WILLIAMS WIN LETS LOVE RULE.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

After a marathon victory over France's Amelie Mauresmo, Serena Williams arrived at her Staples Center news conference wearing a T-shirt that read ``I love me,'' a modified version of the ``I love NY'' design with a heart replacing the word ``love.''

``I love everything about me,'' Williams said. ``I love my legs, my arms, my lips. I love my eyes.''

But at the season-ending WTA Tour Championships on Sunday, there was more to Williams than just her fashion sense. She finally played the kind of match that has helped her to six Grand Slam titles. For a time, women's tennis was about women's tennis.

Williams came back from a set and a break deficit to beat Mauresmo 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in a 2-hour, 33-minute semifinal in front of an announced 9,022.

Mauresmo entered the semifinal on an 11-match win streak.

``I give all the credit to her today because I was playing some good tennis and I think she really raised her level a lot,'' Mauresmo said. ``So all the credit to her.''

The win set up a final today against Russian Maria Sharapova, who defeated countrywoman Anastasia Myskina in the day's other semifinal. The 17-year old Sharapova beat Williams for the Wimbledon title the last time the two met. On Sunday, Williams suffered from selective amnesia when asked about a rematch.

``I don't believe I played Wimbledon,'' Williams said. ``I don't know who it was. But I wasn't at Wimbledon this year.''

Sharapova responded: ``In reality, there was (a final). She might not have been in reality.''

The Sharapova-Williams showdown is a wish come true for organizers, who picked the two as the center of the Championships ad campaign months ago. Sharapova would love to knock Williams off again, and a victory for the American would legitimize a season in which she played just 10 tournaments. As of Sunday afternoon there were 1,000 tickets, of 10,000 available, remaining for tonight's 6:30 final.

``She's obviously going to want her revenge,'' Sharapova said. ``And hey, I'm in the finals of the Championships so I want it badly too.''

With the loss to Williams, Mauresmo failed to finish the year as the No. 1 player, her goal coming into the Championships. She had the ranking over the summer and needed to win the event to reclaim the top spot. Instead Davenport retained the ranking, her third year-ending No. 1.

``It is not my main concern today,'' Mauresmo said. ``Believe me.''

Although she fought back to take the second set in a convincing tiebreak, Williams had it won after she served out a frantic game at 4-3 in the third. There were 13 deuce points and Mauresmo had five break-point opportunities in the game, which lasted 19 minutes.

Williams jammed a forehand on Mauresmo's racket for the 5-3 advantage.

``It was intense,'' Williams said. ``I was able to just - I don't know - do it finally.''

The loss will likely stay with Mauresmo. Despite failing to win a break point in the third set - she had 12 - Mauresmo insisted she didn't collapse.

``I forced her to play her best level,'' Mauresmo said. ``And make some unbelievable shots. And that is what she did.

Sharapova - winless against Myskina before Sunday - rode early leads in the second and third sets for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory. Myskina stormed out early but did not have the energy to hold on.

``I got really tired and I lost my concentration,'' Myskina said. ``And then it was really hard to pump up myself.''

Lauren Gustus, [phone]

lauren.gustus(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Maria Sharapova reacts after defeating Anastasia Myskina during the WTA Tour Championships semifinals.

Box:

Today