‘Not about 24’: Serena to face Halep in final
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND >> Hours before her Wimbledon semifinal, Serena Williams spent some time deep in thought and arrived at a couple of conclusions.
For one thing, she shouldn’t focus too much on trying to raise her Grand Slam title total to 24, a number achieved by just one other player in tennis history. And for another, she needs to stay calm on the court.
With that in mind, Williams went out Thursday and made it all look so easy, overwhelming Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes to once again put herself on the verge of an eighth championship at the All England Club and major No. 24 overall.
“It’s really not about 24 or
23 or 25. It’s really just about going out there and giving my best effort, no matter what. No matter what I do, I will always have a great career,” said Williams, who at 37 is the oldest woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the professional era. “Like, I just kind of let it go this morning.”
On Saturday, she will take on No. 7-seeded Simona Halep of Romania, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine under a cloudy sky at Centre Court.
It’s the 11th final at the All England Club for Williams, the first for Halep, whose only major trophy came at the French Open last year.
They’ve played each other
10 previous times, with Williams winning nine, including a three-setter at the Australian Open in January.
“I respect a lot what she has done and what she’s doing,” said Halep, who, like Williams,
AT A GLANCE
A quick look at Wimbledon: LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY
Eleven years later, it’s the next installment of the Roger vs. Rafa rivalry at Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play in the men’s semifinals, their first meeting at the All England Club since a classic five-set final in 2008. Nadal won that match 9-7 in the fifth set, while Federer beat Nadal in the previous two finals. Federer is looking for a ninth Wimbledon title, while Nadal is chasing his third. In the other match, defending champion Novak Djokovic takes on Roberto Bautista Agut, a Spaniard in his first Grand Slam semi. FRIDAY’S FORECAST
Partly cloudy. High of 75degrees. THURSDAY’S WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS
No. 7 Simona Halep beat No. 8 Elina
used to be ranked No. 1. “But now I feel stronger, mentally, facing her. We will see what is going to happen. It’s just a big challenge for me.”
For anyone, really, when Williams is at her best.
And after an up-and-down first half of the year, due in part to injury and illness, she sure does appear to have lifted her level considerably.
“Well, if she will play like this in the final,” said Strycova, 33, the oldest first-time Grand Slam semifinalist in Svitolina 6-1, 6-3; No. 11 Serena Williams beat Barbora Strycova
6-1, 6-2.
STAT OF THE DAY
37 years, 290 days: Serena Williams’ age on Saturday, making her the oldest woman to play a Grand Slam final in the professional era — about a month older than Martina Navratilova when she played the
1994 championship at Wimbledon. QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I promise you, when I hit a volley I was like, ‘Would I have made that if I didn’t play doubles? I don’t think so.’” - Serena Williams on whether playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray helped her perform better at the net against Barbora Strycova. the modern era, “it’s going to be very hard for Simona.”
After a three-set struggle against Alison Riske in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Williams was dominant against Strycova, who was limited by a leg muscle problem that cropped up in the first game.
Williams played cleanly, accumulating nearly twice as many winners as unforced errors, 28-10. She was at her usual court-covering best, which helped limit Strycova to 10 winners.