Has women’s tennis turned the Williams corner? The quarter-finals dawned with not a Williams in sight. No Serena, no Venus.
Yes, they had both returned from injury. They had adequate warm-ups before the championships but not the desired results for bookies to up the ante.
Yet it all seemed business as usual, past the first week.
The odd-makers re-installed Serena as queen over the weekend.
It was not to be. Serena could not stop a rampaging, charged-up Marion Bartoli.
Venus Williams succumbed once again to her grass-court nemesis, Tsvetana Pironkova.
Sceptics might point out that the last two French Opens saw fresh victors as well. Francesca Schiavone and Li Na brought out the depth of talent on the WTA tour.
A question springs to mind: why if a player in his or her 20s wins a major, it’s termed a breakthrough, but when one in his or her late 20s or early 30s wins, it’s merely a late blossoming, or a fulfilment of his or her talent at long last?
The women’s semi-finalists are decided.
It’s wildcard Sabine Lisicki against Maria Sharapova in the top half of the draw.
In the other half, Victoria Azarenka flew under the radar to make her first major semi-final in four attempts. She takes on Petra Kvitova in the other match-up.
Sharapova is the only player among the four to have taken home a major crown. She is the favourite but she will not find it easy against an opponent who can hit the ball as fiercely and freely as the German did in the first set against Bartoli.
Nerves unsteadied her and prevented her closing out the match in straight sets, but if the daughter of Polish immigrants can knock out the tall Russian, surely no other can prevent her from becoming the first unseeded women’s player ever to win Wimbledon in the Open era.
Maria has the experience; she displayed it in her ruthless dismissal of Dominika Cibulkova’s challenge 6-1, 6-1.
The Russian is vulnerable if her big serve fails and if a smart opponent uses slice and well-disguised drop shots to force her to bend the knees.
Lisicki exhibited some astounding drop shots from the baseline in the first set against Bartoli.
Should she continue in the same vein, this encounter will be one hell of a roller coaster ride.
Azarenka was tipped by most to clinch her first major at last month’s French Open. She is the No. 4 seed, after all. Can she shake off the cobwebs in her mind and make it to her first Slam final?
This is Kvitova’s second successive Wimbledon semi. She lost last year to Serena Williams in straight sets. She’s had a good run this year, making it to the quarter-finals at Melbourne and the round of 16 at Roland Garros.
Can she go further this year?
Sharapova, Kvitova, Lisicki and Azarenka are all under 25. Sharapova is a veteran at 24 since seizing her first major aged 17 at Wimbledon.
The recent proclivity of women’s players to stay the course on the tour longer could see these four draw in the crowds over the next five to six years. Add the other quarter-finalists to the mix and women’s tennis looks vibrant indeed.
As Serena Williams remarked after her loss to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round: “Go, women’s tennis.”
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Rafael Nadal has hailed the brilliance of Alex de Minaur, calling him "a great player" after the Australian forced the Spanish legend to say…
The clay season promises to be one of high level and tight margins. With the Monte Carlo open just around the corner, it will…
In incredible scenes, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells was halted abruptly due to a "bee invasion." Less…
Marathon man Jordan Thompson has finally clinched his first ATP Tour title, with the Australian upsetting Norwegian Casper Ruud to lift the trophy in…
Alex de Minaur has earned the perfect 25th birthday present, booking a place in the final of the Rotterdam Open with an emphatic revenge…
While watching the recent Australian Tennis Open I became obsessively fixated on the same thought. Why has no one done a television biopic or…
