A place secure

For Vinci, the set-to was a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm, and while she failed to consolidate her date with destiny via another win in the final, her place in major tournament annals is secure.

As far as upsets go, Roberta Vinci’s takedown of Serena Williams in the semifinal round of the United States Open ladies’ singles championship is by far the sport’s most unexpected in the modern era. She headed into the match a 300-to-one underdog for a reason, but she promptly proved that she had the game, and resolve, to upend the best of the best under the right circumstances. Everything was against her as her hitherto-dominant opponent appeared fated to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam, and yet she managed to complete her Sisyphean endeavor on the strength of unshakable confidence and dogged determination.

To argue that Williams was far from sharp and, therefore, ripe to be upended, would be an understatement. All the same, Vinci deserves credit for rising to the occasion and summoning outstanding tennis exactly when she needed it. And it wasn’t that she refused to be realistic. She knew where she stood, even going so far as to book a flight back home on the premise that she would lose. Parenthetically, she stayed in the moment, her utmost professionalism compelling her to leave nothing in the tank, and she was promptly rewarded for her efforts.

For Vinci, the set-to was a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm, and while she failed to consolidate her date with destiny via another win in the final, her place in major tournament annals is secure. As if her task wasn’t already difficult to begin with, she wound up spotting Williams a set. It didn’t matter that the latter was then a pristine 38 and zero in Grand Slam semifinal- and finalround contests after claiming the first set. Or that, throughout her career, she hadn’t so much as claimed a set against her opponent.

In retrospect, the shocker underscores the compelling nature of competition. Were everything truly slated to go as planned, Williams’ bid for a fifth straight major wouldn’t have been as singular. Her preeminent status notwithstanding, she still needs to turn expectation to reality every single time she wields a racket. Moving forward, she cannot but view her setback as motivation for future success. Meanwhile, the spotlight is on Vinci, and rightly so.