By Charles Ohizua
Serena Williams’ bid for a calendar Grand Slam has ended in failure after a pulsating 6-2 4-6 4-6 defeat to Italy’s Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals of the US Open.
Williams’ defeat to the world No 43 means her run of 33 consecutive grand slam victories comes to an end, leaving Vinci to face compatriot Flavia Pennetta in Saturday’s final after her 6-1 6-3 win over Romanian second seed Simona Halep earlier in the day.
Vinci, 32, had never gone further than the quarter-finals of a major tournament before but the 32-year-old came from a set down to beat the Flushing Meadows home favourite – completing the job with a nerveless drop shot at the net.
Vinci came into the match as a serious underdog. She had not played a top-10 seed in the fortnight, and had never beaten Williams in four previous meetings. The 32-year-old Italian earned an early break to lead 2-1 in the first set. Williams took the break right back, then smashed a huge winner to force break point at 3-2. She quickly converted, then converted again at 6-2 to take the set.
Williams faltered slightly to open the second set, double faulting to let Vinci build a 0-40 advantage, but battled all the way back to hold serve. It looked like she was in control. And the fans were completely in her corner.
She’d said earlier in the week that she isn’t accustomed to being the fan favorite in New York, that the crowd usually likes to cheer on the underdog, at least until the final points. She said she understands – who wouldn’t want to see good tennis?
But on Friday, everyone just wanted to say they saw a piece of history. The entire stadium celebrated with her, then gasped when Vinci broke her to go up 2-1 in the second set. They sounded pained when Vinci, against all odds, forced a third set.
