Serena Williams Loses In U.S. Open Semifinals As Latest Bid To Reach No. 24 Is Foiled

When Serena Williams jumped out to a one-set lead on Victoria Azarenka in the U.S. Open semifinals on Thursday night, it appeared as if she might be in for a quick night.

A win in the semifinals and Serena would face Naomi Osaka in a must-see final on Saturday for yet another chance to capture her 24th Grand Slam title and tie Margaret Court in the record books.

But Victoria Azarenka had other ideas.

The two-time Grand Slam champion roared back from the early deficit and ousted Williams, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the final where she will face Osaka, who earlier beat American Jen Brady in three sets.

Serena had been 18-4 against Azarenka and was a perfect 10-0 in majors. But after her first win over Serena in a Grand Slam, Azarenka will play in her first major final in seven years and five days — since losing to Williams in the 2013 U.S. Open final.

“It’s been seven years, that’s my favorite number so I guess it’s meant to be,” Azarenka said in her on-court interview with Mary Joe Fernandez. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I’m so grateful to be able to play such a great champion in the semifinal. The road to the final, you have to beat the best players, and definitely today was that day.”

The Williams-Azarenka affair was an intense match between two mothers and good friends, filled with high-volume grunts and high-powered rallies. Without fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the players’ grunts and screams dominated the night.

While Azarenka improved to 11-0 in the “Double in the Bubble” in New York, Serena yet again came up short in her pursuit of history. She is 0-4 in Grand Slam finals since becoming a mother to daughter Olympia in late 2017, and now has come up one match short of her third straight final in New York.

With Serena serving at 0-1 and deuce in the third set, she injured her left ankle while chasing a ball near the baseline. She bent over while clearly concerned about it and then called for the trainer, who re-taped her ankle in a medical timeout. After coming back on the court, Serena jumped up and down several times to test it.

The ankle did not appear to significantly hamper Serena going forward, but Azarenka broke and then held for a 3-0 lead. She held again for 5-2.

Azarenka closed it out on her serve with a 93-mph ace that Serena challenged. The call proved good after it touched the line. And the match was over.

Williams will have another opportunity later this month to tie Court at 24 if she plays in the French Open, although she admitted to some concerns over the crowd and hotel setups for that event due to her lung issues.

“I still have some questions, but I’m really kind of, ironically, focused on New York but it’s kind of hard because, you know, these Grand Slams are so close to each other this year,” she said this week.