Agencies
Paris, June 3
The world’s No. 1 player stormed into the semifinals at Roland Garros with a routine 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Italian.
Serena Williams made short work of Sara Errani in the French Open quarterfinals Wednesday, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 success to ease into the last four at Roland Garros.
In a repeat of the 2013 semifinal, which Williams won 6-0, 6-1, the world No. 1 was similarly dominant on Philippe Chatrier.
Errani, a runner-up here three years ago, simply could not live with the overwhelming power of the 19-time major winner.
The Italian, a career Grand Slam winner in women’s doubles, was blown away in the first set and although she showed more signs of fight in the second, she never looked likely to pull off an upset.
For Williams, victory booked her place in a 27th major semifinal, as she goes in search of a third French Open crown.
Both players struggled with serve in the early stages, Williams breaking to love to earn a 2-0 lead before Errani rounded off an immediate riposte with a powerful forehand down the line.Williams’ reply was similarly swift, though, as she restored her advantage courtesy of an errant backhand from her opponent.
Errani set up another break point in the next with a beautifully angled backhand, but Williams recovered her composure to hold, before a third break from three opportunities put her 5-1 to the good.
A thumping ace down the middle sealed the set, and Williams took that momentum into the start of the second, a delicate drop shot displaying the touch to go with her power.
The set continued on serve until game seven, when Errani sent the ball long to put her opponent on the brink.
An ace on second serve in the next game left Errani serving to stay in the match, and Williams piled on the pressure in a bid to complete the job.
Uncharacteristically, the American wasted three match-point opportunities — the third a glaring miss with an overhead smash into the net — but it was fourth time lucky as Errani sent a forehand into the tape as Williams advanced.
BELGIAN THROUGH
Bacsinszky, seeded 23, produced a fearless brand of baseline tennis to became the first Swiss woman since Martina Hingis in 2001 to reach the last four at Roland Garros.
World number 93 Van Uytvanck, who was bidding to become the lowest ranked woman to reach the semifinals of the claycourt major, barely had a chance to blink before she found herself 3-0 down in the first set.
Considering the ginger-haired 21-year-old had won only one grand slam match prior to her arrival in Paris, it was little wonder that she let the occasion of playing on the 10,000 seater Suzanne Lenglen Court get to her.
Once her nerves settled, she held her own but by then the damage had been done and Bacsinszky whipped a forehand winner to wrap up the set.
Cheered on by her idol Kim Clijsters from the stands, Van Uytvanck unleashed a string of gutsy shots to recover from 3-1 down to level at 3-3 in the second set.
Bacsinszky, however, broke in the 11th game before blasting a backhand down the line winner to seal a place in the last four.
SERENA WILLIAMS
Top five career highlights from the record-setting tennis player
Serena Williams’ achievements on the tennis court have made her a global sporting icon and in celebration of Women’s Sport Week, we look back on her career highlights.
There are fewer greatest forces in women’s sport than Williams, who has won an incredible 19 Grand Slam titles.
The American is looking to triumph at the French Open for a third time this week in Paris, but on a week where women’s sport takes centre stage, it’s the perfect time to take stock and celebreate the greatness of this phenomenal athlete.
Grand Slam queen
Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title at the 2015 Australian Open, overcoming on-court sickness to beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
The hard-fought win meant Williams has now won one more major singles title than Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and is just three behind the open-era record of 22 held by Steffi Graf.
Williams said after the victory: “I would love to get to 22. I mean, 19 was very difficult to get to. But I have to get to 20 first, and then I have to get to 21. It will be a very big task.”
That task could become easier if she wins this week at Roland Garros – she takes on Sara Errani on Wednesday in the quarter-finals.
Top dollar
Williams has proved over the years that success in the women’s game can yield big financial reward.
Currently, she stands as the highest earning women athlete of all-time. As of May 25 this year the American had won £43.3m (the first woman ever to win over £39.1m in career prize money) – over £19m more than her greatest tennis rival Sharapova has amassed in her 12-year career.
If Williams goes all the way in the French Open this year, she’ll add another £1.3m to her career earnings.
‘Serena Slam’
After winning the 2003 Australian Open, she became the ninth player to win a career Grand Slam, following in the footsteps of the likes of Billie Jean King, Evert and Navratilova.
By winning in Melbourne, Serena added that Grand Slam title to the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon crowns she won the previous year, beating her sister Venus Williams in every final.
Golden oldie
Age is no boundary for Williams. Much like a fine wine, she has flourished as her years have increased.
In beating Petra Kvitova 3-6 6-3 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals of the Qatar Open in 2013, Williams, who was 31-years-old, overtook Evert to become the oldest woman to hold the WTA No 1 ranking since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975.
Her stint at the top was the fifth time she held the position and officially announced her back at the top table of women’s tennis after a three year absence from the No 1 ranking.
Olympic hero
After winning singles and doubles gold at the London Olympics, Williams became the joint-most decorated tennis player in the history of the Olympics, a record shared with her sister Venus, with four gold medals
Having previously won gold in doubles in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, Williams’ victory over Maria Sharapova in London created history as she became the first person to win the ‘Golden Slam’ – all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold – in both singles and doubles.
