportunity, watched unforced errors hit nets and miss chalk lines and made sure to avoid a similar fate herself. While Williams wasn't quite as dominant—first-serve failures will be her downfall in this tournament, if there is one—it was nonetheless a clinical performance that took 65 minutes to complete.

Williams has now defeated Cibulkova in all five of their head-to-head matches. The top-ranked American has dropped only one set in those contests (2013 Miami Masters). Over their past three contests, Cibulkova has managed to win only 11 games total and hasn't topped three in a single set.

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Up next for Williams is an opponent against whom she has a blank slate. Her family, however, learned a quick lesson about the up-and-coming American. Keys dispatched of Serena's sister Venus in an exciting 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 matchup earlier Tuesday.

The young American controlled a majority of the match but suffered a left leg injury that kept her at less than 100 percent for the rest of the match. Keys had 34 winners to Venus Williams' 10, with the elder sister failing to make her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2010.

"The moment is definitely sweeter by being able to play Venus," Keys told reporters. "It's amazing, you just have to embrace the moment. Now I get to enjoy another moment next round."

Taking down the two pillars of the U.S. tennis movement would be a huge step for Keys, who came into Melbourne ranked No. 35 in the world. Beating both Williams sisters in the same tournament would be a feather in the cap for any player regardless of age—let alone someone three weeks away from her 20th birthday.

But as Serena proved in the quarters, it's going to take a gargantuan effort to knock her off her throne. Good luck.

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