SERENA ADVANCES AS STEPHENS EXITS
Serena Williams
Six-time champion Serena Williams shook off a sluggish start to power past eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday ( Wednesday in Manila) and into the US Open semifinals.
The US superstar, chasing a record- equaling 24th major title, surrendered an early break to Pliskova, but she roared back with a streak of eight straight games to put away the opening set and take a 4- 0 lead in the second against the woman who beat her in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 2016.
“I just wanted to play better,” Williams said of her mindset as she trailed 3- 1 in the first. “I was thinking, you know, I can play better, so that was the good news.”
Williams did indeed cut down on the errors, and came up with the big serves when she needed them.
She finished the match with 13 aces and will take on Anastasija Sevastova for a place in the final after the 19th-seeded Latvian toppled defending champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-3.
Pliskova, who managed to convert just two of 12 break point chances in the contest, said Williams was simply too good in the important moments.
“She hit all first serves on the break points, which is always a little bit tougher to return,” Pliskova said.
“The second set, she was just mixing the serve. She was going a lot of wide. Not much that I could do on the break points.”
With a win she would break out of a tie with Chris Evert for most US Open titles, and equal Margaret Court’s all-time record for Grand Slams.
Stephens ‘not connecting’
World number three Stephens, refused to blame the punishing afternoon heat and humidity for her lapses against Sevastova, including an inability to convert any of seven break chances in the opening set.
“When you don’t play big points well, the match can get away from you,” she said. “Mentally, physically, I just wasn’t connecting.”
Sevastova herself relies on variety more than power, and she caught a slow-moving Stephens with a number of drop shots and drop shot-lob combinations.
The defeats of Stephens and Pliskova completed the exodus of top 10 seeds, although Pliskova noted that Williams’ 17th seeding — nine spots above her world ranking as she continues her post-baby comeback — was not reflective of her true abilities.
“She’s 17, but she’s not a player which should be 17,” Pliskova said.
The semifinal lineup will be completed on Wednesday when Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro takes on 2017 runner- up Madison Keys and Japan’s Naomi Osaka faces Ukraine’s Les ia Tsurenko.