Victoria Azarenka of Belarus congratulates winner Ekaterina Makarova of Russia after their quarter-final match at the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2014.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus congratulates winner Ekaterina Makarova of Russia after their quarter-final match at the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2014. REUTERS

Ekaterina Makarova may not be a household name but Serena Williams is such a staple of women's tennis that she alone will bring the intrigue into the second semifinals match-up in the 2014 US Open Friday.

In a last chance to redeem her 2014 Grand Slam campaign, world's number one Serena Williams will be facing an opponent, who like her, has not lost a set in this edition of the US Open. On their way to the final four, Serena had the easier path, playing only one player in the top 40 in Flavia Pennetta. While she lost the first three games of her first set against Pennetta in the quarterfinals, she rallied to take the next 6 and the set for good. In the second set, she had to overcome a 2-1 deficit to clear the game and advance.

Makarova has already bagged two big victories over the last two rounds against seventh seeded Eugenia Bouchard and defending finalist Victoria Azarenka. The low profile player is appearing in her first Grand Slam semi-final and is coming from an impressive year of wins and not losing to any player ranked above 26th in the person of Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian is flying below the radar and that has been to her advantage as relayed by Williams.

"It's fun almost because no one expects anything from you and you have no pressure and you can just play so well," Williams said of Makarova's desire to fly under the radar. "But if she continues to win she won't be low profile. I think for more of a top player, she's beaten so many top 10 players, she's definitely not low profile for us. So once we step on that court we just know that she's a player that you cannot take lightly."

Williams will look to negate the lefty game of Makarova by not letting up on her aggression and of course, using her world renowned service. She has won the last two head to head match-ups with the Russian and is 3-1 overall over Makarova. The last time the Russian prevailed over Serena was in the 2012 Australian Open when the American player was just returning from a major injury. Expect Williams to come out of this one due to her power and experience but do not count out Makarova to put up a challenge possibly taking a set to make the match competitive.

Watch the live stream of the women's US Open semi-finals at the official site, US Open or through ESPN.