NEW YORK
At the end, and only at the very end, did Serena Williams face anything resembling a challenge in her U.S. Open semifinal.
Six times, Williams was a single point from winning. Six times, she failed to come through.
All that did, of course, was delay the inevitable. On match point No. 7, Williams delivered a 107-mph service winner, then let out two shouts, a mixture of relief and rejoice after a 6-0, 6-3 victory over fifth-seeded Li Na of China that put the defending champion back in the final at Flushing Meadows.
“I got a little nervous,” said the No. 1-ranked Williams, who will face No. 2 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Sunday in a rematch of last year’s final, “but I was able to close it out, finally.”
She usually does.
Pursuing a fifth U.S. Open championship and 17th Grand Slam title overall, Williams has been so dominant, so untouchable during these two weeks that the only question each time out was how long it would take her to win, not whether she would.
Through 12 sets across six matches in this tournament, Williams has lost a total of only 16 games (for context, Azarenka lost 13 in one match alone). The 31-year-old American can become the first woman to win the U.S. Open without dropping a set since – yes, you guessed it – Williams herself in 2008. She also did it in 2002.
So what’s the secret to making things competitive against Williams?
“You’ve got to fight. You’ve got to run. You’ve got to grind. And you’ve got to bite with your teeth for whatever opportunity you have,” Azarenka said. “She’s obviously an amazing player. She’s the greatest of all time.”
Williams definitely is bolstering her case lately.
She is 66-4 with eight titles in 2013. Go back to the start of Wimbledon in June 2012, and she is 97-5 with 13 trophies, including three from the last five Grand Slam tournaments.
Half of Williams’ losses this season were to Azarenka, including one at a hard-court tuneup in Cincinnati last month.
“We know each other pretty well. I know her strengths; she knows my strengths,” Azarenka said. “That’s what it’s all about, about those turning points. Who wants it more? Who’s willing to go for it more?”
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, improved to a tour-leading 31-1 on hard courts this season by overcoming all sorts of sloppiness to beat 83rd-ranked Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-2 in Friday’s first semifinal.
“I scared her a little,” Pennetta said.
Because of the way Na-Williams finished, that match felt scarier than it ever really was.
“It’s great to get to another final,” Williams said. “She’s a great player, and she lifts her game when it really counts.”
Sounds like a good description of Williams.
U.S. Open
NEW YORK – A look at Friday’s play at the $34.3-million U.S. Open tennis championships at Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Weather: Sunny and cooler. High of 73.
Attendance: 22,498.
Women’s Results: No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 2 Victoria Azarenka won semifinal matches, setting up a rematch of last year’s final that Williams won. Williams beat No. 5 Li Na 6-0, 6-3, while Azarenka defeated unseeded Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-2.
Stat of the Day: Victoria Azarenka and Flavia Pennetta combined to break serve 13 times in 18 games.
Quote of the Day: “We always have really good matches. I look forward to it. It’s great to get to another final. She’s a great player, and she lifts her game when it really counts,” Williams said of Sunday’s women’s singles final match against Victoria Azarenka.
Saturday on Court: Men’s Semifinals – No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 8 Richard Gasquet.
Saturday on TV: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., KCNC, KREZ.
On this Date (Sept. 7, 1953): Maureen Connolly completed the first Grand Slam in women’s tennis history, defeating Doris Hart 6-2, 6-4.
Associated Press
