Mauresmo's hopes to win failed

Amelie Mauresmo's hopes to win have failed when Serena Williams reached the final of the WTA Tour Championships with victory in the semi-finals.

The American fought back from a set and 3-1 down to win 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in front of her home Los Angeles crowd.

Mauresmo needed to win the tournament to overtake Lindsay Davenport for the number one ranking, as BBC Sport reported.

According to the Fox Sports, Mauresmo could have displaced American Lindsay Davenport atop the rankings with a victory in the elite $3.75 million season finale.

Instead, Williams's eighth win over Mauresmo in nine career meetings left the American poised for a strong finish to a season that saw her return from an injury layoff of more than eight months and claim two titles – in Miami and Beijing.

Mauresmo, who finished runner-up to Kim Clijsters in this tournament last year, certainly had her chances in the third set. Of the 12 break points she failed to convert, six came in the fourth game and five came in a 32-point eighth game.

In the final Williams will meet the winner of the semi-final between Russians Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova being played later on Sunday, informs Reuters.