Serena Williams is just two victories from an elusive, record-setting 24th Grand Slam title. And the path to get there doesn’t look overly daunting.
Williams reached the Wimbledon semifinals Tuesday by gutting out a 6-4ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ, 4-6, 6-3 win over 55th-ranked Alison Riske. Willi🃏ams is now a better-than-even-money favorite to lift the trophy at 10/11 odds, according to Westgate Superbook.
The last time the 37-year-old Williams was this close to a Grand Slam crown, in the 2018 US Open 💞final, it devolved into .
But the Wimbledon draw has opened up for Williams after emerging from the toughest quarter of the women’s singles bracket, which also featured world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Angelique Kerber, who defeated Williams in last year’s final.
Next for Williams will be a semifinal match on Thursday against 54th-ranked Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic♓, who reached her first Grand Slam semi at age 33 and had recently mulled retirement.
“It sounds crazy it’s happening, but I can’t really believe it,” Strycova said after a 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over No. 19 seed Johanna Konta of Great Britain.
Williams’ potential opponents in the final are No. 7 Simona Halep and No. 8 Elina Svitolina, who meet in the other semifinal.
Svitolina is also into a Grand Slam semi for the first time. Likely the biggest threat to Williams’ 24th major title — which would tie Margaret Court’s record from another era, nearly 50 years prior — is Halep (title odds: 7/4), a former No. 1 who ended thꦅe ༒dream run of 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff.
But Halep plays her best tennis on slower, clay courts (she won the 2018 French Open), and has never reached a Wimbledon final. Willia💖ms has seven titles on the grass of the All-England Club and was runner-up three times.
Williams needed all of her shot-making, her reservoir of Centre Cour൩t experience and a quick hair adjustment to get past Riske, who had produced a stunning upset😼 of the red-hot Barty on Monday. Midway through the third set, as the wind played havoc, Williams pulled her hair into a tight bun and went about finishing off Riske with punishing efficiency.
“I just needed to get it out of the way, put the business bun up and just get to business,” Williams said. “I had to just button up and play hard. She was playing her heart out.”
Riske said, with a smile: “It was really, actually, very interesting for me to be on the opposite end, because I felt her up her game and her intensity. Yeah, I hope she takes the title now.”
There remains the remote possibility of Williams claiming two titles at this tournam꧙ent: She advanced later Tuesday to the final 16 in mixed doubles with dream-team ▨partner Andy Murray.
With AP