Serena Williams out played Peer but still out of French Open
Top seed Serena Williams imposed her will over No. 18-seed Shahar Peer with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the fourth round of the women’s draw at the French Open on Monday.
The American shrugged off a slow start due to dizziness from cold on a cloudy, windy and chilly afternoon at Court Philippe Chatrier.
The top-ranked Williams advanced smoothly into the quarterfinals after that sluggish start and will face seventh seed Australian Samantha Stosur.
Stosur defeated Belgian Justine Henin in their third round match. The American yielded the first seven points to the Israeli and scored nine points in a row to recover in the match.
The 28-year Williams struggled to hold her serve and broken twice by Stosur. She made an impressive six break points of her own.
Williams won five straight break points before Peer succumb her serve in games six and eight. Early on in the second set, both players saved break points before Williams end it in game four.
Peer made a superb backhand shot to hold serve. However, she was unable to hold serve in the next game with Williams brilliant on-court savvy. Williams broke her serve to seal the match in 67 minutes of play.
The top-seeded American breezed through the third round with her win over Swiss Stefanie Voegele 7-6(7/2), 6-2 in the first round.
In the second round, she demolished German Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-1. Russian 29th-seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova stretched Williams to a three-set match in the third round but bowed out with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 beating.
The younger Williams bombarded Peer with six aces in the match hitting as fast as 202 KMH. Serena registered 64 total points won over the Israeli’s 41.
She also had 24 winners against the 10 of Peer. The World No.1 is very consistent in winning her first service with an average 75% won over her opponent. She is fantastic in her baseline form hitting all the big shots the right-handed Peer can not handle.
“I get so nervous,” she told the interviewer before the match. There was no slight hint of her wobbly state that she will encounter in the early stage of the match.
Later, former French player Cedric Pioline interviewed her. “I love Paris,” she informed the tennis spectators in French. “My game is better. I hope I’m going to win.” Made true to her promise, Serena hit aces, broke six times Peer’s service. I hope I am going to win.”
Her sister Venus watched from the grandstand after losing to Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-3 in their match. The older Williams came to support her younger sister without her fashionable corset. Peer still trails the Williams sisters 0-10 in their head-to-head match ups.
Serena is trying to win her 13th Grand Slam championship. It will be her second title in the women’s circuit this year if she will be able to hurdle the hard-hitting seventh seed Stosur. The American No. 1 has a lone French Open title she won in 2002.
Stosur’s win mess up the prospect of a face-off between longtime opponents Williams and Henin. “You can never underestimate anyone, and Sam is actually a wonderful clay-court player,” Williams said.
“She’s someone you can’t overlook.” The right-handed Stosur is a French Open semifinalist in 2009. She has already played in nine French Open matches in her career. Williams has displayed her all-around court brilliance in all her matches in Roland Garros’ clay court.
Williams could not repeat her second French Open title and her 12th overall. The American has been unyielding in big time situation, winning the Australian Open in a three-set thriller over Henin but Samantha Stosur put an end to Serena Williams hopes. Lets see if Samantha can go all the way.
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