Vinci says no to Serena’s Grand Slam hopes
Williams loses in semifinals of U.S. Open; Federer and Djokovic to face off in men’s finale
NEW YORK (AP) — For Serena Williams’ first 26 matches this year at major tournaments, no deficit was too daunting, no opponent too troublesome, no victory too far from reach.
She was unbeaten and, seemingly, unbeatable, nearing the first Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century. All Williams needed was two more wins to pull off that rare feat. And yet, against an unseeded and unheralded opponent in the U.S. Open semifinals, she faltered. Her pursuit of history ended, oh so close.
In one of the most significant upsets in the history of tennis, Williams finally found a hole too big to climb out of, losing 2- 6, 6- 4, 6- 4 on Friday at Flushing Meadows to 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy.
“I don’t want to talk about how disappointing it is for me,” Williams said at the start of a briefer-thanusual news conference. “If you have any other questions, I’m open for that.”
Vinci had never before played in a Grand Slam semifinal; Williams owns 21 major titles. In four previous matchups, Vinci had never taken a set off Williams.
“Every so often,” Vinci said, “a miracle happens.”
How little faith did even she have? Vinci said she booked a flight home for Saturday, the day of the final.
But Vinci’s unusual style, full of slices and net rushes and volleying skills she honed while winning a career Grand Slam in doubles, kept Williams off-balance enough to cause problems and prevent the 33-year-old American from becoming the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four major tournaments in a calendar year.
As Williams quickly left the scene, hopping in a waiting black SUV and taking off, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, was explaining to reporters what he called “a bad day, clearly.”
He said he could tell before the match that something was off.
Vinci next faces another Italian making her Grand Slam final debut: 26thseeded Flavia Pennetta, who eliminated No. 2 Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 in another, if less-unbelievable, surprise.
The men’s final Sunday, in contrast, will be No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 2 Roger Federer in their record-tying 42nd career matchup.
Pennetta, 33, and Vinci, 32, have known each other since they were kids, growing up in towns about 40 miles (65 kilometers) apart on opposite coasts of Puglia, a region in the southeastern heel of Italy’s boot-shaped peninsula. They used to meet in local tournaments in their early teens, then paired up to win a French Open junior doubles in their late teens.
Now, all these years later, they will face each other in a stadium in New York with a Grand Slam trophy on the line.
“We’ll be as tight as violin strings, both of us,” Vinci said.
She gave a thumb’s up while noting in English that “an Italian wins, for sure,” then pointed to her chest and whispered in Italian, “Me, let’s hope.”
An intriguing story line, to be sure, but nothing compared to what Williams was chasing: a perfect Grand Slam season.