Serena Williams got the better of sister Venus to move into the final of the Bangalore Open on Saturday.

In their first meeting for over two years, Serena won 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7/4) to take an 8-7 lead in their all-time series.

Serena will be after her 29th career singles title and first this season when she faces fourth seed Patty Schnyder in Sunday's final at this hardcourt event.

Though Serena holds a 6-2 edge in championship match encounters with her sister, Venus had won two straight in the series, including their most recent meeting in the last16 at the 2005 US Open.

Serena appeared to have things under control early after taking the first set and forging a 2-0 lead in the second.

But Venus stormed back with a pair of breaks to go ahead 4-2 and went on to level things.

Serena served for the match at 5-4, 40-30, in the decisive third set.

But her 27-year-old sister refused to cave in, saving the point and winning the next two games for a 6-5 lead.

Venus forced a match point with Serena on serve but could not convert, and the players went to a tie-break.

After Serena squandered a 2-0 lead in the breaker, she finally sealed the match with a mini-break to go up 6-3 before closing it out.

Both former world number ones, the Williams sisters have combined for 64 WTA championships during their career including 14 grand slam titles.

Serena has not won a tour event since capturing the crown in Miami last April.

Schnyder moved into her first final of the year with a 6-3 6-4 victory over China's Zi Yan, who had upset top seed Jelena Jankovic in the quarters.

The 12th-ranked Swiss hasn't claimed a singles title since winning the Tier III Cincinnati event in 2005.