Roberta Vinci Defeats Serena Williams in Massive Upset, Ending Grand Slam Chase
By Jason Lisk
Serena Williams’ run at the Grand Slam was improbably denied by Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinal. Vinci, 32, was not seeded entering the tournament and reached her first career Grand Slam final. It was a masterful performance of wearing Serena down with long points and excellent defensive play, and keeping all the pressure on Serena to perform after Williams had charged out and won the first set.
Vinci’s exuberance and honesty after the match was also quite refreshing. Simply one of the biggest sports upsets in recent times, right up there with things like Tyson-Douglas, Giants over Patriots in the Super Bowl to end the undefeated season, and Duke over UNLV in 1991.