By Chris Oddo | Thursday, June 4, 2015
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<img alt="Serena Williams, Roland Garros 2015" src="http://www.tennisnow.com/images/2015/June-2015/yess.aspx" style="margin: 0px 15px 15px; width: 610px; height: 429px;" /></div>
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Serena Williams overcame illness and a spirited effort from Timea Bacsinszky to reach her 24th Grand Slam final.<br />
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Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty</p>
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<span style="margin-top:15px;font-size: small;">The most dominant force in women’s tennis has taken the most circuitous route to the French Open final. <a href="http://www.tennisexpress.com/category.cfm/tennis/Serena-Williams-tennis-pro" target="_blank"><strong>Serena Williams </strong></a>engineered her fourth come-from-behind victory in six French Open matches on Thursday in Roland Garros, edging past an inspired effort from Switzerland’s <strong>Timea Bacsinszky</strong>, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.<br />
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Williams' victory improves her lifetime record in Grand Slam semifinals to 24-3 and sets up a final clash with Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The American also won for the 33rd time at a major after dropping the first set, which is most all-time.<br />
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<span style="margin-top:15px;font-size: small;">Williams has won all eight of her lifetime contests with Safarova.</span><br />
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“I can’t believe I won,” was just about all Williams had the energy to say after her fourth comeback win in six matches. After prodding from <em>ESPN</em>’s <strong>Darren Cahill</strong>, she did offer up a few more kernels. “I got the flu after my third-round match, and I’ve been just really struggling ever since then and I haven’t been getting better. Hopefully this is the worst. ”<br />
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But a wobbling Williams tapped the reserves of her champion’s heart despite her illness to turn around a match that looked to be going in Bacsinszky’s favor. </span><br />
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Encore une fois malmenée, Serena Williams a trouvé les ressources pour s'imposer <a href="http://t.co/U7SSSvM4Un">http://t.co/U7SSSvM4Un</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RG15?src=hash">#RG15</a> <a href="http://t.co/dOiSpOnPD7">pic.twitter.com/dOiSpOnPD7</a></p>
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/606536517180395520">June 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<span style="margin-top:15px;font-size: small;">The Swiss has garnered much attention at Roland Garros this year for her back story. After foot surgeries and a distaste for the game <a href="http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/4768100/title/timea-finds-life-lessons-in-kitchen" target="_"blank"">forced her out of tennis and into a career in hotel management</a>, the 25-year-old got the itch in 2013 and returned to tennis with a new lease on life. Since then she has undergone a renaissance, reeling off 15 victories in succession in a head-turning run earlier this season and reaching her first career Grand Slam semifinal this week in Paris.<br />
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For a while it looked like Bacsinszky’s fairy tale might continue against Williams. On the strength of a penetrating backhand and plenty of off-kilter drop shots, she took the opener and matched strokes with Williams in the early part of set two.<br />
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In an epic fifth game of the second set she cracked three return winners off Williams’ second serve and finally converted her sixth break point to take a 3-2 lead.<br />
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But that turning point for Bacsinszky turned out to be Williams’ wake-up call. Though listless between points and clearly struggling during changeovers, Williams began to juice up her shots and take the play to Bacsinszky. She broke to level at three-all then broke again, crushing a backhand swinging volley, for 5-3.<br />
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Williams continued to push in the third, claiming her 11th consecutive 3rd-set win on the strength of ten winners and some stellar shotmaking. She finished by breaking in five of her final seven opportunities, and when the door was finally slammed shut Williams crouched over in relief at the back of the court, too tired to celebrate. </span><br />
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Not your typical "I just made a Grand Slam final" celebration, but when you've done it 24 times... <a href="http://t.co/eSNye0pv9F">pic.twitter.com/eSNye0pv9F</a></p>
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tennis_Now/status/606511471569346561">June 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<span style="margin-top:15px;font-size: small;">The 19-time major champion has earned her 24th trip to a Grand Slam final and will bid to become the first player to claim the first two majors of a calendar year since 2001 (Capriati).<br />
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“Next thing I know I was a set all and I felt like ‘I really don’t feel like playing the third set,' I was so tired," Williams said. “I just fought for every point and here I am, I don’t know how it happened.” </span><br />
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