VENUS LEADS FIRST US OPEN ALL-AMERICAN SEMIS SINCE 1981
New York, Sept. 7: For the first time since 1981, the US Open women’s semi-finals will be an all-American affair with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and three first-Slam-title hopefuls in the mix.
Williams, seeking her third US Open crown after 2000 and 2001, will face Sloane Stephens while 20th seed CoCo Vandeweghe and 15th seed Madison Keys collide in Thursday’s matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the winners meeting Saturday for the championship.
American 20th seed Vandeweghe claimed a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, whose brief eight-week stay as world number one ended with Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza taking over.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Keys after completing the foursome with a 6-3, 6-3 victory on Wednesday over Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi.
“I thought it would be a really special moment. I’m happy I helped out and got my name in there.”
No matter who advances, it will set up the first allAmerican US Open final since 2002, when Williams lost to younger sister Serena. “It’s great to see this resurgence and I hope it can continue, Williams said.”
US ninth seed Williams, enjoying one of her finest seasons at age 37, is leading the charge. This year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon runner-up is the US Open’s oldest semifinalist and the oldest in any Slam since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling, because you put in so much work to be able to succeed at these moments,” said Williams.
Williams and Stephens in a showdown of AfricanAmerican stars at Arthur Ashe Stadium shows the namesake barrier-breaker’s dream of tennis racial diversity is alive in the 20th anniversary season of the world’s largest tennis venue.
Ashe, the first black man to win a Grand Slam title when he captured the 1968 US Open, battled racism and bigotry with grace and patience until his death in 1993. In 1981, Americans Barbara Potter, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and eventual winner Tracy Austin reached the final four.
—