Reuters
If it wasn't for technology, Serena Williams might be out of the tournament. In what Savannah tweeted the Hawk Eye Set, Serena used the replay system to challenge a let cord winner Elena Dementieva struck on a break point to potentially hold serve. But her shot landed millimeters outside the sideline and Serena served for, and closed out, the second set, after fending off two break points at 15-40 and another two at ad. Serena struck an ace out wide to save the third, but Elena challenged unsuccessfully. At deuce, Serena served an ace up the T that landed smack on the line. Another Elena challenge showed us so, and now the Russian was out of challenges. Another ace and the dramatic second act was finally over.
Earlier, at 3-4 in the set, down a break point on her own serve thanks to a double fault, Serena struck a forehand on the run down the line that looked out to the naked eye. Elena, who would be serving for the match, challenged the call, but technology showed a millimeter of the ball was touching the outside corner of the sideline while landing squarely on the baseline.
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Pinpoint accuracy.
Serena fought off another break point with another clutch forehand winner, this one cross court. When she finally held after a backhand volley winner and a body serve Elena couldn't fight off, I exhaled, my heart still racing. I remained glued to my couch, laptop on lap, without even getting up to make a cup of coffee. Good thing. I never needed to relieve my bladder, and if I did, something tells me I still wouldn't have budged.
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It was the most gripping drama I've seen on a tennis court since last year's men's final. This War of Nerves, as someone else called it, needed an intermission between the second and third acts. Well. I needed on anyway. Even though I couldn't fathom Serena losing, I had no idea who would prevail 50 minutes into the final set, which is about how long it took for Venus Williams to embarrass Dinara Safina to the loss of a single game in the other semifinal. That thing was over before most of the fans had time to get back to their seats after hanging from their edges for nearly three hours.
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Pathetic.
To quote our own pompelmo, "A grissino and a bagel. Bon apetite Dinara."
My admiration for the other Russian just rose by several rungs. I've always liked that she's not intimidated by anybody on the court, and certainly not by Serena. I knew she would mount a challenge and would have the best chance for the upset. But I had no idea she would execute a champion's game for that long. She's gotten the best of Serena in three-setters before because Serena runs out of gas against her. But today, Serena made Elena have to earn the final set and she almost did, but Serena saved a match point at the net, which was stupendous because she played like an amateur in the forecourt for most of the match. Still, Elena kept coming and never backed away. Using it to fight back from 0-40 at 3-4 in the opening set, her serve was a revelation. Serena couldn't handle it. And yet Elena read Serena's serve like a large-print manuscript, those 20 aces notwithstanding. Her Olympic Gold makes her a champion and she showed it today. She left it all on the lawns.
Reuters
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At 2 hours and 49 minutes, the longest women’s semifinal in the Open Era at Wimbledon, the match was much closer than the 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6 scoreline suggests.
It was outrageous.
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