Serena Williams Beats Shaughnessy To Reach Semi-Finals

Serena Williams survived a scare at the JPMorgan Chase Open today in order to reach the semi-finals. That scare came in the form of fellow American, Meghann Shaughnessy.

Serena Williams has been off her stride as of late. Williams had to battle it out with Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova in the round of 16 just to make her quarter-final appearance. Hantuchova took the first set before Serena rallied to take the match. Today saw much the same scenario occur, as Williams advanced 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

An unseeded Meghann Shaughnessy came into the match as a heavy underdog. The first set saw a back and forth battle, though it looked as though Serena was in control. Williams was forced into a tiebreak, with the set drawn 6-6. Williams managed to garner four break points during the opening set, but couldn’t close any of them. Eventually, Shaughnessy came from behind 4-2 in the tiebreak to take the first set with an impressive serve, forcing an error from the former top seed.

While Meghann Shaughnessy was able to regain her stride in the first set, Williams upped the tempo for the second set, leaving Shaughnessy behind. Williams threw down some powerful ground strokes and applied pressure at the end. The result of Willliams’ good form was three successful break points, ending the second set at 6-1. With the sets drawn even at one apiece, Williams kept the pressure going.

In the third and decisive set, both players managed to hold serve, bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of Williams. Williams then broke Shaughnessy’s serve using her skill to force Shaughnessy to run around the court. With the score 5-3, Serena Williams was serving for the match.

Serena Williams looked like she was about to coast into the semi-finals when things started going wrong. Shaughnessy began to play with a sense of desperation, which Williams could not hold off. Eventually, Shaughnessy broke Williams’ serve, with the help of Serena’s first double-fault of the match. The double-fault came in stark contrast to Williams’ serving throughout the match, which landed her 12 aces in total. Despite the setback, Williams was not about to throw in the towel.

Serena regrouped after her double-fault, and collected herself into top form. Shaughnessy began missing her first serves, and Williams pounced all over the weak second serves sent her way. Williams found herself about to break Shaughnessy for the match, when Shaughnessy returned the favor previously delivered by Williams, double-faulting on match point.

In reaction to the match, Shaughnessy was quoted by Forbes as saying “It's very disappointing not to be able to come through," she said. "I'm hitting the ball well and it's just a matter of stepping it up at that key time. It's all mental. I just need to believe”

The JPMorgan Chase Open marks Serena’s return to the court, and only her third event of the year. Serena was forced to take time off due to a knee injury, but is now back in form. Serena Williams was cheered on by her sister, Venus, who is resting an injured wrist. Williams’ parents were also in attendance to support her, as was former LA Lakers play Rick Fox and former Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis.

Looking forward to the semi-finals of the JPMorgan Chase Open Serena Williams will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between 10th seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and fellow countrywoman, 16th seed Jelena Jankovic. Meanwhile, the other big star of the tournament left, Maria Sharapova, who is seeking her second consecutive WTA Tour title, is slated to take on Dinara Safina of Russia in the late quarterfinal match tonight.

[Additional Sources: Forbes]