Wimbledon 2009 Women’s Semifinals Preview

Wimbledon 2009 Women’s Semifinals Preview

Centre Court
[1] Dinara Safina (RUS) vs. [3] Venus Williams (USA)
V.Williams leads 2-1
Safina has played 34 games more than any other semifinalist and spent most time on court – about three hours more than her illustrious peers, in fact. But considering the 23-year-old Russian had never been past the third round at Wimbledon before now, the extra practise might be considered a good thing. As the only semifinalist who has lost a set during the tournament – her last two matches against Mauresmo and Lisicki involved fightbacks from first set deficits – it might also be argued she is best prepared if things get tight. The problem is, she is up against one of the best grass court players of all time today, a champion who doesn’t actually need to be reminded how to dig deep. Safina won the last time these two played, but that was on clay at Rome; Venus on her beloved Centre Court at Wimbledon is an entirely different proposition. Safina’s best bet is to relax into her underdog status and run with it.

Dinara says: “Don’t misunderstand that I have nothing to lose because I am playing Venus. She likes playing here on grass, but I cannot go on court thinking I lost already. No, definitely I think I have a chance. Every day here I’ve been improving. I know what I have to do on the court, and I want to do it next match.”

Venus says: “I take it one round at a time. Being in the semifinals is obviously where I want to be right now. I would love it to be a Williams final, and so would Serena. That would be great. When I go out there, I’m going to, of course, feel like I want to make it happen on my side of the net. Dinara has the top ranking, but I have more experience.”

[2] Serena Williams (USA) vs. [4] Elena Dementieva (RUS)
S.Williams leads 5-3
Virginia Wade, the 1977 Wimbledon champion who is now a commentator for the BBC, knocked the nail on the head when she described Serena’s form in her quarterfinal against Victoria Azarenka as ‘devastatingly good’. But what’s been interesting about Serena so far this tournament is that she’s been very fine from the get-go. Sure, there’s no arguing with the record of a 10-time Grand Slam champion, but it’s fair to say many of those past wins have been marked by variable form and the odd drama or two. Not so this week: Serena has barely missed a beat, and even when Azarenka had a point for 4-2 in the second the window of opportunity was promptly slammed shut. For her part, supreme baseliner Dementieva has taken a little longer to love the grass, but she has only lost 20 games at this event, albeit without bumping into a seed. One of only five players to have beaten Serena three times in a row, she won’t be brushed aside lightly, but she’ll have to serve her very best to stand a chance.

Serena says: “I’ve played her a lot the past 12 months, so I definitely know Elena’s game. She gets a lot of balls back, and she’s a power player. She’s playing really well on the grass. She hasn’t been stretched too much in any of her matches either, so she’s kind of, like, going undercover, you know – and bam!”
Elena says: “For sure, it was a great experience being in the semis last year. But this time I’m going to play a different player and it’s gonna be all new. I’ve had some good matches so far. Serena’s a great champion and the most important for me the next round will be to stay focused and to stay aggressive on the court. We’ll see if I can do it.”

Article from WTA