Serena Williams already was struggling to keep up in a fast-paced U.S. Open semifinal when she stopped behind the baseline after a third-set point and leaned over. She held that pose for a bit, then clutched at her left ankle and asked for a trainer.
While Williams took a medical timeout for a tape job, her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam singles title seemingly slipping away, her opponent, Victoria Azarenka, sat in a sideline seat, eyes closed, calm and composed as can be.
After a delay of about five minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium, action resumed, and while Williams raised the force of her shots and volume of her shouts, it was Azarenka who finished off a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory to return to a major championship final for the first time since 2013.
“It’s been seven years? That’s my favorite number. I guess that’s meant to be. I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” said Azarenka who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013 and lost to Williams in the U.S. Open finals those two years. “On the road to the final, you have to beat the best players and today was that day.”
The loss left Williams just short of No. 24 yet again. She was beaten in the finals of four of the preceding seven Slams, including at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2019.
With her 39th birthday a little more than two weeks away, the question will become: How many more chances will Williams get?
This was Williams’ fourth consecutive three-setter in New York and although she was far better at the outset Thursday, racing to a 4-0 lead inside of 15 minutes, Azarenka eventually did get going.
“I dug myself in a big hole. I mean, she dug me in a big hole in the first set and I had to climb my way out of there one by one,” said Azarenka, a 31-year-old from Belarus who is ranked 27th, “and I’m very happy that I’ve been able to turn it around, because it wasn’t easy for sure.”
Evidence of Azarenka’s brilliance: She compiled 12 winners and merely one unforced error in the second set, then continued her baseline mastery in the third, especially with her backhand.
That carried her to her first win against Williams in 11 career Grand Slam matchups between the pair.
Azarenka, Osaka to meet Saturday
On Saturday, Azarenka will face Naomi Osaka for the championship in a meeting between two-time major champions who have both been ranked No. 1 in the past and have been by far the two best players since tennis resumed last month after a pandemic-forced hiatus.
