By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Serena Williams battled through Simona Halep in a riveting three set meeting to reach the US Open semifinals.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
After enduring a tough battle from her opponent, Serena Williams once again served herself into a US Open semifinal.
Now Williams finds herself two wins away from a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title. Yet, Williams was made to work hard for her final four spot by No. 5 seed Simona Halep in a highly anticipated and high quality quarterfinal.
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“I knew I could play a lot better and I lost my rhythm in the second set and Simona started playing a lot better and going for her shots and she did what she needed to do,” Williams said just after the match. “I knew if I wanted to win it, I’d have to step it up in the third set.”
Williams blazed through the opening games of the first set with strong early hitting and serving. The top seed broke Halep’s serve and then fired down a 118 mph ace to hold for 3-0.
Halep, who entered the match as one of the winningest players this season, finally got her groove on midway through the set. But though Halep hit the ball deep into the backcourt, Williams remained unfazed.
Williams soon wrapped up the first set 6-2 with an easy volley winner up at net.
The match dramatically changed in the second set. Halep battled through a marathon 10-minute plus service game that saw Williams hold, and miss out on eight break point chances. A break of serve for Williams might have likely meant an early night for all. But by holding finally for 1-all, Halep signaled she was ready to challenge Williams.
Halep, while deploying her trademark backcourt movement, went after her second serves with more aggression. She also swung out freely on her weaker forehand side. Halep, now hitting with more ease, earned a break point of her own. Williams handed the break to Halep with a double fault for 2-1.
It was the first time Williams had dropped serve all tournament.
Halep began dictating more of the rallies while Williams herself began mistiming shots and making more errors. The key game again proved yet another marathon as Halep served for the set up 5-4.
The game became it’s own tug of war as Halep fought off more break point chances held by Williams.
The World No. 1 kept moving forward to put away big forehand winners in the forecourt. But Williams couldn’t quite seal the game on her terms as Halep responded with several well placed forehands of her own. Halep held multiple set points, only to watch Williams hit another winner to erase them and send things back to deuce.
Finally, on her fifth set point, Halep closed out the set 6-4 after Williams sent a backhand wide. For Williams, she walked to her chair knowing that she had not converted on 12 break points in that set.
“I wasn’t very happy about that. I tried to stay positive and I knew if I did that I could just stay in the match,” Williams said about her missed chances.
Williams climbed back from 15-40 down in her opening service game to start the decisive final set. Both women stayed close with each other with Williams showing fine touch with one of several suprise drop shot winners she hit on the night.
Ultimately, Halep couldn’t hold off Williams who threatened the Romanian’s serve again.
Williams, playing now with more control on her shots, found herself holding a thirteenth break point chance. Williams converted that point from 3-1 and again found herself back in charge.
Halep couldn’t find a way back to a break point herself as Williams continued showing off the dominant serving she has since the start of the event.
Leading at 5-3, Williams stepped to the line as she aimed to serve out the match. Williams connected on a forehand winner, a big second serve, and then a backhand winner to hold 40-0 and three set points. Halep saved the first two. But Williams fired down a final huge serve to seal the 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.
Williams hit 50 winners and 43 unforced errors compared to Halep's 20 winners and 17 unforced errors.
“I’m happy to be in the semifinals,” Williams said. “I have nothing to lose.”
The World No. 1 might tell herself that, but she still finds herself trying to hang on to her top ranking at this event. She will next face Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals. The No. 10 seed is on a ten match win streak since winning the Cincinnati title.