US Open 2016 Update: Serena Williams Plays Close to Perfect Game in New York
Serena Williams breezes through the semifinals against Yaroslava Shvedova; now faces World No. 5 Simona Halep in the quarterfinals.
American tennis superstar Serena Williams moved through the US Open quarterfinals with a victory that was deemed as the most impressive performance of the annual tournament in New York City. Williams has surpassed Roger Federer's record with a 308th Grand Slam match win. This could be more than enough to count this day as a close to perfect one.
Fans at the Ashe Stadium court were expecting an all-Williams battle at the semifinals, however, the other Williams sister, Venus, exited the match early after losing a third-set tiebreaker. Labor Day weekend would have been close to perfect for the sisters, but Venus' dramatic defeat dampened the celebrations.
Just doing what she needs to do
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In an exclusive interview, Serena said that she just came out there to do what she needed to do. She mentioned that she was not overplaying, nor was she underplaying as well. She was simply trying to play her way through the US Open.
But a victory over Yaroslava Shvedova was no ordinary match for Serena. She never had a break point in a 68-minute, straight-set win with 11 aces plus an awesome 93 percent first-serve percentage. Serena also showed no signs of breaking down as she got the fastest serve in the tournament at 126 mph. She could not believe how consistently she was able to serve. She added that she owed it all to a tough summer.
Serena on Grand Slam win number 23
Serena admits that getting title number 23 is a huge undertaking and could be very significant for her. She said that it signifies how long she has been in the sport and how her career has been. According to the tennis superstar, she has been playing for a long time and given the consistency that she has exerted in the sport, she is very proud of herself.
Serena celebrates her 35th birthday at the end of the month and she said that she is also surprised that she is still playing tennis. She mentioned that she does not see herself stopping because at the moment, she is enjoying what she has accomplished.
Serena faces No. 5 Simona Halep
Simona Halep is Serena's first seeded opponent in the US Open. She expects that she would be facing No. 5's best at the quarterfinals. Halep has lost seven out of eight matches against Serena, but things could be different this time.
Serena said that she does not feel like herself yet when she is out there playing, but she vowed that she would surely come out soon.
