Serena Williams waves to the crowd after her semifinal match against Barbora Strycova at Wimbledon 2019 on July 11, 2019 in London, England.
Serena Williams is now just two winning sets away from the historic 24th Grand Slam title she’s been chasing since returning to competition last year.
With her 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory over Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, Williams now advances to her 11th Wimbledon final. She’ll face No. 7 Simona Halep as she tries to win her eighth Wimbledon title, which would tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories, on Saturday morning.
“I just needed some matches and every match I know that I’m improving,” Williams said of her progression in the tournament in a television interview after the conclusion of the semifinal. “I just needed to feel good and now that I feel good, I can do what I do best, which is play tennis.”
Williams has come close to that No. 24 over the past year, reaching the final at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 but falling short on both occasions. Her last Grand Slam title was the Australian Open in 2017, in which she played while pregnant, making this the longest span between Grand Slam wins in her career.
Standing between Williams and the final this year was the 37-year-old Strycova, who became the oldest first-time Wimbledon semifinalist heading into this match.
Williams’ full power was on display in the first set as she cruised to a 6-1 win. Williams actually trailed in the deciding game, 40-0, on serve but rather than allowing Strycova to break her and continue the set, Williams answered with five straight points and an ace to close it out.
Strycova took a 2-1 advantage in the second set but that would be the last game she’d win as Williams made quick work of the remaining match.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
