By Chris Oddo | Friday September 11, 2015
Roberta Vinci shocked Serena Williams on Friday in New York, ending the American's Grand Slam quest in one of the most improbable upsets of all-time.
Photo Source: Alex Goodlett/Getty
Serena Williams walked the tightrope one too many times during her quest to become the first tennis player to win the coveted calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years. On Friday in New York, it cost her dearly.
Video: Vinci Gives Incredibly Touching Post-Match Interview after Upset of Williams
Up against an upstart opponent who could do no wrong, Williams could not do enough right in falling, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, to Roberta Vinci in a match that will certainly go down as one of the most shocking upsets in tennis history.
“Sorry guys, sorry,” Vinci told the stunned New York crowd on Friday after she had won. “But for me it’s an amazing moment… I think it’s the best moment of my life.”
Asked on court by ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi what gave her the belief that this was possible, Vinci simply replied, “No.” After laughter she added: “It’s true. When I wake up I say ‘Okay I am in semifinal today. Try to enjoy. Don’t think about Serena. Play. Enjoy. But I didn’t expect that I would win.’”
Williams, who had captivated the tennis world by winning 33 consecutive Grand Slam matches and coming within two matches of a feat that most consider the most difficult to achieve in all of tennis, had only praise for Vinci after the match. Though she was visibly shattered, and cut her press conference short before leaving the grounds, she was quick to praise the Italian’s spirit, calling it inspiring.
“I think she played literally out of her mind,” said Williams after the match. “I don’t think I played that bad… she did not want to lose today, and neither did I.”
Vinci had become Williams' improbable semifinal opponent by taking advantage of a favorable draw in her 44th Grand Slam appearance. The Italian did not need to defeat a seeded player en route to the final four and only needed to win four matches as her opponent for the fourth-round (Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard) pulled out with a concussion.
Vinci had never been in a major semifinal before, nor had she ever taken a set from Williams in their four previous encounters, but the Taranto, Italy native was buoyed by the underdog spirit from the start of this match even if that spirit didn’t start to pay dividends until the second set.
After Williams took the opener decidedly, things started to turn when the American let her foot off the gas pedal.
Vinci quickly went up 2-0 in set two and instead of wilting when Williams responded she started to grow her confidence. A few games later the 32-year-old successfully resisted a Williams push to hold for 5-3, and after Williams closed to 4-5 with a hold, Vinci saved a break point and closed the second set with two pitch-perfect points to level.
The disparate body language—Williams annihilated a racquet and got a code violation as Vinci exuberantly strode to her chair after pumping her fist on court when the set was finished—was telling, even if we didn’t quite recognize the magnitude of the initial tremors as they took place on court.
Williams has found herself in trouble during her recent run of play, and time and time again she’s found a way to steel her nerves and rise to the occasion, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Collectively, the tennis world seemed to expect the same on this day. But the pressure mounted nonetheless.
Suddenly what was supposed to be a rout was a nail biting thriller. Williams, forced into her 12th deciding set in her 27th Grand Slam match of the season, wore the pressure like a badge of honor. But its weight at this stage of her run seemed to drag her down. At the same time Vinci’s game took on a weightless character. She was reminiscent of her compatriot Francesca Schiavone, who in 2010 improbably shocked the tennis world with a run to the French Open title.
It should be mentioned at this point that Vinci played remarkable tennis in this match. Her forehand routinely put Williams on the defensive and her backhand slice forced Williams into long rallies from deep in the court. With nerves clearly frazzled, it proved to be a task that Williams wasn’t up for.
The 33-year-old American, who had begun the final set on point, holding and smashing a swing volley winner to break for a 2-0 lead, suddenly skidded to a halt in the next game, tossing in an ill-timed double-fault to give the break back.
Vinci, sensing the spike of Williams’ nerves and experiencing the unbearable lightness of her own being, took the opportunity to mount her charge. She held. Serena held. Vinci held again, for 3-all.
Then, improbably, the Italian rallied from 40-15 down to break, saving a game point on one of the most magical points she’s ever played. When finished, Vinci thrust her arms above her head and gestured to the crowd as if to say “How about that?”
At the time it seemed like a tragically misguided move to make, and one that Williams would surely respond to with a barrage of winners to claim the match and her rightful place in the final. But this was Vinci’s day.
She broke for 4-3 two points later, and never looked back.
Williams had two break points in the next game but back-to-back errors suddenly brought the pair back to deuce. Vinci then had a game point and double-faulted. Two more Williams errors (she hit 19 in the third set, and 40 on the day) gave Vinci the game as the pressure reached fever pitch.
Williams would hold for 5-4 but by now Vinci was in full flight. She held to love, playing two exquisitie points, and closed the shocker with a dainty forehand drop that feathered inside the sideline as the emotions came loose.
Unbridled, Vinci told the American crowd, “Sorry guys, it’s my day.”
That it was.
Saturday’s final will featured two Italians for the first time in Open Era history. Flavia Pennetta took down second-seeded Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-3, in the opener.
Notes, Quotes, Numbers
Vinci reached her first career semifinal in her 44th appearance at majors. Only one player, Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, took longer (reached Roland Garros semis in 46th major).
In the Open Era, a thirtysomething woman has won a major title 21 times. Serena Williams leads all players with eight since turning 30. Nobody else has more than three. Pennetta (33) or Vinci (32) will become the 22nd.
Williams-Vinci was the oldest US Open final in terms of combined age, in Open Era history.
With the loss, Serena Williams drops to 25-4 in Grand Slam semifinals. In terms of Grand Slam final appearances, Williams is still shy of Evert (34), Navratilova (32), Graf (31) and Court (29).
Williams: “I never felt pressure. I’ve never felt that pressure to win here, I said that from the beginning.”