Indian Wells, March 21 (IANS): Serena Williams withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open semi-final due to a right knee injury, while Jelena Jankovic defeated Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the final.

World No.1 Serena was to play third seeded Simona Halep in the second semi-final on Friday evening, reports Xinhua.

"A couple days ago at practice I really injured my knee," Williams told fans on-court. "Today I was struggling just to even walk."

Just a few minutes before Williams took center stage, Jankovic concluded her post-match interview.

"I feel like I'm home. I've won here before and it just feels unbelievable," she said after the match.

Former World No.1 Jankovic rallied to beat Lisicki to reach the final after five years.

"I was trying just to stay tough, hang in there, and play one point at a time, stay in the zone," Jankovic said.

"I felt that I got the momentum going, and I kind of felt like I had the wind in my back."