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A wounded Serena Williams has yet again shown her incredible will to win, ending Li Na’s dreams of a Grand Slam final appearance with a hard-fought 7-6(4) 7-6(1) semi-final win over two hours on Thursday.
The No.1 seed struggled with her movement throughout the semi-final, but showed her trademark grit to edge out Li, who eliminated the elder Williams sister, Venus, in three sets on Wednesday.
The American has now climbed off the canvas in successive days, after scrambling back from a set and 4-0 down against Victoria Azarenka in her quarter-final yesterday. After that match, she admitted a lapse in concentration had her contemplating the possibility of losing both singles and doubles matches and being on the next flight home. She seemed determined not to make the same mistake here, a fierce resolve to win etched on her face amongst grimaces of pain.
Sporting visible strapping on her ankles, wrist, thigh and calf – “I have everything bandaged,” she noted earlier in the week - Williams appeared intent on preserving energy where possible, then lifting for critical points. In both tie-breakers, her game ascended to another level, chasing down balls that previously had eluded her.
She had begun with a flurry, with Li making the errors that could be expected of a player in just her maiden career Grand Slam semi-final against an 11-time champion. The favourite immediately broke Li’s serve, but the No.16 seed soon settled, matching the stronger groundstrokes of Williams and eventually breaking back after successfully challenging an ace on break point before converting.
Williams regularly became irritated at her lack of rhythm, committing 12 unforced errors for the opening set. She often motioned angrily after hitting winners, frustrated that her best and worst could alternate so easily. A swinging second serve ace allowed Williams to clinch an unconvincing set in 58 minutes.
Serena’s movement became more laboured as the second set progressed, with Li beginning to capitalise on her opponent’s inability to change direction. But striving for winners also led to a damaging 21 unforced errors from Li, which allowed Williams to keep her at bay. The American began clubbing winners, and her massive first serve allowed her to shorten points where possible; Williams won a crucial 42 of 49 points for the match when her first ball landed.
Li, however, was showing the grit that saw her snatch victory against Venus Williams, where she came back from a set and 4-5 down with her opponent serving for the match to win in three sets. Li saved four match points in sending the second set to another tie-breaker, but that only served to awaken the lion inside her opponent. At 1-1, Williams finally exploded into life, a winner and a defiant roar signaling that neither injury nor opponent would stand in her quest for a fifth final appearance at Melbourne Park. A 12th ace sealed a win that demonstrated that champions find a way to win where others may fail.
The top seed will now meet either comeback queen Justine Henin or Chinese giant-killer Zheng Jie in the final, and despite her physical ailments, appears hell-bent on another Australian Open title.
Fast facts
- Williams served 12 aces to Li’s one.
- The top seed won 42 of 49 points when she landed her fist serve (86 per cent).
- Li had 38 unforced errors to the 24 recorded by Williams.
- Williams converted just one of her nine break point opportunities, while Li was 1-for-4 on break point chances.
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