Serena Williams enjoyed her best start at this year's US Open but it was a familiar foe, Victoria Azarenka, who finished the stronger to halt her friend and fellow mom's quest for a record 24th grand slam title.
Blown away in the first set by Williams' serves and powerful, accurate drives, Azarenka rallied for a 1-6 6-3 6-3 victory as the women's semifinals in New York hit lofty heights.
Saturday's final will thus be a rematch of the warmup Western & Southern Open, also played on the site of the US Open as part of the tournament bubble, rather than the 2018 US Open final, when Osaka overcame Williams in a controversial finale for a maiden major. Such was her determination to land No. 24, before the tournament Williams built a tennis court at her home in Florida with the same surface as the US Open.
Williams was now on the defensive and needed to hold firm in her own first service game of the third. A 40-0 lead faded to 40-30. She then tweaked the Achilles while surrendering the next point and called for the trainer."It just overstretched," she said."It was pretty intense." Later she added that it had nothing to do with the final result.Azarenka has tested Williams in previous tussles but this marked her first win in 11 tries in grand slams.
"Mentally I'm in such a different place," the 31-year-old told reporters."I think seven years ago, after I won the Australian Open and stuff, and playing kind of consistently with good results, it was kind of expected for me to be in the final. I don't think that was the case this year.The straight-talking Azarenka said that getting her ego bruised was precisely what she needed to grow.
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