“I really played the ideal point there, and she managed to stay alive”, Williams said.
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“I never expected to play that many matches, of course, this year”, he said.
The commercial – aired during the U.S. Open – traces her hits and misses with words like “struggling” and “done” changing into “comeback” and “legend”. There’s not much you can do about this.
“I couldn’t bend it too much the last three days”, he said.
So even when Venus broke for a 3-1 lead in the second set, Pliskova didn’t budge.
Serena Williams had a record-setting win on route to the US Open quarterfinals, but sister Venus Williams fell to Karolina Pliskova in a third-set tiebreak.
If only the groans hadn’t just died down from big sister Venus’ loss in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker, eliminating any chance of an all-Williams semifinal, Labor Day would have been exactly as drawn up.
Williams, holding another service break in hand in the second set, soon served for the match just after the one hour mark. Eighteen years later, she has become the owner of 22 major titles and is eyeing her 23rd at Flushing Meadows this week, which will also be a record. That was a mistake.
Tuesday´s other quarter-final sees Caroline Wozniacki, derailed this year by an ankle injury that sent her career into a tailspin, taking on Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, back and on the best Grand Slam run of her career after quitting the sport three years ago. “I felt little bit pressure on myself”.
“I just said to myself stay in the game don’t rush”, Konjuh said. “This is where it all started, so it’s always so magical out here for me – 308 sounds pretty good”.
She will need to complete a Williams double to reach her first grand slam final.
If both Kerber and Serena make the championship match, the American will have to win to extend her reign.
“I just think with everyone I play, they play a step up and above their ranking”, Serena said. That’s what you have to do.
Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was shocked by 18-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh 6-4, 6-4.
Instead, Serena would settle for steady progress, another career milestone and a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Yaroslava Shvedova.
Williams is still yet to drop serve in this tournament and has lost just 20 games in four matches played. Incredibly, Serena has faced one break point in her four matches.
Fifth seed Simona Halep has also reached the quarterfinals by beating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 7-5.
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Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine.
