Serena Comes from One Set Down against Pironkova to Berth S’final
Serena Williams kept alive her hopes of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Tsvetana Pironkova.
The American six-time champion, 38, struggled early on with the variety of shots from the unranked player who was in her first tournament in three years.
Pironkova, 32, broke in the fifth game en route to taking the first set.
The Bulgarian tired as Williams took the second and then broke twice more in the third to seal a semi-final spot.
The veteran will now play former world number one
Victoria Azarenka or Belgian 16th seed Elise Mertens.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, German fifth seed Alexander Zverev similarly fought back from a set down in the men’s singles to reach his first US Open semi-final by beating a battling Borna Coric.
Zverev, 23, crumbled in the first set as the Croatian 27th seed threatened his hopes of a first Grand Slam title.
But two impressive tiebreaks and a late break in the fourth set gave the German a 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 victory.
“I started playing a bit more aggressively,” Zverev said.
“The way I was playing was not the level for a Grand Slam quarter-final. I don’t want to stop here.”
Zverev will play Spanish 20th seed Pablo Carreno Busta after he beat Canadian 12th seed Denis Shapovalov 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) 0-6 6-3 in a match that lasted more than four hours.
Carreno Busta, 29, who also reached the last four in 2017, said: “I am destroyed, but I am very happy. After this fight it’s tough to say but it’s incredible to be in the semi-final again.”