OT: Serena in a battle at the French

[VAMike23]

Live now in Tennis Channel and ESPN3 , I think.

Serena just broke to go to 4-2 in the third.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Live now in Tennis Channel and ESPN3 , I think.

Serena just broke to go to 4-2 in the third.

Hadn't realized that Serena had lost that last 4 times in quarters in Paris, and that her only title there came more than 10 years ago. Well, maybe now she'll pick up the momentum to get through two more matches.

 

[msf22b]

I just got in for the 3rd set.

Serena was in real trouble after the 2nd and Kuznetsova broke her to start the third.
But somehow in the middle of the set, she started making shots, had a great return game, served better and the Russian wilted.

But it was a real dogfight until then and Serena could have imploded; just found the last gear.

 

[VAMike23]

She was pretty excited to get to the semis - I, too, had forgotten how long it's been for her!

 

[ScarlettB]

And Roger Federer just got swept by Tsonga. Glad Serena made it through.

 

[VAMike23]

And Roger Federer just got swept by Tsonga.

 

[wire chief]

I just got in for the 3rd set.

Serena was in real trouble after the 2nd and Kuznetsova broke her to start the third.
But somehow in the middle of the set, she started making shots, had a great return game, served better and the Russian wilted.

But it was a real dogfight until then and Serena could have imploded; just found the last gear.

Now Serena gets Sara Errani,(no, not tomorrow) an Italian ranked #1 in doubles and a clay court afficianado. We were saying earlier that it would not be Sharapova nor Azaranka who may knock off Serena, but a clay courter. Kuznetsova is not a clay specialist, but still gave Ms. Williams a true match. We'll see.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Federer down in straight sets. Even on the decline, that is shocking.

Having never, ever played on a clay court I have to accept all that is said about the different surface and the difficulty many elite players have on the surface. For the record, I have never, ever played on a grass court either.

 

[caravaggio]

If you are an aggressive player, then clay is baneful because it really really slows down the ball and gives your opponent a lot of extra time. It makes points much longer and demands much more patience. For someone like Federer who is older and, today recovering from a five set much, it's pretty tough both mentally and physically.


Grass is much faster because the balls slides through the grass... but more importantly it demands great footwork because of the low bounce and speed. This is why I think Federer was so amazing on grass. He may not have been the fastest player but he definitely had the best footwork.

Federer down in straight sets. Even on the decline, that is shocking.

Having never, ever played on a clay court I have to accept all that is said about the different surface and the difficulty many elite players have on the surface. For the record, I have never, ever played on a grass court either.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[wire chief]

Sharapova & Azaranka warming up now on ESPN 2. Hard hitting and shrieking to come.

 

[arty155]

But it was a real dogfight until then and Serena could have imploded; just found the last gear.

-I know, I know, I was thinking the same thing.
-Every stinking time my pup sees a Greyhound coming up in the rearview mirror, he freaking panics and downshifts! Can’t teach him anything.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I'm sorry, a semifinal match is supposed to be much more competitive than what we just saw in the 6-0 thrashing of Sara Errani.

 

[John Glass]

I'm sorry, a semifinal match is supposed to be much more competitive than what we just saw in the 6-0 thrashing of Sara Errani.

comeback coming Errani just won a game ...... it is 6-0 3-1 Serena now

 

[DEK1234]

That was just brutal...

 

[VAMike23]

That was just brutal...

It's OK, I like a good beat-down when it's Serena dealing it out! I'm hoping I can catch a replay on ESPN3

 

[DobbsRover2]

And another 6-0. Serena's career record against Errani now, that is.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I find that I cannot watch women's tennis when the match contains players who grunt(shriek) almost every time they serve or hit a return. IMHO the Tennis Federation would be well served to somehow minimize the shrieking. Shrieking(grunting) are terms that I see used in print articles.

 

[DaddyChoc]

It's OK, I like a good beat-down when it's Serena dealing it out! I'm hoping I can catch a replay on ESPN3

bro... she kicked a**, hopefully she steamroll thru the finals

 

[msf22b]

Errani's game had no element with which she could challenge Serena.

To a lesser extent it was a little like that in the first match as well. For today, at least, Sharapova could over-power Vika seemingly at will except starting in the 2nd set she began to double-fault and miss lines at which point Victoria, given a tiny reprieve, hit an occasional ace and a few winners, giving her a chance to be in the match.

For poor Errani, hoping Serena would mis-play or go walk-about was her only sliver of hope and this latest version of a Williams sister is all focus, power, and accuracy. It was David and Goliath, the way the odds makers had handicapped it.

Sharapova may very well find herself in the same whirlwind on Saturday.

 

[VAMike23]

Just watched the semi ...............

 

[VAMike23]

Actually, Serena's most impressive display (pour moi) came after the match, when she was interviewed briefly en français and answered all questions in kind. The crowd ate it up! She seemed quite comfortable and conversant.

Y'all can check it out if you have ESPN3.... it comes a couple of minutes after the completion of the match.

Vive la reine!

 

[easttexastrash]

That looked like a pro against a junior player today. What does that say about women's tennis that the gap between 1 and 5 is that big? Maybe Stefi or Martina should un-retire.

 

[UCONNfan1]

That looked like a pro against a junior player today. What does that say about women's tennis that the gap between 1 and 5 is that big? Maybe Stefi or Martina should un-retire.

Well to be fair, I am not sure there's another player out there who dominates like that. #2 vs. #3 today went 3 sets, but i'm not sure Serena has played Maria or Victoria and that either has won more than 3 games in a set vs. Serena.

Hopefully kind of like UCONN this year, and then everyone else!!

 

[easttexastrash]

Well to be fair, I am not sure there's another player out there who dominates like that. #2 vs. #3 today went 3 sets, but i'm not sure Serena has played Maria or Victoria and that either has won more than 3 games in a set vs. Serena.

Hopefully kind of like UCONN this year, and then everyone else!!

I'd love to see Serena get this title. It's hard to believe its been 11 years since she last won it

 

[wire chief]

Actually, Serena's most impressive display (pour moi) came after the match, when she was interviewed briefly en français and answered all questions in kind. The crowd ate it up! She seemed quite comfortable and conversant.

Y'all can check it out if you have ESPN3.... it comes a couple of minutes after the completion of the match.

Vive la reine!

She did likewise 11 years ago.