NEW YORK — Venus Williams made a triumphant return to Madison Square Garden on Monday night, beating Jelena Jankovic 6-4 in the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup.

Williams, who has won each of her last two tournaments on the WTA Tour, broke Jankovic at love before serving out the set to advance in the one-night exhibition.

Top-ranked Serena Williams was to play Ana Ivanovic in the second semifinal as women's tennis returned to Madison Square Garden after a nine-year absence. President Bill Clinton also was on hand to pay tribute to Billie Jean King, who founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.