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Serena Williams
in action against Bacsinszky;
she came from behind to reach the French Open final
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Serena Williams survived another scare at the French Open as
the American battled back from a set down to beat Timea Bacsinszky and secure
her place in the final.
Williams has now come
from a set down to win four times at this tournament, trumping her previous
grand slam record of three, as the top seed showed her relentless fighting
spirit again to win 4-6 6-3 6-0.
The world number one will
now play Czech Lucie Safarova in the final as she bids to win her third title
at Roland Garros and 20th overall.
Williams was visibly under the weather throughout the
match on the Philippe Chatrier court, coughing and spluttering in between
points, but, as so often in her career, she found a way through.
"I thought I had lost but I found some energy and
I won," Williams said. "I hope I get better for Saturday. I feel
ill."
Williams also had to contend with a brilliant display
from Bacsinszky, who almost gave up tennis two years ago when she began an
internship in hotel management to work in restaurants.
It was Bacsinszky's first appearance in a grand slam
semi-final, but the Swiss showed no signs of nerves early on, serving an ace to
hold her first service game.
She more than held her own in the rallies too, taking
Williams' ground-shots as early as possible and pinning the American back with
a number of driving double handed backhands.
Bacsinszky's strong start was rewarded in the fifth
game as a brilliant drop-shot and lob opened up a second break point, which she
converted with another backhand winner to lead 3-2.
Williams' illness looked to be causing her more
discomfort by the game and the number one seed, breathing heavily, took every
change of ends to smother her head with ice towels.
It proved no distraction for Bacsinszky, however,
whose relentless hitting at the back and clever angles at the front made Williams
appear all the more sluggish and the Swiss served for the set at 5-4.
Two set points were saved by the American but a
forehand winner gave Bacsinszky a third opportunity, and this time she closed
out.
Williams dug deep at the start of the second set but
neither her illness nor Bacsinszky would let up and the Swiss clinched a break
point, the last of six in the fifth game, to lead 3-2.
The world number one came storming back, however, as
Bacsinszky's faultless hitting began to show cracks and Williams won four games
in a row to force a decider.
The momentum was now firmly in the top seed's favour
and two missed forehands from Bacsinszky, both with the court at her mercy,
gave Williams an immediate break.
The 19-time grand slam champion then clicked into
gear, winning the next five games in a row with some blistering tennis, to seal
a gutsy victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
Williams
will now play Safarova on Saturday after the Czech beat Serbian Ana Ivanovic
7-5 7-5 to go through to her first grand slam final.
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