Serena Williams went down a set and a break against the clever and inspiring Tsvetana Pironkova. But her long-familiar will hovered over the proceedings on Wednesday.
That match record stood at 355-50 by Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. Open quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium, when Williams went down a set and a break against the clever and inspiring Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. But even as Pironkova unleashed an eye-pleasing variety with her lobs, her chop forehands and her tour-renowned backhand, Williams’s long-familiar will hovered over the proceedings.
Heading for a semifinal Thursday night against — wait, no way — a resurgent Azarenka, who beat Elise Mertens, 6-1, 6-0, Williams continues to walk the grinding walk of trying to match Margaret Court at a record 24 Grand Slam titles. Even though the 39th birthday awaiting her later this month seemed to groan from the near future early against Pironkova, everyone knew Williams’ will was on her way, even if it’s a small everyone in an empty stadium.
That’s partly because long before this deepest match in Grand Slam history between two mothers, Pironkova, too, already had made the long comeback-victim list. Her 2007 first-round French Open match with Williams. So with that peerless knack for repairing her game on the fly, Williams went there again: 11 unforced errors and zero backhand winners in the first set, nine and two in the second, a puny four and a mighty nine in the third.
The aces joined the symphony, 20 of them, including three in a row to close out the second set: 110 mph wide, 99 mph wide with a kick, 106 mph center. Williams: “You know, sometimes when I’m serving, I just tell myself I don’t care if my arm falls off.” Pironkova: “It’s very hard to resist against strength like that. I’m not sure how many miles an hour was her serve” — 124 at highest — “but it felt like a bomb at one point.
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