Grand Slam Tennis - Safina, Williams To Dispute Ladies\\\’ Crown
Tournament favorite and second ranked Serena Williams earned a ticket to play in the Australian Open tennis finals when she defeated fourth ranked Russian Elena Dementieva in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the first semi-final match this morning. The win snapped Dementieva’s unbeaten streak and also avenged Williams’ loss to Dementieva in the semi-finals of the Beijing Olympics and Medibank International.
If Roger Federer is going for history by winning his 14th Grand Slam singles titles, Williams is going for her 10th and a piece of tennis history as she joins an elite club of women tennis players who have won 10 or more Grand Slam singles titles. And it surely is a club that she is bent on being a member.
When I looked at the draw a week ago, I really felt that Serena Williams was the player I expected to win. Maria Sharapova’s withdrawal gave her a clearer path to win the crown. Perhaps the only person who can beat her is her big sister Venus, but because of her erratic performances in past stagings of the Australian Open, I had my doubts if she could have made it until the quarterfinals even. Her early exit in this season’s staging has proved me right. Jelena Jankovic may have been seeded ahead of her but Jankovic does not yet possess the game that can beat Serena or even Venus in a highly charged, tennis match final. Dementieva may have beaten her previously but it was more of Williams not helping herself by committing more mistakes than by Dementieva producing more winners.
Williams should thank her lucky stars that on the day she played her semi-final match against Svetlana Kuznetsova, it was obvious that she was affected by the extremely hot weather conditions. I think she purposely lost the first set of that match so that the organizers can close the roof. It did provide a 15 minute respite from the heat and a chance to regain their bearings as both players returned to their quarters. However, it became apparent that between the two, Kuznetsova was very much against the roof closure. She knew that she coped better under the conditions and closing the roof could give her rival a chance to come back in to the match, which is what happened eventually. Hence, Williams survived another day.
In Dinara Safina, who subdued Vera Zvonareva in the other semi-final with a 6-3, 7-6 , whoever wins shall be a worthy tennis queen.
About the author
Peri Witny is an author of Sports articles.
Tags: australian open, australian open tennis, beijing olympics, early exit, elena dementieva, elite club, erratic performances, final match, hot weather, jelena jankovic, maria sharapova, medibank international, roger federer, sister venus, straight sets, svetlana kuznetsova, tennis history, weather conditions, women tennis players