For Flavia, it’s never too late for a first
BEST YEARS 33-year-old Pennetta makes it to her first Major final with a victory over second seed Halep
Flavia Pennetta never made it past a Grand Slam quarterfinal throughout her 20s.
She finally reached her first major semifinal at the 2013 US Open at age 31. Now 33 years young, in her 49th career Grand Slam tournament, Pennetta is into a title match.
She is the oldest woman since the Open era began in 1968 to become a first-time finalist.
Facing an opponent nearly a decade her junior, Pennetta routed second-seeded Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 in 59 minutes at the U.S. Open on Friday.
Halep has been to a major final before, losing in last year’s French Open. But she looked tense and drained Friday, with 23 unforced errors to 10 winners.
No such problems for the 26th-seeed Pennetta, who was calm, confident and controlled play. The Italian trailed 3-1 in the second set before winning 15 straight points to move within a game of victory. She broke Halep’s serve to clinch the win, burying her face in her hands in stunned joy after hitting her 23rd winner on match point.
“It’s amazing. I didn’t think to be so far in the tournament,” said Pennetta. “Today I think I played really well.”
After rain forced officials to postpone the women’s semifinals by a day, the clash had an undercard vibe to it as it preceded the match featuring Williams, who is two wins away from sweeping the year’s four grand slams.
“I just tried to play every match the best I can from the first one. Try not to think too much about the draw, just play match by match,” Pennetta said after her win.
“I tried to be focused on what I have to do all the time when I get on the court and here I am, so I’m very happy.”
Both players won long threeset quarterfinals Wednesday, though Halep had a much tougher fourth-round match. Pennetta could have faced fourthseeded Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, but the Dane was upset before then.
She has now eliminated two top-five opponents in consecutive matches, though, after coming from behind to beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the quarters.
Pennetta is the lowest-ranked Grand Slam finalist since Serena Williams, coming back from a series of health problems, was 27th at the 2011 U.S. Open. The top-ranked Williams, two wins from completing the first Grand Slam since 1988, was facing another 30-something Italian, Roberta Vinci, in the second semifinal Friday.
Earlier, drama built at Arthur Ashe Stadium around the match between defending champion Williams and Italy’s 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci, in her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Williams, on a 33-match Grand Slam win streak and a 26- match US Open win streak, is only two victories shy of completing two of the most incredible achievements in the history of tennis, playing her best tennis at an age once thought impossible for such success.
The 33-year-old American is chasing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
It’s amazing. I didn’t think to be so far in the tournament. Today I think I played really well. I just tried to play every match the best I can from the first one. Try not to think too much about the draw, just play match by match FLAVIA PENNETTA, after her win