Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova in Wimbledon semis
Of the four players left in the Wimbledon ladies’ singles draw, Serena Williams is the only one who, before the tournament started, was expected to feature at the business end of proceedings.
Her semi-final opponent, the unseeded Petra Kvitova, certainly wasn’t expected but has nonetheless earned her place in the penultimate round, thanks to defeats of 23rd seed Jie Zheng in the second round, 14th seed Victoria Azarenka in the third round and third seed Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round.
None of that trio came as close to defeating the giant-killing Czech as world No. 80 Kaia Kanepi, who created and then lost five match points over the course of their quarter-final match, and blew a 4-0 lead in the final set, before Kvitova claimed the 4-6, 7-6(8), 8-6 victory.
“I play now very well, my best tennis in my life, my career,” Kvitova said. “But it's very, very hard to stay on this level. So I have to be focused for each match, for each point.”
The world No. 62 has shown both form and mental fortitude over her past five matches, but the sixth represents an altogether more difficult challenge. She now faces not just another seed; not just another title hopeful, but the world’s best player and defending champion in the semi-finals.
Make no mistake about it: Serena is primed to win
back-to-back titles at the All England Club. The top seed is serving so well right now that she’s almost impossible to break, and indeed that proved to be the case in her opening three matches in SW19.
Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion managed to break the American’s serve just once in their fourth round match; a total equalled by Na Li in the quarters, but that break occurred after the match had all-but slipped from the ninth seed’s grasp.
“I never serve this well. I always serve well at Wimbledon, but this is the first time I've ever served this well so consistently,” Serena said after winning through to the semi-finals after dishing up a mere 11 aces in her quarter-final match, for a total of 73 for the tournament so far.
While the world No. 1 is the only one of the top seeds to live up to the hype at Wimbledon this far, Kvitova – who had never won a match at the tournament before this year – has already far and away exceeded expectations by reaching the final four.
But with Serena on the other side of the net in the semi-finals, for Kvitova in some ways it must feel as though a place in the Wimbledon final is still as far away as it was almost two weeks ago.
Prediction: Serena to storm into the final. Again.
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