MELBOURNE, Australia—It has been stifling hot in Melbourne as players and spectators alike guzzle down bottles of Evian just to stay cool and hydrated.
We start to get a little nostalgic at this time of the Grand Slam fortnight. Most players have left for their next tournaments, the panic for practice courts is not as frantic, and the need for energy bars is slim to none.
The remaining four in the ladies singles may not have any superpowers, but they can certainly play tennis. We have witnessed some solid groundies from the baseline, sharp volleys, powerful serving and some unlikely drama (on and off the court) to say the least. Three newbies join veteran Serena Williams in the semifinals.
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [7] vs. Dinara Safina (RUS) [3]
Vera started her previous match off slowly and was broken in her first service game. This was however the only blemish as she steamrolled Bartoli to win the last nine games and ultimately booked herself a semifinal place. This is Vera’s first semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam and based on current form, she is more than capable of progressing through to the night final on Saturday. Zvonareva appeared unfazed by the horrendous heat and looked somewhat refreshed (as one commentator put it).
Jelena Dokic’s fairytale run came to an end at the hands of the tournament’s third seed. The pair’s second meeting had Safina down as the favorite on paper, but Dokic as the favored player in the hearts of the Australians. Playing with a strapped ankle as a result of Sunday night’s stumble, it was a topsy turvy and scrappy affair on Rod Laver Arena. Safina served poorly (11 double faults and won only 38% of second serves) and her huge backswing caused many of the balls to fly pass the baseline. There were signs of nerves from her grunting, however once the sound effects stopped (albeit only for a few games), she started striking the ball more cleanly.
Safina is lucky to have beaten Dokic and will need to raise the level of her game to even have a chance against Zvonareva. Although many of us would like to see the number three seed win her breakthrough major in Australia, too many errors are coming off Safina’s racquet, and Vera will punish her as a result.
Vera Zvonareva in 3 sets
Elena Dementieva (RUS) [4] vs. Serena Williams (USA) [2]
It was hot when Carla Suarez Navarro and Elena walked out for their quarterfinal clash, and the Russian started like a house on fire by winning the first four games. It ended up being a whitewash as the Spaniard was unable to emulate her performance against Venus Williams. Elena ended up conceding only four games, moving comfortably into the semifinals for the first time.
It has been a long time coming. This is her tenth visit to Melbourne and she is undefeated in 2009 to date. If she reaches the final and ultimately wins the coveted Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, Dementieva will become the world number one. Talk about incentive.
The extreme rule policy came into play for the Kuznetsova-Williams match. Svetlana seemed to handle the conditions better than her counterpart. Serena looked heavy on her feet and who could blame her as it reached approximately 105 degrees during their match. Kuznetsova served for the match in the second set, but once the roof closed, Williams found her game and gained confidence to beat the Russian in three.
Elena had a convincing win over Williams at the Medibank International earlier this month and will be sure to have a mental edge over the American. However, Serena plays at her best when her back is up against the wall. The winner of this match will be difficult to pick.
Elena Dementieva in 2 sets
Tania Tchea is a tennis enthusiast and aspiring sports writer / presenter from Melbourne, Australia. She has experience working at the Commonwealth Games, FINA World Swimming Championships and other National Football Clubs, however her passion is tennis.
She has often been described as a Human Almanac of Tennis due to her strong knowledge of the game at a national and international level. Tania has previously worked for the Australian Open and Tennis Australia.
I want to see Vera win her breakthrough Major in Australia! It’s her first Major semi-final, but I give her a big edge, because Safina’s form in the quarter-finals was awful – she won only because Jelena Dokic was exhausted.
Vera is hitting the ball so sweetly, and her defence is so strong. She could go all the way here, and would certainly beat Safina on quarter-final form.
I’m really excited for tonight’s matches, because I think they’re incredibly unpredictable.
Zvonareva v. Safina: Zvonareva has been playing better tennis, but Safina is a great fighter. Zvonareva has never been this far in a major, Safina got to the French final last year. Prediction- Safina in 3.
Dementieva v. S. Williams: Substituting these names, the same could be said about these two players. Dementieva has been playing much better, but who can discount Serena’s fighting spirit, ability to raise her game, and her experience in Grand Slams? Betting for a Williams sister is dangerous (ex. Venus losing in the second round), but betting against can be even more so. Prediction- Serena in 3.
I’m looking forward to tonight’s matches as well. Hopefully, all four players bring their best games to the court. If so, it’ll be a great night.
I’m going to stick with my original pick of Safina and Dementieva reaching the final. I have not been impressed with Serena’s performance of late, but I do think Zvonareva could spring an upset and beat Safina.
Well, there goes my pick. One of these days, I’ll finally learn to quit picking against a Williams sister.
Dementieva did well, but those double-faults are killing her. I think this might have been her best shot at a major. Clay and grass have not been kind to Elena of late, so perhaps she might be able to challenge for the US Open.
I was rooting for Dementieva too! And I agrre, those double-faults did her in. It seems like a mental thing – she get an edge and then double-fault or do an unforced error.
The other side of the coin is that it seems the times when one thinks a WS will definitely win – they get upset.