Serena Williams made history on Friday night, rallying to beat Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open and in the process assuring herself of regaining the No. 1 ranking in the world.
In doing so, the 31-year-old Williams will become the oldest player ever to hold the WTA's top rank.
The 15-time Grand Slam champion and second seed dropped the first set to southpaw Kvitova of the Czech Republic, but stormed back through sheer will and some clutch shot making to advance to Saturday's semifinals, where she will face third seed Maria Sharapova in a rematch of last summer's Olympic final.