Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns a shot against Shuai Peng of China during their... Read More
Williams, a 17-time Grand Slam title holder and five-time U.S. Open champion, yesterday won her 20th straight match at the National Tennis Center in New York, beating Ekaterina Makarova in a straight-set semifinal. Wozniacki, whose only previous Grand Slam final appearance was a defeat at the 2009 U.S. Open, sewed up her return when opponent Peng Shuai retired due to heat illness while trailing in the second set.
Wozniacki, who’s held the title of No. 1-ranked player in
the world for 67 weeks during a career missing a Grand Slam title, said she and good friend Williams analyzed the draw before the two-week tournament and were excited about the possibility of a finals showdown.
“It’s definitely going to be a huge match,” Wozniacki said at a news conference. “The friendship, while we are on court, is put aside. We are both competitors.”
Williams, the No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion at the tennis season’s final Grand Slam, beat Russian No. 17 seed Makarova 6-1, 6-3 in a 60-minute match yesterday in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Williams’s last defeat at the U.S. Open came in the final of the 2011 championship. A win tomorrow would give her 18 Grand Slam titles -- tying her with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert for fourth on the career list.
“She obviously wants to win and go for her first Grand Slam, and I want to win and make a little history,” Williams said in a courtside interview.
Afternoon Heat
Wozniacki, the No. 10 seed from Denmark, was leading unseeded Peng of China 7-6 (7-1), 4-3 on a steamy afternoon on the Ashe court before Peng was unable to continue, first delaying play for 10 minutes and then collapsing on the court.“It was really hard to watch for me, whenever I saw her collapse on the court,” Wozniacki, who joined officials in trying to help Peng, said at a news conference. “She was struggling out there. I just wanted to make sure she was OK.”
Playing on a humid, windy 85-degree Fahrenheit (29-degree Celsius) day, the first set remained on serve until Peng broke Wozniacki’s serve to take a 4-3 lead. Peng, however, was unable to consolidate the break, dropping the next game to snap a streak of 40 straight service holds that began during the second round of the tournament.
Broken Serve
Peng, who plays two-handed on all of her groundstrokes, broke Wozniacki’s serve again to go ahead 6-5. Again her own serve was broken, forcing a tiebreaker that Wozniacki controlled to move a set ahead.Peng moved ahead 2-0 in the second set and then lost the next four, beginning to show the effects of leg cramps. She asked for an ice bag during a changeover while down a break and trailing 4-3 in the set. At 30-30 with Wozniacki serving, Peng had trouble even lining up for the next point, taking a 30-40 lead when Wozniacki double-faulted. A trainer then entered the court as Peng was unable to continue. After a delay in which she could not stand on her own, Peng was helped to the nearest exit.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for the moment Peng Shuai is receiving evaluation,” the chair umpire announced, later calling for a three-minute medical timeout as Wozniacki practiced her serve.
Lengthy Delay
Peng returned, with the delay lasting 10 minutes, 40 seconds and Peng not being penalized a point. She survived six more points, extending the game, before collapsing on the court.“Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately due to injury Peng Shuai has to retire,” the chair umpire said. “Game-set-match, Wozniacki.”
Peng received a standing ovation as she was taken out of the stadium in a wheelchair.
“I just try to fight, and my body is getting more and more hot and it start cramping,” Peng said in a news conference. “It’s really painful.”
Tournament Director David Brewer said in a news conference that Peng was treated for heat illness, not for cramps.
“The term ‘reasonable period of time’ is what’s in the rulebook,” Brewer told reporters. “It’s intended to allow a medical specialist to evaluate a professional athlete and determine are they in danger or not.”
Williams’s last U.S. Open defeat was in straight sets to Australian Samantha Stosur. She beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in each of the last two U.S. Open finals.
Regardless of whether Williams advances to the final, she’ll maintain her world No. 1 rank for a 205th week when the tournament ends, a tally that ranks fifth behind Steffi Graf (377), Navratilova (332), Evert (260) and Martina Hingis (209).
Williams-Makarova Semifinal
Williams hit 24 winners and 15 unforced errors, compared to Makarova’s six winners and 16 unforced errors. Makarova was trying to reach her first Grand Slam final.“I know she’s such an aggressive player and she really handles everything so well, so I was really focused,” Williams said. “I’m so happy to be here in New York in another final.”
Williams beat Wozniacki twice in August, both in three sets after dropping the first.
“Hopefully for me that would be third time’s the charm,” Wozniacki said. “It would definitely have the media stop talking about my lack of a Grand Slam, so that would be nice.”
Williams said playing against a friend is easier than facing her older sister, Venus Williams, against whom she has a 14-11 career record.
“If I can play Venus, I can play anybody,” she said in a news conference.
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