Muguruza faces Serena for title, Djokovic in final
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SERENA Williams moved one victory from her second consecutive French Open trophy and 22nd grand slam title overall, beating Kiki Bertens 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the semifinals at Roland Garros yesterday.
For the second match in a row, the No. 1-seeded Williams was hardly at her best, falling behind early and making 22 unforced errors in the first set alone. Williams needed to erase two set points for her 58th-ranked Dutch opponent in the opener, but managed to get through it.
In the final, Williams will face No. 4 Garbine Muguruza of Spain, a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon title clash won by the American.
Muguruza advanced by defeating 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4.
If Williams wins today, she will equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 major championships. Only Margaret Court, with 24, has won more.
Because of repeated rain that sabotaged the schedule this week, the women’s semifinals were played simultaneously in front of similarly empty stadiums, Williams vs Bertens at Court Philippe Chatrier, Muguruza vs Stosur at Court Suzanne Lenglen.
It also meant that the men’s semifinals were played simultaneously, too.
In one of them, Novak Djokovic was in unplayable mode as he cantered into the final by crushing flat Austrian tyro Dominic Thiem 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, moving closer to the only grand slam title missing from his collection.
The 29-year-old comfortably contained the 22-year-old Thiem to set up either a rematch of last year’s final against defending champion Stan Wawrinka, or a world No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown with Andy Murray.
It will be Djokovic’s 20th grand slam final and also his sixth successive grand slam championship match as he looks to add a first Roland Garros crown to his collection of 11 majors. Victory tomorrow will also make him just the eighth man to complete the career grand slam.
Both the women’s matchups had wide disparities in age and accomplishments. Williams, 34, is a decade older than Bertens. Stosur, 32, is a decade older than Muguruza. Williams was contesting her 31st grand slam semifinal; Bertens her first. Stosur was in her fifth, including a run to the 2011 US Open title; Muguruza her second.
Under a full cover of clouds, Williams did not start well. Much like her three-set quarterfinal comeback on Thursday against Yulia Putintseva, she was not getting into position properly and kept spraying shots this way and that.
Bertens kept smacking big forehands, creating outright winners or forcing Williams into mistakes.
Williams was broken in the opening game, adding a double-fault to three errant backhands, and trailed 1-3 after 12 minutes. Actually, it could have been worse: Bertens held three break points to go up 4-1 but failed to convert any.
“The first set was not simple, but she was playing so well,” Williams said of Bertens. “I need to keep my calm for the final and hope the fans will be with me.”
Muguruza, who is the first Spanish woman in 16 years to reach the French Open final, on the other hand, was in command against 32-year-old Australian Stosur from the start but had difficulty putting away the match from 5-2 up in the second.
“Emotions can sometimes be bad when you make a final,” said Muguruza who defeated Williams in straight sets in the 2014 French Open second round. “Sometimes you just have to stay calm, prepare yourself as best you can and play with no regrets.”
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