US Open: Pressure enormous for Serena Williams, says coach Patrick Mouratoglou

All Williams needed was two more wins to pull off that rare feat.

While Serena Williams won’t be playing to put her name in the record books, a different kind of history will still be made in Saturday’s U.S. Open final. I’m in the final.

“It’s wonderful. It’s not something I ever thought to come so far here today”.

Barthel has never advanced past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament.

The final stroke, a deft drop shot, brought tears to Vinci’s eyes.

“I just enjoy this hustle, this running down every ball”, Azarenka said.

Flavia Pennetta won the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title at age 33, and then announced during the trophy ceremony she has chose to retire. Same thing happened for Pennetta too in her win over Halep as Halep never got in a comfort zone all match. “You’ve got to respect her decision”. This has brought her new praises from the worldwide press, pundits, and other tennis players.

“Actually, I guess it’s inspiring”.

“Of course, I’m really happy”.

Halep showed glimpses of some fight at the start of the second, moving 3-1 clear after taking an early break, but errors crept into the world number two’s game again and she crumbled thereafter.

Simona Halep had a spectacular ascent past year when she won several important tournaments and reached the final of the French Open at Roland Garros.

Seeded 26th in Flushing Meadows this year, Pennetta is the lowest seed, since her potential opponent in the final Williams (in 2011), to advance into the championship match of the women’s singles tournament.

“I didn’t expect this when I came but I knew that I have a chance“.

It is also the primary time within the Open period, which began in 1968, that two Italian ladies have reached the semifinals in the identical Grand Slam event.

“This is an incredible moment for me“, Vinci said after needing time to compose herself for the on-court interview.

“I don’t want to talk about how disappointing it is for me“, Williams said after having her 33-match grand slam winning streak spectacularly snapped.

Williams vs. Vinci was supposed to start Thursday night at 7 p.m., followed by the other women’s semifinal.

After failing to serve it out, she broke Lepchenko in the final game to take the match.

Azarenka was seeded just 20th after two injury-plagued seasons and hadn’t been to a Grand Slam semifinal since the 2013 U.S. Open.

Pennetta ripped 23 winners in 59 minutes – including a massive forehand victor on match point.

The victor of the match between Azarenka and Halep will next meet 26th-ranked Italian Flavia Pennetta in the semi-finals. It can not be worse than losing in the first round in a grand slam.