Australian Open | Serena clings to the dream of the 24th Grand Slam with a great game

Serena Williams is getting closer to realizing her dream of winning a 24th Grand Slam title that equals Margaret Court's absolute record. And not only because of the fact that she is already in the semifinals of the Australian Open (for the 30th time in majors) after beating Simona Halep by a double 6-3 in 81 minutes, but also because of the way in which she got there. . She has only lost one set so far this tournament, and it was against one of the youngest and fittest players on the circuit, Aryna Sabalenka., and this Tuesday she surpassed with an authority that was missed the world number two, champion in 2018 at Roland Garros and in 2019 at Wimbledon, where she passed over Serena in the final.

“I knew that against Halep I made a lot of mistakes when he beat me and I had a chance to play better, be in the game and keep it there”, he said curiously after winning with 33 failures, but with a new quality that was already seen against Sabalenka and that once again showed even more brilliance against Simona: defense. In the seventh game of the second set, Williams scored two sensation points from responding to his opponent's poisoned shipments and fought back to win them brilliantly and overwhelmingly. Before, when she was the absolute dominator of the circuit, she did not need to defend herself as much, but she is still capable of improving at 39, as the greats do.. “It is the best game I have played so far in the tournament. Patrick told me in a long conversation that I had to improve my defense and work on my movements. I can still improve quickly, which is very good for my game, “he said.

She will need that and more to face Osaka, her next rival, who had no problem eliminating the Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh., also with a double 6-3. “Naomi is very strong on the court and an inspiration off it. I've been watching her games and I'm sure she's seen mine. I'll keep trying to do my best. ” In a way, the Japanese is her most faithful reflection and she knows what it is to win it, as she did in that controversial final of the US Open 2018. Another great game is coming.

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