And here’s your match report:
Remember when Williams was a teen phenom? No? Here’s a stat to remind you:
If Serena Williams advances to the @usopen final, she would own the largest gap between first Grand Slam final appearance and most recent final appearance at 19 yrs, 362 days.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 5, 2019
And indeed she does.
That’s all for tonight. See you for the final, 4 p.m. ET Saturday.
That’s Williams’ 101st win at the U.S. Open. She can tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles if she wins the final. She keeps breaking ESPN commentator Chris Evert’s Open records and would do so again with a win Saturday that would give her seven championships here, one ahead of Evert.
Technically, she has a losing record against her possible final opponent, Canadian teen Bianca Andreescu. They’ve only played once, when Williams had to retire from their matchup in the Rogers Cup last month.
Williams certainly seems to be feeling better. As George Hurley said by email, “Just too too much power.”
And she’s covering the court well, as Svitolina found to her chagrin with a couple of drop shots that didn’t flummox Williams in the least.
If you come at the queen, you’d best not miss, and Elina Svitolina missed a lot tonight. So many early chances in the first few games went begging, and you simply cannot let such opportunities slip when Serena Williams is being Serena Williams.
Svitolina recovered pretty well and played evenly through the last few games of the first set. She started well in the second set but then simply withered in the face of Williams’ onslaught.
And Svitolina was surely the top opponent left for Williams -- not just the highest remaining seed but someone very much in form.
Serena Williams wins 6-3, 6-1
Williams picks apart Svitolina on the first point and has her on the ropes on the second, but Svitolina comes back with a couple of terrific shots -- one in the corner, one drop shot and then a simple putaway. Then an ace to make it 30-15.
Then yet another missed opportunity. Svitolina has Williams in trouble on the baseline, and she rushes the net. But she loses her footing and sends a weak shot across to Williams, who makes no mistake. 30-30.
Svitolina into the net, and it’s break and match point.
Fault. Second serve barely in. But Williams offers up a lifeline with an unforced and simply unnecessary error. Deuce. Then another, and it’s advantage Svitolina.
How many game points has Svitolina lost now? This one is a long rally that ends on another pinpoint Williams shot on the baseline. Deuce.
Then another good rally, but Williams just keeps hitting harder and harder and finally forces the error. Second match point.
Another decent rally, but Williams rips a backhand for her 34rd winner and the match.
Updated
Second set: *Williams 6-3 5-1 Svitolina (denotes server)
Point for Williams. Point for Williams on another wild mishit from Svitolina. Then 40-0 as a return goes way long.
Finally, Svitolina breaks a streak of 13 straight lost points with a solid return that Williams puts into the net. Another solid rally follows, but Williams puts a forehand winner on the line.
Svitolina is just serving for a respectable score now.
Second set: Williams 6-3 4-1 Svitolina* (denotes server)
The first point is a fun one, as the players trade drop shots and both end up at the net as if they’re playing doubles. Williams wins the next point more conventionally, then wins another net point by covering a lot of ground to send Svitolina’s drop shot across the court for a winner. The rattled Svitolina then sends a shot wide, and Williams breaks at love.
Second set: *Williams 6-3 3-1 Svitolina (denotes server)
Williams holds at love, finishing it off with an ace. Not too long ago, Svitolina was pretty close in the “total points won” stat, but it’s all going Serena’s way now.
Updated
Can’t pick many better sights than this ...
Beautiful night here on Ashe stadium and Serena is cruising already against Svitolina pic.twitter.com/n9kh8I07Mm
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) September 5, 2019
You could argue that a legend should have better seats, but maybe those are better seats.
Second set: Williams 6-3 2-1 Svitolina* (denotes server)
One of the sloppier games of the match, and it couldn’t be worse for Svitolina, who can’t take advantage of Williams’ sudden string of unforced errors.
A fantastic rally in which Svitolina approached the net and had to move back ends with a Svitolina moon shot that gives Williams break point. But Williams hits wide.
Svitolina surrenders the advantage, then hits long to give Williams a break. It’s a long way back now.
Second set: *Williams 6-3 1-1 Svitolina (denotes server)
This is peak Serena. She’ll make a mistake, such as a double fault that takes it to 30-30, and then she simply storms back with an emphatic winner at the net before closing out the game.
Second set: Williams 6-3 0-1 Svitolina* (denotes server)
Well, that’s better for Svitolina. An ace closes it out as she holds at love.
Abhijato Sensarma asks: “Does it look like Williams has shrugged off her recently-acquired nerves when it comes to the final stages of a Slam? Or might it still relapse even at the moment everything seems to be going in her favour?”
She certainly doesn’t seem nervous here. Svitolina has created her own opportunities here, but she has flinched, and Williams has not.
Serena Williams wins the first set 6-3
Beautiful winner for Svitolina as Williams approaches the net, but she struggles with Williams’ second serve on the next point. 15-15.
Williams makes no mistake at the net, taking it to 30-15. More power, and it’s double set point. She only needs one, hitting a serve that Svitolina can only return to the net.
Svitolina will have to shake off all her missed opportunities to get back into this.
First set: Williams 5-3 Svitolina* (denotes server)
Svitolina hits long on the first point. Williams does the same on the next point, then mishits a return to give Svitolina a 30-15 lead. Svitolina double-faults and again swats the ball away in frustration.
But Svitolina’s next serve is a good one, and Williams can’t get it back over the net. Game point. Can Svitolina finally hit a winner to close out a game? Not on this one -- she hits far wide. Deuce.
Williams gives up another game point with an errant shot. Then another, and Svitolina stays in the set.
First set: *Williams 5-2 Svitolina (* denotes server)
No break points this time. Williams wins four quick points, barely giving Svitolina a chance to return anything.
First set: Williams 4-2 Svitolina* (* denotes server)
To twist the soccer cliche, a 40-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in tennis. At least, that’s been the case for Svitolina tonight. She earns the lead with an ace, upheld after checking the replay.
Svitolina has a textbook unforced error on the next point. But she comes back with a solid rally, moving Williams around a bit. Williams hits a tough shot into the net, and Svitolina takes another game.
First set: *Williams 4-1 Svitolina (* denotes server)
And now Williams looks rattled. A simple shot at the net goes into the net. A backhand goes wide. Fault. Second serve is returned, and Williams immediately hits back into the net.
Again, three chances to win the game for Svitolina. This time, all on Williams’ serve. She can bring the set back on serve.
Williams unleashes the power. Two solid points and then a dominant point, with a serve that Svitolina barely returns and a follow-up shot that no one could return. Deuce. Three more chances gone for Svitolina.
A medium-length rally ends with Svitolina hitting just long. Williams closes out with her usual power.
Svitolina is 0-for-6 on break points, and she had plenty of chances to win the game in which she was broken herself.
First set: Williams 3-1 Svitolina* (* denotes server)
Svitolina gets triple game point this time, hitting composed shots and outlasting Williams on a long second point. An ace takes it to 40-0.
Williams offers up a tantalizing drop shot that doesn’t drop enough. Svitolina has the court at her mercy as she runs to the net. She hits wide. 40-15.
The next serve goes into the net.
But Williams takes the pressure off with her own unforced error, blasting a backhand long. Finally.
Updated
First set: *Williams 3-0 Svitolina (* denotes server)
Serena holds at love, and Svitolina wasn’t in a single point. Those missed chances are surely haunting her.
First set: Williams 2-0 Svitolina* (* denotes server)
Shakespeare has written plays shorter than this description of an epic second game.
Svitolina races through the first three points. Williams wins the next, and Svitolina double-faults to make it 40-30. A strong Williams return brings it to deuce, then another strong return leaves Svitolina staring as the ball whips past her for a Williams break point.
Back to deuce. Svitolina misses her first serve and angrily swats the ball into the net. Williams wins the long rally off the second serve with an impossible angle. Another break point.
But Williams’ next return finds the net. Svitolina comes within an inch of an ace on the next serve, barely copes with Williams’ next return, chases all over the court as Williams comes to the net, then whacks the ball off Williams’ racket and out. If she meant to do that, that was awesome. Advantage Svitolina.
The Ukrainian just can’t close out a game. Her first serve goes miles wide. Williams blasts the second one for a winner. Deuce.
Serve, return, winner for Svitolina, and again she has game point. And this time she double-faults.
Williams returns long. Advantage Svitolina. Williams rips one deep into the corner. Deuce.
Finally, Williams hits a fierce backhand winner, then another. Break.
Svitolina had three chances to win the first game and four chances to win this one. She’s down 0-2.
From the inbox, a while ago, Elisabeth Stewart takes issue with the pre-match comments: “Wow. Your little Serena-bashing silliness is kinda uncalled for. But oooo, the blonde Svitolina-- nothing but drooling!”
Just checked back and didn’t notice any saliva, but thanks for the concern.
Updated
First set: *Williams 1-0 Svitolina (* denotes server)
First serve good, second serve not so good. Williams hits long a couple of times to give Svitolina an early edge. After interrupting that run, Williams has to stretch to reach a well-placed return, and Svitolina easily slams it past her to go up 15-40 and take two break points. Williams holds both of those and then another, then runs Svitolina around the court to take the advantage.
Another good serve sets up Williams to hold serve, but she dumps a shot into the net. Deuce again.
Finally, Williams powers her way through two points, the latter with an opportunistic race to the net that prompts Svitolina to hit wide.
That took 12 points. This match will likely be longer than Williams’ quarterfinal.
And now ESPN’s Pam Shriver is chatting with the coach whose signals started the Williams v umpire showdown, Patrick Mouratoglou. He keeps chatting while Williams misses her first serve and then hits long in a brief rally.
In case you forgot, last year’s U.S. Open final was a nightmare for Williams, who got in a battle of escalating hostilities with the chair umpire in the final before losing to Naomi Osaka.
Possibly a bit of a chip on her shoulder this time around.
Svitolina is currently ranked 909th in doubles.
Please start this match at some point.
Serena refers to the Open as her “hometown Grand Slam,” though it’s pretty far from California (where she grew up) and Florida (where she lives now). Her voice sounds a little scratchy. She’s wearing warmup gear that looks a bit like a wetsuit.
A surprising number of empty seats around the lower level.
Meanwhile, Azarenka and Barty have closed out the women’s doubles semifinal 6-0, 6-1. Somehow, that took nearly an hour.
Fun fact from ESPN: Svitolina would be the ninth player to beat both Williams sisters in the same tournament.
Yes, it’s 7 p.m. Eastern time. But we have to get through ads, pre-match festivities, another 45 minutes on an NFL player who isn’t playing, etc.
Meanwhile, in women’s doubles, Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty lead Viktoria Kuzmova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 3-1. Azarenka and Sasnovich are both from Belarus.
The winners of the women’s doubles draw take home $740,000.
Serena’s late-round Grand Slam career is old enough to vote in the United States:
If Serena Williams advances to the @usopen final, she would own the largest gap between first Grand Slam final appearance and most recent final appearance at 19 yrs, 362 days.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 5, 2019
Svitolina retweeted this tweet, so she must enjoy her public meditation:
the level of zen that our former champ @ElinaSvitolina called upon to serve out the win and reach the #usopen semi-finals: pic.twitter.com/mYDRIt8TuP
— Rogers Cup (@rogerscup) September 3, 2019
Who is Elina Svitolina?
A few basic facts:
- She’s ranked fifth in the world
- This is her second straight Slam semi-final after her breakthrough at Wimbledon this summer, where she lost to Simona Halep, who went on to win the final against ... Serena Williams.
- She’ll be 25 years old next week.
- She’s dating Gael Monfils, a perennial crowd favorite who reached the quarterfinals in the men’s draw here at the U.S. Open this year.
- She lost her first four matches against Serena but won their most recent meeting at the 2016 Olympics.
Good evening all.
Will we see another Serena Williams rout? Another Serena Williams meltdown?
On the other side of the court, for all the talk of the bracket clearing out for Serena, Elina Svitolina is as formidable an opponent as you could find in women’s tennis.
So the chances of a memorable match here are quite high. Join us to talk about it.
Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Tumaini Carayol on tonight’s match up:
By the end of Serena Williams’ 44-minute 6-1, 6-0 obliteration of China’s Wang Qiang on Tuesday night she seemed unplayable. Wang was competing in her first career grand slam quarter-final but the truth is she was merely a spectator. She hit zero winners and won only four points in the second set. “After playing her, now I can see why she deserves everything she’s achieved,” she said in Chinese afterwards. However, Williams is focused only on achieving more. As she waved to the crowd in celebration, the camera just caught her face as she whispered four ominous words under her breath: “I’m coming for it.”
You can read the full article here:
