Tale of the tape: US Open womenÈs final
Originally published on 07/09/14
Serena Williams v Caroline Wozniacki
Not before 4.30pm EST / 9.30pm UK; Williams leads the head-to-head 8-1
Serena Williams has ploughed through the US Open draw like a freight train. Six straight-sets wins have propelled her back to the final for a third consecutive year – and not once has she dropped more than three games in a set.
Nowhere was that dominance more obvious than in her 6-1 6-3 semi-final victory over Ekaterina Makarova. The Russian arrived with a Grand Slam win against Williams to her name, but left having been outplayed and overpowered by the world No.1, who claimed 22 of 24 points at one stage in the hour-long match.
If nothing else, Wozniacki is expected to provide sterner resistance. With their friendship put to one side when they walk on court, the Dane will hope to once again strike the balance between defensive scrambling and stepping in to attack the corners that saw her stun Maria Sharapova en route to the semi-finals, where she outlasted Peng Shuai on a stifling day at Flushing Meadows.
Wozniacki has not beaten Williams since Miami in 2012, but the pair went the distance twice already this summer, the 24-year-old taking the first set before falling in three in both Montreal and Cincinnati, where she was left to rue a final set in which she only held serve once – yet lost 6-4.
Once more, Wozniacki’s first serve percentage will be crucial, as will her ability to put something on the second serve when the need arises. Williams likes nothing more than to step in and take a slow ball on the rise – but hit those corners and she can be toppled…
Routes to the final:
Serena Williams [1]
R1: d. Taylor Townsend 6-3 6-1
R2: d. Vania King 6-1 6-0
R3: d. Varvara Lepchenko 6-3 6-3
R4: d. Kaia Kanepi 6-3 6-3
QF: d. Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-2
SF: d. Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki [10]
R1: d. Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1 3-6 2-0 ret
R2: d. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3 6-4
R3: d. Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-2
R4: d. Maria Sharapova 6-4 2-6 6-2
QF: d. Sara Errani 6-0 6-1
SF: d. Peng Shuai 7-6(1) 4-3 ret
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