Serena Williams. (PHOTO: AP)
Serena Williams was defeated by an unseeded opponent in the U.S. Open semifinals, ending her bid for the first Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century. After her first 26 matches at major tournaments in 2015, she was unbeaten and nearing the first Grand Slam in since 1988.
In one of the biggest upsets in the history of tennis, Williams lost in 3 sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Friday at Flushing Meadows to 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy.
“I don’t want to talk about how disappointed I am,” Williams said.
Vinci, who had never before played in a Grand Slam semifinal, completely kept the 33-year old Williams off-balance with slices and net rushes, preventing her from joining the ranks of Steffi Graf, who in 1988 won all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single season. For Williams, this was her 12th three-setter in a major this season after winning titles at the Australian Open on hard courts in January, the French Open on clay courts in June, and Wimbledon on grass courts in July.
The No. 1-ranked Williams had 40 unforced errors, which was twice as many as Vinci and it reversed her 16 aces, including one at 126 mph.
“I thought she played the best tennis in her career,” Williams said about Vinci. “She played, literally, out of her mind.”
Vinci, not Williams, will now be participating in Saturday’s final and will face another Italian. Her opponent, the 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, is making her Grand Slam final debut after eliminating No. 2 Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 earlier Friday.
Pennetta, 33, and Vinci, 32, have known each other since they were kids, having grown up in towns about 40 miles (65 kilometers) apart on opposite coasts of Puglia, a region in the southeastern heel of Italy’s boot-shaped peninsula. Now, they will face each other halfway around the world in a New York stadium in New York for a Grand Slam trophy.
