Serena, Halep turn on the style

Posted: 6:02 am, July 10, 2019 by admin

LONDON, July 9

Serena Williams clubbed her way into the Wimbledon semifinals, draining the last drop of fight from fellow American Alison Riske before sealing a 6-4 4-6 6-3 win in a rip-roaring Centre Court contest today. For two sets, Riske absorbed every last punishing blow from the seven times champion, while her own lightweight jab inflicted some early pain and then levelled the see-saw encounter at 1-1.

Williams’s blows, however, became too frequent and too heavy in the final games, with the weaponised serve pushing the world No. 55 Riske back on her heels, leaving the Williams forehand to work like an old slugger’s right-hook. Having knocked out world No. 1 Ash Barty in the last round and having spent over nine hours on court en route to the quarters — the longest path to the last eight of anyone since 2011 — Riske had shown a streak of pure Pittsburgh steel.

But Williams is tennis tungsten, and recovered superbly from a brief wobble in which she lost the second set and fell a break behind in the third. She eventually charged over the finish line after more than two hours on court, bringing up match point when Riske netted a forehand and completing the job in typical fashion with her 19th ace of the match.

“It was really satisfying; I wouldn’t have won that match a couple of weeks ago, every match here has really counted,” said Williams.

Serena, Halep turn on the style

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