By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 4, 2018
NEW YORK—Rhythmically swinging her right arm, Serena Williams' eyes were riveted on Karolina Pliskova during the coin toss.
Sizing up the last woman to beat her at the US Open, Williams dispensed powerful payback in tonight's rematch.
Watch: Sevastova Slams Stephens
In a clash of the sport's top two servers, Williams erupted with an eight-game tear disarming Pliskova, 6-4, 6-3, charging into her eighth straight US Open semifinal.
It is Williams' 12th trip to the final four in 18 Flushing Meadows appearances, the first Top 10 triumph since she returned from maternity leave and sends the last Top 10-seeded woman out of the Open.
On a day in which two Americans—defending champion Sloane Stephens and John Isner—tumbled from the tournament, the 36-year-old Serena showed staying power nearly tripling the 2016 finalist in winners (35 to 12).
"I'm here to do my best," Williams said. "I don't have 10 more years, at least I don't think so. I said that 10 years ago. I don't think I have another 10 years of having opportunities to be able to play and win championships. Every match really means a lot to me. I kind of go out there and I just do the best that I can"
Solidifying her status as the favorite to capture an Open Era record seventh US Open crown, Williams will face first-time major semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova for a spot in Saturday's final.
Pliskova said Williams' performance tonight makes her a front-runner to take the title again.
"Well, for sure, because she won it before," Pliskova said. "I felt like she was playing pretty good actually the beginning, but maybe she was a little bit nervous. I don't know. Just not play the best in the beginning. I know she can be off, she can do mistakes. She can also quickly be back in the match with couple games or couple shots. She can hit unbelievable shots. She can hit three aces in a game easily.
"Also on the return I felt pretty pressure from her. She was just going into it guessing my serves right. She was covering my best serves I felt like very good. I feel like she has a big chance because the players which stayed, I feel like she can beat all them."
The 19th-seeded Sevastova dethroned defending champion Stephens, 6-2, 6-3, to make history as the first Latvian woman to reach the US Open semifinals.
It's been said perhaps the only experience worse than losing to Williams in a Grand Slam is beating her—because retribution is coming in the rematch.
Nineteen years after capturing her first US Open at age 17, Williams' desire is as fierce as her first serve, which rocked the radar gun at 118 mph tonight.
Coming face-to-face with the lone Czech to beat her in a major, Williams got off to a skittish start.
The eighth-seeded Pliskova broke first, raced out to a 3-1 lead and had two break points to extend to 4-1.
That's when peer pressure propelled the 23-time Grand Slam champion to a higher gear.
The world No. 26 began to relax and swing freely firing a 109 mph missile to save the second break point and eventually hold for 2-3.
"The crowd was really rooting for me and I felt so bad because everyone out here was cheering and I wasn't winning," Williams told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi afterward. "So I felt I gotta try harder. I gotta do better."
The serve is the signature shot for both women, but the 5'9" American's wrecking ball serve was much more effective tonight. Williams whipped 13 aces compared to three for Pliskova.
In a match of first-strike tennis, Williams turned the tide pounding Pliskova in forehand exchanges. The 17th-seeded American hit 13 forehand winners compared to one for the lanky Czech.
From 2-4 down, Williams rampaged through eight consecutive games transforming the deficit into dominance.
When Pliskova stuck a backhand into the net, Williams snatched the 49-minute opener claiming five of the final six games in the set.
A supreme front-runner, the six-time champion boasted an 87-2 record when winning the opening set at the US Open.
Reading her opponent's second serve, Williams ripped off a love break for 2-0. An emphatic eight-game run powered her to a set and 4-0 advantage.
At that point, the finish line seemed a formality.
Pliskova had other ideas. She broke in the fifth game then sealed a love hold with an ace for 2-4.
A seven-point surge put Pliskova in position to break back in the seventh game.
Williams was having none of it. She fought of all four break points, including scalding aces out wide to save the third and fourth break points. The six-time champion denied 10 of 12 break points in all.
Unloading another big serve down the middle put Williams within one game of her 12th US Open semifinal.
Thumping two aces and a smash brought Williams to triple match point.
Sealing her 100th career match on Arthur Ashe Stadium in style, Williams slashed an ace out wide closing a clinical win in one hour, 26 minutes.
The oldest woman in the field now stands two wins from equaling Margaret Court's all-time of 24 Grand Slam titles.
A year after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, Serena is crafting rebirth on the game's biggest Grand Slam stage.
"I'd been a couple steps away at the last Grand Slam, so I'm definitely not ahead of myself," Williams said. "I still know that no matter whether I'm in the semifinals or the finals, I have a really long way to go to win that."