Sunsets have had more suspense than Serena Williams’s 6-1, 6-0 victory over Wang Qiang in the quarterfinals of the United States Open.
But no matter how impervious-to-pressure Williams looked under the lights on Tuesday night, the tension at this U.S. Open did not really start until now.
Since Williams’s return to the tour in 2018 after the birth of her daughter, Olympia, her problem at the Grand Slam tournaments has not been about finding form. It has been about sealing the deal.
She has often hit the high notes in early rounds and then run into a mental block, an opponent on a roll or a combination of the two when she was on the verge of winning her 24th Grand Slam singles title and tying Margaret Court’s record.
The latest of several setbacks: this year’s Wimbledon final against Simona Halep.
Williams, 37, had overwhelmed Barbora Strycova in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-2, only to turn shaky and be routed, 6-2, 6-2, by Halep, who was in a clean-hitting state of grace.
Elina Svitolina, Williams’s opponent in Thursday’s semifinals, is a world-class counterpuncher, as well. She is among the quickest and best defenders on tour and has navigated and hustled her way through a treacherous patch of the draw to reach her first U.S. Open semifinal less than two months after reaching the same stage at Wimbledon.
Seeded No. 5, she has defeated power baseliners like Venus Williams, Dayana Yastremska, Madison Keys and Johanna Konta without dropping a set.
“I played some big hitters in this tournament, a lot,” Svitolina said. “I have to just react quickly with my feet and with my shots, as well. Then when I have the opportunity, go for it.”
Svitolina went for it effectively in her most recent match against Serena Williams, upsetting her in the round of 16 at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. (Svitolina had lost their previous four encounters.)
Rio was hardly Williams’s golden hour: She also lost in the first round of doubles with her sister, Venus.
“Just really devastated about that doubles loss, then obviously singles shortly after,” Serena Williams said, before smiling slyly and finding a way out of the memory.“I didn’t play the Olympics in Rio,” she concluded.
But Svitolina remembers them well.
“It gave me the confidence to actually let me believe that I can play consistent against the top players,” she said. “She gave me opportunities, for sure, in that match, and I actually took them and won. It was a very special moment.”
Defeating Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium would surely top that, but there is a good argument that Williams is in better shape than at any other stage of her comeback.
She certainly looks quicker and fitter, and should remain so if the right ankle she rolled in the fourth round continues to leave her in peace, as it appeared to do on Tuesday night. The back pain that caused her to retire from the Rogers Cup final against Bianca Andreescu last month, and then withdraw from the Western & Southern Open, also appears to be behind her.
“You would have to think Serena is gaining in confidence,” Tracy Austin, the television analyst and former No. 1, said. “She is moving better than at Wimbledon. She’s had more practice time prior to the U.S. Open. The quick match against Wang was also good for her ankle by not stressing it too much.”
One of the keys on Thursday will be whether Williams will have the endurance and patience to stay in rallies until she feels she has the right court position and body position to crank up the power.
“Svitolina certainly tests a player’s shot tolerance with her defense,” Austin said. “But Serena is feeling she doesn’t have to go so big so early in the points because she is moving better.”
Sven Groeneveld, one of the most experienced coaches in the women’s game, believes Svitolina’s second serve remains vulnerable, as does her forehand in defensive positions.
“I expect Serena will be too strong, knowing she is growing into the event, and she had her scare against McNally,” he said of Caty McNally, the attack-minded 17-year-old American who took a set off Williams in the second round. “Only Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu have the playing style that can derail Serena.”
Bencic, a 22-year-old from Switzerland, and Andreescu, a 19-year-old from Canada, are in the other half of the U.S. Open draw, playing their quarterfinals on Wednesday: Bencic against Donna Vekic and Andreescu against Elise Mertens.
What is abundantly clear is that Wang, the No. 18 seed, did not have the style to fluster Williams, who seemed to have much more trouble keeping her new bodysuit in place than her game.
The performance gave Williams her 100th singles victory at the U.S. Open, one short of the women’s record held by Chris Evert.
After eight minutes against Wang, Williams led by 3-0. After 44 minutes, it was over. Williams finished with 25 winners; Wang with none.
Williams was asked later if she was increasing the intimidation factor in this tournament. She gave an answer that rang particularly true in light of her history at the U.S. Open. Williams has won six singles titles in Arthur Ashe Stadium, beginning in 1999, but she has also experienced plenty of dramatic reversals of fortune, including last year’s straight-set defeat against Naomi Osaka in a final that will long be remembered for Williams’s clash with the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos.
“I don’t try to up any intimidation factor,” she said. “I am who I am. I’ve always been the person that goes out there and roars and screams and complains and cries and fights. I’m extremely passionate about what I do. Most people that love their jobs are passionate about what they do. That’s just me.”
It is that passion that helps explains why Williams is still chasing titles and Margaret Court with her 38th birthday only a few weeks away.
She was so good, too good, on Tuesday night, but that is no guarantee that, with the emotions swirling, she will be good enough down the stretch in New York.
Source : NYtimes
