January 28, 2009

Serena stops Svetlana; Advances to Semifinal

Serena finally produced some tennis (during this Australian Open tournament) that truly convinced me that she wants the trophy (for the 4th time). Serena defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1. Svetlana served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but could not close out Serena. Williams finally decided to "step up" and when it's "crunch-time-back-against-the-wall," NO ONE steps up like Serena Williams. She is the ULTIMATE BIG MATCH-BIG MOMENT fighter.

Her first set (in 100plus degree heat) was at times quite sloppy but when it was decided that the roof at Rod Laver would be closed (at the conclusion of the 1st set), Serena began to produce her signature tennis, the type of tennis that proves over and over again the type of champion she truly is. No matter how bad her match play, she rights the ship and finds a way to win. It was quite phenomenal. She began to move better, serve better, and she began to return more aggressively. Serena advances to the semifinal where she will battle Elena Dementieva for a spot in the FINAL.

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