Serena Williams vs Venus Williams at the Sony Ericsson Championships 2009 Final
Serena Williams vs Venus Williams at the Sony Ericsson Championships 2009 Final
Serena Williams vs Venus Williams at the Sony Ericsson Championships 2009 Final
Photos: Caroline Wozniacki vs Serena Williams
Photos: Jelena Jankovic vs Venus Williams
At the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Championships 2009 Venus Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 while Serena Williams took the win when Caroline Wozniacki retired because of an abdominal injury while trailing 6-4, 0-1.
Serena, who will be the No. 1 in the WTA ranking next week, was the only player to go undefeated through the round-robin rounds this time.
“I just came in here trying to do my best, and here I am,” she said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, I’ve never done so well in the round robin of the Sony Ericsson Championships, so I’m really excited. I came into this week hoping to do my best and here I am. I think I’m gonna be wiped out by the end of this.”
Abour her opponent Serena Williams said: “She’s been struggling throughout the entire tournament. She’s just an incredible fighter to come out here today and put up an effort.”
After chasing down a drop shot and hitting a forehand winner for the break in the second set, Wozniacki pulled up and told the chair umpire she couldn’t continue. Williams and Wozniacki exchanged hugs and handshakes. At her press conference Caroline explained her decision to retire from the encounter.
“It was just too much for me to keep playing,” Wozniacki said. “I could either smile or cry, so I chose to smile. There’s nothing else you can do. I had a great year. I did all I could. I used all the strength I had left. Today I just didn’t have any left. I’ve learned that I’m a huge fighter and impossible is nothing.”
Serena has also been playing with her left thigh strapped, and she pulled out of the Fed Cup final against Italy.
On her part, Venus trailed 2-0 in the decisive set against Jankovic but broke the Serb three times in a row en route to a 5-3 lead and then saved a break point in the last game before sealing the win with a forehand on a net cord.
“In the first set, I couldn’t feel the ball,” Venus said. “Just to come back … to play so well against such a consistent player is great.”
“But this is my last tournament of the year so I was giving 1,000 percent. It’s wonderful to be playing Serena in the final. I’m so excited. It’s the way I wanted to end the year.” Venus added.
Jankovic is ranked No. 8 but after a short vacation, she will go to work find her form that allowed her to end the 2008 season as the number 1 player in the world.
“That will be my goal, to get up there to the top again,” Jankovic said. “I have the ability to do that.”
About the match she added: “It’s disappointing. I had so many chances. I had a lot of break points in the second set but then I let everything slip away. That was my last match of the season.”
Source Reuters/AP
Photo Getty Images
