Serena Williams continued preparations for her WTA Tour return by reaching the semi-finals at the Tie Break Tens on Monday.

The American superstar is set to play the Indian Wells Masters in her first competitive singles appearance since winning last year's Australian Open.

Williams has been absent from the Tour after giving birth to her daughter in September.

The 36-year-old warmed up for Indian Wells by featuring at the Tie Break Tens at Madison Square Garden.

The 23-time grand slam champion beat Marion Bartoli 10-5 before suffering a thrilling 13-11 loss to China's Zhang Shuai in the last four.

World number four Elina Svitolina won the event, beating Zhang 10-3 in the final.

Williams, unseeded at Indian Wells, faces Zarina Diyas in the first round, with 29th seed Kiki Bertens awaiting the winner.