Serena ousted in semis
Azarenka moves into Open finals
The run is over for Serena Williams. Another U.S. Open, another failure to finish.
After completely dominating the first set against Victoria Azarenka, Williams collapsed, tired and succumbed in the semifinal Thursday, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, continuing her three-year Grand Slam title drought.
At 38 years old, it’s fair to wonder how many more legit chances she’ll have to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 championships. And make no mistake, she gave herself a real opportunity this year in Flushing.
After gutting through the first five rounds, Williams appeared as if she might breeze past Azarenka, an unranked but unmistakably dangerous opponent. Then the shift occurred. Azarenka, 31, the two-time Australian Open champ, found her groove midway through the second set, clubbing her groundstrokes and bouncing around in between points. Williams, on the other hand, became slower and fatigued. In the third set after dropping three consecutive points on her serve, she held her ankle and had a trainer rewrap it. Azarenka spent the fiveminute medical timeout on her seat with her eyes closed in focus. Then the Belarusian pounced. She won on Williams’ failed challenge on the final point.
“I knew it’s not over because I have another chance,” Azarenka said about her comeback and advancing to the U.S. Open finals for the first time in seven years. “She dug me in a hole in the first set and I had to climb my out of there.”
It ruined not only Williams’ chance at history, but also an intriguing matchup in the finals against Naomi Osaka. Two years ago, Osaka and Williams engaged in a controversial final defined by Williams’ violations and outbursts directed at the umpire. For Osaka, it represented an arrival. For Williams, it was an ugly moment and another close call in Queens. She hasn’t won the Open since 2014, although she’s made two finals and three semifinals since then.
On Thursday, Osaka finished off American Jen Brady in a high-quality match, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, and returned to Ashe Stadium to watch Williams. She called it a “privilege” to watch her idol, and probably didn’t anticipate the collapse.
“For me, this is the reason why I practice for so many hours,” Osaka said. “This is literally, like, my dream when I was little, is to play against Serena in Grand Slam finals.
“Of course they’re still playing and I could potentially play (Azarenka),” she continued.
Williams’ fatigue Thursday would be understandable. She played four consecutive three-set matches at the Open, including her victory Wednesday afternoon over Tsvetana Pironkova. Azarenka had played her quarterfinal Wednesday later than Williams, but required little effort to obliterate Elise Mertens, 6-1, 6-0.
Williams could have another chance to win a Slam later this month at the French Open, but she hasn’t committed to playing because of COVID-19 concerns. So the wait continues.