Serena eases past Sharapova for 25th Grand Slam final

Serena eases past Sharapova for 25th Grand Slam final

Thursday, July 9, 2015 6:49 pm


Serena Williams did not need to shake off any lethargy about this Wimbledon semi-final against Maria Sharapova. She didn’t need to come from behind to snatch victory. Rather, from the start of the match, she established dominance all the way, beating her long time opponent in straight sets to reach her milestone 25th Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

Williams had beaten Sharapova 16 times in a row going in and with her legendary brand of power and accuracy extended that to 17 in a row, rushing out to a 6-2, 5-3 lead and, after Sharapova fought off a match point to hold serve for 6-2, 5-4, Williams calmly stepped up to the line and served it out.

Serena sees off Sharapova again

Serena sees off Sharapova again

The No.1-seeded Williams finished the No.4-seeded Sharapova off with a flurry of aces, 6-2, 6-4.

Williams finished the match with almost twice as many winners to unforced errors, 29 to 15.

“I’m really excited,” the World No.1 told the BBC right after the match. “I was a little nervous out there. The semifinals of Wimbledon – it’s been a long time since I’ve been this far in this tournament!

“I think Maria played really well. She stepped up her game, and I was able to step mine up as well. And it’s the semifinals of Wimbledon – you never want to lose, and you want to do the best you can.”

She’s now into the 25th Grand Slam final of her illustrious career, putting together a 20-4 record in the first 24, winning six Australian Opens, three French Opens, five Wimbledons and six US Opens.

The four losses? Venus Williams twice (US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2008), Sharapova once (Wimbledon in 2004) and Sam Stosur once (US Open in 2011). She’s won her last seven major finals.

This one could be a little different, though. Awaiting her in this final is the No.20-seededGarbiñe Muguruza, who beat No.13-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in the other semifinal.

The Spanish WTA Rising Star has a win over Williams, too, a very famous one in fact – she beat her in the second round of the 2014 French Open, 6-2, 6-2, the worst Grand Slam loss of her entire career.

Williams leads Muguruza in the head-to-head, 2-1, including a win since that French Open stunner.

“She’s beaten me before, and she’s improved too,” Williams said. “It’s not going to be an easy match.”

“It’s the best final you can play,” Muguruza said. “Serena in the Wimbledon final is the hardest match you can have. If you want to win a Grand Slam, when you dream, you say, ‘I want Serena in the final.’

“She’s one of the best players in all these years. So it’s obviously the best challenge to have.”

Adapted from wtatour. Com


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