BRISBANE, Australia -- One of the Williams sisters advanced to the final in an Australian Open warm-up event at Auckland, and the other is one victory away in Brisbane. Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. Second-seeded Ana Ivanovic turned Saturdays final into a match between former world No. 1s when she beat third-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-2, 7-6 (3). Top-ranked Serena Williams was playing third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the Brisbane International semifinals later Friday. Shes the defending Brisbane champion and has a 14-2 winning record against Sharapova, including the last 13 matches dating back to 2005. While Serena Williams has been close to career-best form, winning 78 of her 82 matches in 2013, her older sister Venus has been struggling with injuries and is playing her first tournament since September. The ASB Classic will be her first final since she captured the title in Luxembourg in October 2012. Ivanovic, who won the most recent of her 11 WTA singles titles in 2011, has the chance to carry considerable momentum into the Australian Open later this month if she can maintain her current form. She swept through the first set of the semifinal in only 21 minutes, breaking Flipkens in the first, third and fifth games. "In the first set I didnt do much wrong and in the second set we were both serving really well," Ivanovic said. "Im just really happy that I kept calm in the tiebreak and played some really good tennis." Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka was playing Jelena Jankovic in the Brisbane semifinals on Friday afternoon, hoping for a spot in the final against either Serena Williams or Sharapova. On the mens side in Brisbane, second-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan reached the semifinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic of Croatia and will next meet former No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, who cruised past Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 6-4, 6-2. Top-seeded Roger Federer will play Australian Marinko Matosevic in a night match. At the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth, France clinched a place in Saturdays final against Poland by beating winless Spain. Alize Cornet overcame left hamstring soreness to beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-2 before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sealed the victory by defeating 194th-ranked Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-2. The United States takes on Czech Republic in a night match. Penguins Jerseys China .com Tours season-opening Colombia Championship on Sunday, breaking the course record with an 8-under 63 in the completion of the third round before rain washed out play. Pittsburgh Penguins Pro Shop . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/. -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy. Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . After not scoring 40 points in the opening quarter in the last five seasons, the Rockets have done it five times this season and twice in the last three games. Penguins Jerseys 2019 . The Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran linebacker to a three-year deal Tuesday, hours after the start of CFL free agency.IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to terms with Henry Melton, the third defensive lineman to join them in free agency since the release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware. A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that the team was working on final details of the contract Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an agreement had not been announced. Melton missed most of last season with Chicago after tearing a ligament in his left knee against Pittsburgh on Sept. 22. He will be reunited with former Bears defensive co-ordinator Rod Marinelli, who now has the same title in Dallas. The fifth-year player was a high school running back in the Dallas area before becoming a defensive tackle with the Texas Longhorns. The 27-year-old Melton has 15 1/2 sacks and 63 tackles in 48 career games, including 32 starts. The Bears drafted him in the fifth round in 2009, and he missed his rookie season with an ankle injury. Melton was arrested in December in Grapevine, where he went to high school, on charges of assault and public intoxication after police say he refused to leave a bar and fought with employees.dddddddddddd Police say Melton was accused of punching the bar manager in the face and biting his arm. Meltons agent, Jordan Woy, said at the time that his client didnt start the altercation. The Cowboys released Ware, their star defensive end, just as free agency opened. Defensive tackle Jason Hatcher signed with Washington after leading the Cowboys with 11 sacks last season. A day after Wares release, the Cowboys signed defensive end Jeremy Mincey and defensive tackle Terrell McClain. Mincey is the teams current career leader with 20 sacks, now followed by Melton. Next on this list with 10 is George Selvie, who wasnt even on the Dallas roster when training camp started last season and ended up second to Hatcher with seven sacks on an injury plagued unit. Marinelli came to Dallas a year ago as defensive line coach with then-defensive co-ordinator Monte Kiffin after Lovie Smith was fired in Chicago. He was promoted when Kiffin was reassigned after the Cowboys gave up the most yards in franchise history and finished last in the NFL in total defence. ' ' '