January 25, 2010

Serena Slams Sam!



World No.1 Serena Williams brought her game face to clinically end Samantha Stosur's Australian Open campaign on Monday with a straight-sets fourth-round win at Rod Laver Arena. Williams broke Stosur three times to notch a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory in just 65 minutes to storm into the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the seventh time in 11 visits.

The four-time Open champ next meets either Belarussian seventh seed Victoria Azarenka or Russian ninth seed Vera Zvonareva on Wednesday for a place in the last four of the season's first grand slam event. Stosur, 25, had conquered Williams in their most recent meeting, in the quarter-finals in Stanford last July, but was no match for the American superstar this time around.

In a dominant serving display, Serena finished with 10 aces and one double fault. Serena collected 86% of her points (25 of 29) on her first serves and 81% of her second serves (13 of 16). Serena's ratio of winners to unforced errors was 42:14. She won 12 of 13 net approaches and converted 3 of 4 break point opportunities. Williams struck a lunging forehand winner to grab the decisive first-set break in the fifth game and then nailed a backhand down the line to pocket the opening set in 32 minutes.

The 11-times major champion then broke Stosur in the very first game of the second set with another backhand winner down the line. Stosur's only look-in of the match came in the second game of the second set, but Williams ruthlessly fended off the first three break points she'd faced all tournament with three booming serves. The American eventually held for a 2-0 lead with a big ace down the middle, and then seized a double break for a 5-2 advantage and it was lights out for Stosur. Pam Shriver said "Nobody can beat Serena when she plays like that, nobody!"

I do not know where to begin. THE SERVE, THE ACCURACY, THE MOVEMENT, THE POWER, THE DETERMINATION! Serena was on FIRE! I said it before, she is playing some "scary" good tennis! This may not have been the "match of the tournament" but it definitely takes the crown for FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the tournament (thus far). Impressive, mighty impressive! Serena is on a mission and it would be best (and safer) if all "pretenders" move out of her way. She's focused and aiming for another Australian Open title (and her 12th major title).

1 comment:

yakira said...

SERENA IS ON FIRE!!!