Serena Captures Number 20
Serena Williams proved that regardless of in sickness or in
health, she can still come out the last woman standing. The world number one
entered the 2015 French Open with questions regarding her elbow after was
forced to pull out of the mandatory event in Rome a week and a half before the
event. Throughout Roland Garros, it was evident that her elbow injury was still
a concern given her increased number of double faults, and lower than average
serve speed. However, the serving woes were the lesser of Serena Williams’
problems.
Beginning in the 2nd round, the world number one
appeared to be affected by an illness. Frequent coughing, along with a more
demonstrative demeanor were tell tale signs that Williams was not 100 percent. In
4 of her last 5 matches prior to the final, Williams dropped the opening set,
on the verge of an earlier than expected exit. Given the quality of opponent in
those matches (Azarenka, Stephens and Bacsinszky), Williams was still the favorite
to come out the victor. Furthermore, as the world number one has proven time
and time again, when there is a will, there is a way. Williams stepped up her
game, and overcame great adversity, especially in her semifinal match against
Bacsinszky, to get one step closer to her 20th major title.
Heading into the final, Williams was still hampered by the
flu. However, nerves overtook the illness as the biggest influence of her game.
Up 6-3 4-1 40-15, Williams in her own words “choked” the lead away. Before she
knew it, Williams had dropped the second set and found herself down 2-love the
in third. Clearly upset with herself, dropping a few f-bombs and other expletives
along the way, the world number one went on a tear, winning 6 straight games to
take the match. As Lucie Safarova mishandled the backhand to seal the match for
Williams, the now three-time French Open champion threw her arms up in triumph,
pumped that she conquered the tumultuous fortnight at Roland Garros.
One can argue that this title run was the most impressive of
Williams’ career. Why? The world number one faced a multitude of obstacles
along the way: from a challenging early round draw, to overwhelming health
concerns. However, Williams was able to handle the adversity and move one major
closer to matching Steffi Graf’s seemingly untouchable 22 majors. The world
number one has now won three consecutive majors (1 away from her 2nd Serena
Slam), and is half way to a calendar year slam. Serena Williams has shown us
time and time again that no matter how dire the circumstances; she can still
win the match. The 2015 French Open provided a textbook example of this fact.
Safarova’s Big Breakthrough
When I first watched Lucie Safarova play, I knew she had the
potential to be a top player in women’s tennis. She possessed a potent lefty
serve, a big forehand, and moved well. However, for a large part of the Czech’s
career, she fluctuated between 20 and 30 in the world. Between 2005 ad 2013,
Safarova made the second week of a major only ONCE (2007 French Open: 4th
round)! It wasn't until 2014 that, Safarova began to demonstrate the potential
that she possesses. The Czech made the second week at three of the four majors
in 2014, highlighted by a semifinal run at the All-England Club. Safarova’s
success last year proved that she is a potential dark horse to win a major.
When the draw was released for the 2015 French Open, the
prospect of a deep run for Safarova looked grim. Her projected draw included Sabine
Lisicki in the 3rd round, defending champion Maria Sharapova in the
4th round, Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals, and Simona
Halep in the semifinals. However, the run Safarova put together during the fortnight
was truly remarkable. In fact, she raced into her first grand slam final
without dropping a set! The two victories that were most impressive were her
wins over Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic.
Facing the defending champion in any event is no small feat,
especially one who has made three consecutive finals at Roland Garros. Safarova’s
Round of 16 match against Sharapova was an eye opener because of how often
Safarova dictated play throughout the match. Even though the Czech has the advantage
in movement, Sharapova’s clay-court prowess looked to be enough for the
defending champ to clinch the match. But that was not the case. Safarova
displayed a perfect balance of offense and defense to secure her first victory
of Maria Sharapova since 2010.
In the semifinal against 2008 champ Ana Ivanovic, nerves
were bound to play a major role in the outcome of the match. During the initial
stages, Ivanovic better handled her nerves, racing out to a 4-1 lead. However,
for the next set and a half, the tides had turned in favor of Safarova. The
Czech relaxed and played the all-around tennis that got her to her 2nd
career grand slam semifinal. Before tennis fans knew it, she was serving for a
spot in her 1st grand slam final at 5-4 in the second. It was at
this moment where I saw the transition from the old Lucie Safarova, to the new
and improved version. After holding
several match points at 5-4, Ivanovic broke serve to level the set. The old
Safarova would have let the match slip away. However, the improvements she has
made in her game over the last year helped her quickly refocus, break serve and
close out the match 7-5.
Many could argue that the old Safarova returned after she
squandered the 2-love lead to Serena Williams in the final. I on the other hand
couldn’t disagree more. As much as Serena Williams “choked” in the 2nd
set of the match, Safarova was able recognize the opportunity and she took advantage.
Being down such a large deficit in a major final against the best player of
all-time is something very few players have clawed there way back from. Safarova
nearly accomplished such a feat. As a result of making the final, Safarova
cracked the Top 10 for the 1st time, achieving a career-high ranking
of No. 7. At 28 years of age, Lucie Safarova is finally reaching the potential
I knew she was capable of.
Shake Up at the Top
The 2015 French Open brought about big changes at the top of
the women’s game. The fortnight resulted in players reaching highs, as well as
players stumbling in the rankings. Here are the ranking winners and losers of
the French Open.
Winners
- Petra
Kvitova: as a result of early losses from both Simona Halep (2nd
Round) and Maria Sharapova (4th Round), the 25-year-old leapfrogged
to the number two ranking, matching her career-high. As the defending Wimbledon
champion, being the number two seed would make her title defense a little
simpler because she would not have to face Serena Williams until the final. Timea
Bacsinszky ousted Kvitova in the 4th Round of the French Open.
- Lucie
Safarova: cracked the Top 10 for the first time, landing at No. 7. Safarova
shattered her previous career-high of No. 11 as a result of making her 1st
grand slam final. Her strong result in Paris should secure the 28-year-old a
Top 8 seed at the All-England Club in a few weeks.
- Timea Bacsinszky:
just two years ago, Bacsinszky was working at a hotel. Now, she is a grand
slam semifinalist, sitting at a career-high of No. 15. The Swiss number one is having
a breakout season: she won her 1st singles title (Acapulco); won 15 consecutive
matches; made her 1st grand slam semifinal (1st time in
the 2nd week of a major); and broke into the Top 20. Bacsinszky, who
is grateful to even be on the court, is playing the best tennis of her career.
Her passion and love of the game is truly a pleasure to watch.
- Elina
Svitolina: became the highest ranked Ukrainian ever as a result of her
quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros. Svitolina surpassed Alona Bonarenko’s
record of No. 19 when she landed at No. 17 in Monday’s rankings. The 20-year-old
has been a youngster to watch over the past few seasons. The rise of the
rankings for Svitolina has been steady; however, the Ukrainian has made huge
strides in 2015. For example, she pushed Serena Williams in a tight 3-set match
at the Australian Open, won her 3rd career singles title in
Marrakech and now made he 1st grand slam quarterfinal. Following her
strong result at the French Open, the former top junior is making her way up
the ranks of the women’s game.
Losers
- Maria
Sharapova: following her earliest exit at the French Open since 2010, the
Russian falls from No. 2 to No. 4 in the rankings. “Claypova,” as she has
become known by given her recent success on the surface, made three consecutive
finals at Roland Garros, winning 2 of them. Over the past 5 years, Sharapova
has been one of, if not the most consistent players on clay. In fact, since
2010, 10 of Sharapova’s 14 titles have come on the red dirt. Can the Russian
rebound on what has now become her worst surface, the grass? Given her champion
mentality, all signs indicate yes.
- Eugenie
Bouchard: the struggles continued for the breakout star of 2014 at Roland
Garros. The Canadian lost in the opening round to WTA rising star Kristina
Mladenovic 6-4 6-4. The loss was Bouchard’s eighth loss in 9 matches. To add
insult to injury, the 1st round loss resulted in Bouchard falling
from No. 6 to No. 11 in the rankings. The 21-year-old is defending finalist
points from Wimbledon last year. If Bouchard cannot rediscover the game that
helped her break into the Top 5 in the world, I expected her ranking to
continue its rapid descent.
