After a rain delay pushed the match to Friday, Serena Williams will take the court once again as she continues towards history. Williams survived a three-set match against sister Venus that she says was one of the toughest she has played recently and now she must get back up to face Roberta Vinci who is looking to play upset in Williams' race for the calendar grand slam.
The numbers certainly favor Williams in this match. The two players last met in Toronto with Williams winning 6-4, 6-3, but the American is not downplaying the abilities of Vinci saying that she is in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for a reason. In head-to-head wins, Williams has won all four matches against her opponent as she looks to get one more and step into the finals on Saturday.
While Williams faced tough talent to get to the semi-finals, Vinci did benefit from several players exiting early. Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic and Eugenie Bouchard all left the tournament early, clearing the way for the Italian to get far. Vinci plays with a lot of power and she has the stamina to take Williams to three sets. The question is whether or not she can handle the hard-hitting serve Williams will come ready with. Venus proved that it is a returnable serve, but the follow up will be key for Vinci.
This is the Italian's first semi-final in Grand Slam so the pressure will be on. The is no doubting the crowd will be in favor of Williams as everyone is ready to see history. This is the American's 29th appearance in a major semi-final so she has the experience over Vinci. The stats favor Williams at this point and even more if she makes it into the finals of the US Open. However, Vinci wants to be the Cinderella story. Venus came close taking her sister to three sets and Vinci has the ability to do the same. The mental aspect of the game will be the key and Williams has shown some nerves during the US Open as it could be the pressure of making history is starting to get to her. One more win and she is a step closer.
