After a first set where Serena Williams won despite being broken, and despite seeming to battle the slight malaise that has hung over her tennis the past two weeks, it seemed that more of this inconsistency was in store for the fans watching the Western & Southern women’s final in Cincinnati today. Down 0-40 in the first game of the first set, Serena dug deep (as she has done numerous times over her career) and fought back to take the game with an ace up the T to erase any question mark Simona Halep tried to imprint on the outcome of this match. A week and a day removed from the night Serena screamed expletives and questioned her ability to serve in a loss to Belinda Bencic in Canada, Serena seemed to find belief in her serve once again using it time and time again to get herself out of trouble in numerous occasions. Although her overall service statistics will not be to her liking, she was able to conjure the special nature of serve when she most needed it in the match, serving 15 aces and only 2 double faults.
In the first set, Williams played one poor service game which contributed one of the two times she was broken in the match. Beyond that poor service game, Serena broke Halep easily twice to claim the first set 6-4. Halep struggled with her own serve, relying too much on a weaker 2nd serve which allowed Serena to have time to due damage from well inside the baseline.
The second set was much like the first. The crowd and commentators seemed to expect Williams to find her consistency after fighting back from 0-40 down in her first service game of the set to hold for 1-1. Serena then broke Halep for 2-1 in the second and she seemed primed to march to victory, however; it was Halep who found consistency–both in her first serve which became much more effective, as well as her second serve return which became a big weapon, taking time away from Serena and making her feel pressure to come up with better and better shots.
The second set progressed much the same, with both players attacking second serves, but finding aggressive first serves when needed to hold. Their rallies were characterized by hard, punishing groundstrokes, and flat angled winners and approach shots. When Halep netted a running forehand passing shot, a second set tiebreak ensued. Halep drew blood in the tiebreak first with a short angled forehand winner which wrong footed Williams. Serena returned the favor one point later, hitting a forehand winner behind a scurrying Halep who was running to the open court. Serena lost the ensuing point after playing a ball she felt was out, but chose not to stop play and challenge. As the players switched sides at 3-3 the crowd rose to their feet to cheer both women on the high level of play they were displaying on court.
The turning point came at 3-4 as Halep seemed to feel the pressure for a brief moment and netted a typically easy crosscourt backhand. Serena served for the set and match at 5-4 and proceeded to win a long rally to set up her first match point. Halep regrouped and fended off the first match point with a deep, gutsy double line painting forehand winner on Williams second serve. Halep served and the women exchanged crosscourt groundstrokes until Halep drew Serena off the add court, and in a gutsy move that was symbolic of the quality of the match, Serena won the match on a Halep drop shot that barely clipped the net and rolled back onto Halep’s court.
With her victory, Williams seemed to quiet the critics that felt she was feeling the pressure of the impending calendar Grand Slam attempt. Her victory over Halep will go a long way to improving her confidence. In the loss, Simona Halep proved that the slump she experienced during the clay and grass court season may be coming to an end. One of the few players on tour who rivals Williams’ athleticism and guile, Halep once again seemed her confident and aggressive self. The presence of Darren Cahill has seemed to have both a calming and game clarifying effect on her game, as she seemed much easier time deciding on the shots she wanted to impose on Williams. Both women set themselves up well for deep run in the US Open next week: a tournament in which the entire sports world will be watching to see if Serena Williams can add to her already tremendous legacy with a historic calendar Grand Slam.
Main Photo:
