A 33 year old will play the women’s singles final on Saturday at the US Open, but it won’t be Serena Williams. What’s more, the player will face an opponent who is 32. Their combined age – 65. Number of previous Grand Slam singles finals – 0.
The two first-time finalists both grew up in Puglia, Italy, around the same time. After the two semi-finals ended on Friday, one’s mother called the other’s family to exchange congratulations. Sixteen years ago Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci won the girls’ doubles event at the French Open. On Saturday, they will play for the biggest title of their lives. It is fair to say that this is a moment neither dared to dream of even a few days ago.
On Friday morning, awaiting the start of the two semi-finals that had been rescheduled from Thursday evening due to rain, no one in the world could have predicted that two veterans, in the twilight of their careers, were going to defeat the top two players in the world to set up the first ever all-Italian Grand Slam final. Perhaps that’s why Vinci had reserved her plane ticket to fly home after the match. Those plans had to be changed.
The Italian job
Serena Williams’ loss to Vinci is being described as a momentous upset, one of the biggest the world of sport has ever seen. Before this year’s US Open began, bookmakers gave Vinci 300-to-one odds to win the title. According to early reports, just one person is known to have put $10 on Vinci on Betfair, the world’s largest Internet betting exchange. In the post-match on-court interview, ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi asked Vinci, "When you woke up this morning, what gave you the belief that this moment was possible?" Vinci replied, “No.” That pretty much summed up everyone’s expectations going into the match. It also was an apt, if ironic, description of everyone’s reactions after the match. No.
After a couple of shaky sets early in the tournament where Serena’s serve and nerve looked less than solid, she seemed back on track this week. Once her biggest competitors, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, lost in the quarterfinals, only world number two Simona Halep was thought to stand in her way. Surely the two would meet in the final, where Williams would prevail. It was inevitable. She was four sets away from history. The calendar Grand Slam was about to be conquered for the first time in 27 years. Rumour had it that Steffi Graf was going to be present at the presentation ceremony on Saturday evening. Tickets for the women’s final were selling at an average price of $1,529 in the middle of the week. New York was ready.
But, first things first. Amidst the furore surrounding Williams, it’s easy to forget that the other Italian caused an upset too. Halep was the in-form player and world number two who had given Williams a tough fight just two weeks ago in Cincinnati. But Flavia Pennetta took her out in straight sets in the first semi-final, leading all to believe that the stars were aligning perfectly for Serena.
The American took the court on the fourteenth anniversary of 9/11, with all of America feeling emotional about what seemed imminent. When she won the first set, it looked like a routine victory. Serena had never lost a set to Vinci before in four encounters. Perhaps Serena herself began to think of the final, and how little stood in her way now. Then suddenly Vinci started playing better, slicing and dicing, and slowly Serena began to tighten up. Still, when she broke her opponent right away in the third set, the millions watching on Arthur Ashe stadium and across the world must have thought she was going to do what she always does – raise her game to another level and brush Vinci aside. But Vinci had other ideas and Serena looked decidedly nervous at times. The Italian hung in there and pulled off a miracle, plunging the spectators and Americans watching at home into grief. Serena left the court and stadium in a hurry, while Vinci delivered one of the most entertaining and genuine post-match interviews of all time.
Pressure
The days to come will yield much discussion of Serena Williams, who is without a doubt one of the greatest athletes ever. She’s had a remarkable season at the age of 33. In the end, the nonstop pressure on her to win the Grand Slam and equal Graf’s record of 22 majors was simply too much. Even though at her post-match press conference she denied having felt any pressure, both her coach and her mother admitted that that was not the case. Serena proved to be human after all. In this era of social media, winning all four Grand Slams in a single year seems to be an almost impossible feat. But as Chris Evert said after the match, it’s not just the pressure but also the depth in women’s tennis that makes this so difficult.
That depth was on display in the semi-finals. Vinci said in her interview, apologizing to the American crowd for ruining their party, “Today is my day, sorry guys.” In truth it was not just her day but her childhood rival’s as well. Evert apologised on TV yesterday to both the Italians for underestimating them so completely. All of us owe them an apology. Ticket prices for the women’s final have dropped 83 per cent after Serena’s loss. But that undermines the tournament, the sport, and arguably the greatest moment in the lives of these two Italian women.
Pennetta was the first woman from her country to reach the top 10 in singles and to be ranked number 1 in doubles. After a wrist injury in 2013, she nearly retired, before scoring a surprise victory at Indian Wells last year. She has had reasonable success at the US Open before now, making the quarters four times and the semis in 2013. This year she beat former champion Sam Stosur and two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, before defeating Halep quite easily in the semifinal. Maybe she’s been inspired a little by her boyfriend Fabio Fognini who upset Rafael Nadal in the third round here. But at 33, she’s been playing some of her best tennis. The 26th seed might even be the favourite in the final against her unseeded compatriot.
Roberta Vinci’s game is a refreshing change from the power hitting all around her. Like Pennetta, she is a former world number 1 in doubles. (She was replaced in April 2015 by India’s Sania Mirza.) On the court Vinci showed her variety against Williams, using lobs and drop shots to beguile her opponent. Her game reminds one of compatriot Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion, and of Martina Hingis who was known for her guile, not her power. But, ranked number 43 in the world, Vinci is reeling from by far the biggest win of her career. It will not be easy to calm down after Friday’s sensational upset and focus again for the final. She played a much more intense and longer match that ended later than Panetta’s. All things considered, Pennetta might have a slight edge going into the final. But the crowd is likely to get behind Vinci, who endeared herself to them with her on-court interview on Friday. Whatever the result, their contrasting styles and combined excitement should make this a fun match to watch.
Italian tennis reporter Ubaldo Scanagatta has said that he never expected to see these two play each other in a Grand Slam final. “It’s honestly unbelievable” he said. But this is the greatness of sport. Unlike any movie or book, no one knows the ending. Anything can happen. And on September 12, in New York, one first-time Grand Slam finalist will hold up the champion’s trophy. The other, a childhood friend, will hold up the runner’s up trophy. And both families and will celebrate no matter who wins. Because Italy has already won.
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The two first-time finalists both grew up in Puglia, Italy, around the same time. After the two semi-finals ended on Friday, one’s mother called the other’s family to exchange congratulations. Sixteen years ago Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci won the girls’ doubles event at the French Open. On Saturday, they will play for the biggest title of their lives. It is fair to say that this is a moment neither dared to dream of even a few days ago.
On Friday morning, awaiting the start of the two semi-finals that had been rescheduled from Thursday evening due to rain, no one in the world could have predicted that two veterans, in the twilight of their careers, were going to defeat the top two players in the world to set up the first ever all-Italian Grand Slam final. Perhaps that’s why Vinci had reserved her plane ticket to fly home after the match. Those plans had to be changed.
The Italian job
Serena Williams’ loss to Vinci is being described as a momentous upset, one of the biggest the world of sport has ever seen. Before this year’s US Open began, bookmakers gave Vinci 300-to-one odds to win the title. According to early reports, just one person is known to have put $10 on Vinci on Betfair, the world’s largest Internet betting exchange. In the post-match on-court interview, ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi asked Vinci, "When you woke up this morning, what gave you the belief that this moment was possible?" Vinci replied, “No.” That pretty much summed up everyone’s expectations going into the match. It also was an apt, if ironic, description of everyone’s reactions after the match. No.
After a couple of shaky sets early in the tournament where Serena’s serve and nerve looked less than solid, she seemed back on track this week. Once her biggest competitors, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, lost in the quarterfinals, only world number two Simona Halep was thought to stand in her way. Surely the two would meet in the final, where Williams would prevail. It was inevitable. She was four sets away from history. The calendar Grand Slam was about to be conquered for the first time in 27 years. Rumour had it that Steffi Graf was going to be present at the presentation ceremony on Saturday evening. Tickets for the women’s final were selling at an average price of $1,529 in the middle of the week. New York was ready.
But, first things first. Amidst the furore surrounding Williams, it’s easy to forget that the other Italian caused an upset too. Halep was the in-form player and world number two who had given Williams a tough fight just two weeks ago in Cincinnati. But Flavia Pennetta took her out in straight sets in the first semi-final, leading all to believe that the stars were aligning perfectly for Serena.
The American took the court on the fourteenth anniversary of 9/11, with all of America feeling emotional about what seemed imminent. When she won the first set, it looked like a routine victory. Serena had never lost a set to Vinci before in four encounters. Perhaps Serena herself began to think of the final, and how little stood in her way now. Then suddenly Vinci started playing better, slicing and dicing, and slowly Serena began to tighten up. Still, when she broke her opponent right away in the third set, the millions watching on Arthur Ashe stadium and across the world must have thought she was going to do what she always does – raise her game to another level and brush Vinci aside. But Vinci had other ideas and Serena looked decidedly nervous at times. The Italian hung in there and pulled off a miracle, plunging the spectators and Americans watching at home into grief. Serena left the court and stadium in a hurry, while Vinci delivered one of the most entertaining and genuine post-match interviews of all time.
Pressure
The days to come will yield much discussion of Serena Williams, who is without a doubt one of the greatest athletes ever. She’s had a remarkable season at the age of 33. In the end, the nonstop pressure on her to win the Grand Slam and equal Graf’s record of 22 majors was simply too much. Even though at her post-match press conference she denied having felt any pressure, both her coach and her mother admitted that that was not the case. Serena proved to be human after all. In this era of social media, winning all four Grand Slams in a single year seems to be an almost impossible feat. But as Chris Evert said after the match, it’s not just the pressure but also the depth in women’s tennis that makes this so difficult.
That depth was on display in the semi-finals. Vinci said in her interview, apologizing to the American crowd for ruining their party, “Today is my day, sorry guys.” In truth it was not just her day but her childhood rival’s as well. Evert apologised on TV yesterday to both the Italians for underestimating them so completely. All of us owe them an apology. Ticket prices for the women’s final have dropped 83 per cent after Serena’s loss. But that undermines the tournament, the sport, and arguably the greatest moment in the lives of these two Italian women.
Pennetta was the first woman from her country to reach the top 10 in singles and to be ranked number 1 in doubles. After a wrist injury in 2013, she nearly retired, before scoring a surprise victory at Indian Wells last year. She has had reasonable success at the US Open before now, making the quarters four times and the semis in 2013. This year she beat former champion Sam Stosur and two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, before defeating Halep quite easily in the semifinal. Maybe she’s been inspired a little by her boyfriend Fabio Fognini who upset Rafael Nadal in the third round here. But at 33, she’s been playing some of her best tennis. The 26th seed might even be the favourite in the final against her unseeded compatriot.
Roberta Vinci’s game is a refreshing change from the power hitting all around her. Like Pennetta, she is a former world number 1 in doubles. (She was replaced in April 2015 by India’s Sania Mirza.) On the court Vinci showed her variety against Williams, using lobs and drop shots to beguile her opponent. Her game reminds one of compatriot Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion, and of Martina Hingis who was known for her guile, not her power. But, ranked number 43 in the world, Vinci is reeling from by far the biggest win of her career. It will not be easy to calm down after Friday’s sensational upset and focus again for the final. She played a much more intense and longer match that ended later than Panetta’s. All things considered, Pennetta might have a slight edge going into the final. But the crowd is likely to get behind Vinci, who endeared herself to them with her on-court interview on Friday. Whatever the result, their contrasting styles and combined excitement should make this a fun match to watch.
Italian tennis reporter Ubaldo Scanagatta has said that he never expected to see these two play each other in a Grand Slam final. “It’s honestly unbelievable” he said. But this is the greatness of sport. Unlike any movie or book, no one knows the ending. Anything can happen. And on September 12, in New York, one first-time Grand Slam finalist will hold up the champion’s trophy. The other, a childhood friend, will hold up the runner’s up trophy. And both families and will celebrate no matter who wins. Because Italy has already won.
