TENNIS:ONE STATISTIC shone like a beacon in illuminating Serena Williams' 6-3, 7-6 victory over Victoria Azarenka in the women's singles semi-final on Centre Court: 24 aces, breaking her record for the tournament set the previous Saturday. Her serve, in terms of power, placement and variety, represents an unlimited redeemable coupon for cheap points. No one past or present comes close.
Williams’ fastest delivery was clocked at 120 miles per hour but it is the precision complementing the speed that makes her ridiculously difficult to return against. Even on second serve, she gets so much kick the world number two was often required to try reach above her shoulders to get a racquet on the ball.
The American was imperious for a set and a half, inducing pressure levels that forced her opponent’s shrieking howl to rise by an octave or two. The crowd took to mimicking her screeching.
In her first three service games, Williams didn’t concede a point and while her ground-strokes vacillated between rifling winners and spraying the ball wildly, it was only a matter of time before she recalibrated and got the balance right.
In this respect two other aspects of the numbers game are worth noting: Williams struck 45 winners, her opponent 14, during the match.
Given that discrepancy, the comparison in unforced errors of 14 for the 13-time Grand Slam champion compared to nine for Azarenka was instructive.
The Belarusian had to scramble to scavenge points. Azarenka deserves huge credit for making this match a contest. At a set and a break down at 3-1, the Belarusian fought off a mini-crisis in her next service game to avoid going a double break down and then did what was unthinkable up to this point in the match by breaking the Williams serve.
There’s no doubt the American lost a little rhythm and composure as the prospect of a seventh Wimbledon final hove into view. That tightness was reflected in snatching clumsily at two break points on the Azarenka serve; the latter escaped and subsequently managed to force a tie-break.
Williams played some sloppy tennis periodically, a drop shot ill advised and a lob badly miscued.
At 6-6, Azarenka faltered, netting a forehand and her opponent signed off with her 24th ace, her 85th of the tournament. Azarenka’s tally of 14 is the next best.
The Belarusian had claimed her first Grand Slam when winning the Australian Open during a run which saw her amass a singles record of 26-0 at the start of the season and rise to world number one, a mantle she only lost last month to French Open champion Maria Sharapova. She was the victim of a merciless bludgeoning.
Williams admitted: “I’ve been working so hard, I really wanted it. She was playing well and I got a little tight in the second set. I was looking too far in the future. I was so close, but I can’t do that. I was happy to get through that second set tie-break.”
Earlier in the afternoon, the number three seed Agnieszka Radwanska, enjoyed a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber. The Pole trailed 3-1 in the first set before rattling off five games in succession and required just a single break to claim the second set and the match.
Kerber, is noted for her athleticism but she didn’t move as smartly yesterday; the physical toll of previous matches compromising her movement. Radwanska doesn’t make many errors and while she lacks the outright power of several of her peers, she compensates with excellent hands, a fine appreciation of angles and intelligent game management.
After a shaky start she managed the obvious nerves associated with playing in her first semi-final at the All England club. She explained: “In the beginning I was a bit nervous; I think we both were. After a couple of games I was really feeling good. I had a tough quarter-final and it’s always tough to rest for just one day and come back and try to play the best tennis. But I think I really did a great job today.”
Her assignment for tomorrow’s final will take her to a different stratosphere if she is to add to the junior Wimbledon title she won in 2005. Williams was polite when asked about facing Radwanska: “She’s doing unbelievably. She’s playing so great. Wow, she’s going to get every ball back.”
If only.
The reality is likely to be less rose-tinted for the neutral. The American simply has too much game. St Jude might baulk at taking on Radwanska’s case. Williams will have to implode spectacularly and on the basis of her last two performances, that is difficult to countenance.
Ten years on from her first Wimbledon triumph she stands on the cusp of winning a fifth.
Yesterday’s results
Women’s Singles Semi-finals – (6) Serena Williams (US) beat (2) Victoria Azarenka (Bel) 6-3 7-6(6); (3) Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) beat (8) Angelique Kerber (Ger) 6-3 6-4.
Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals – Serena Williams/Venus Williams (US) beat (10) Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears (US) 6-1 6-1; Flavia Pennetta/Francesca Schiavone (Ita) beat (9) Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spn) 6-2 6-7(0) 6-4; (6) Andrea Hlavackova/ Lucie Hradecka (Cze) beat (2) Sara Errani/ Roberta Vinci (Italy) 6-3 6-4.
Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals – (2) Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (US) beat Scott Lipsky/ Rajeev Ram (US) 5-7 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-4; (10) Juergen Melzer/Philipp Petzschner (Aut/Ger) beat (15) Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo (Cro/Bra) 7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3; (5) Robert Lindstedt/Horia Tecau (Swe/Rom) beat Daniele Bracciali/Julian Knowle (Ita/Aut) 6-4 6-2 6-4.
Today’s Order of Play
Centre Court (from 1pm)
(1) Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v (3) Roger Federer (Switzerland);
(4) Andy Murray (Britain) v (5) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)
On TV: BBC 2 (from 12.30pm),
TG4 (from 1pm)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)