2013 French Open: Serena Williams Beats Svetlana Kuznetsova, French Open Ghosts

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 4, 2013

commentComment        

Serena Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 French Open.

After hitting a winner to seal the victory, Williams celebrated like she had won the French Open.

Perhaps the extra exuberance came from beating back Kuznetsova and some ghosts of Roland Garros. 

Williams had not moved beyond the quarterfinals since 2003. Last year she lost in the first round. Down 0-2 in the third set, it appeared Williams might get bounced again, in the quarterfinals.

But she gathered herself and like so many times, Williams dug deep to fight her way out of trouble.

It was a fierce battle. Finally, the women delivered a Grand Slam-worthy match like those we've seen all week on the men's draw.



It took Williams and Kuznetsova, two players with all-around games, both shot makers, to raise the woeful level of play on the women's side.

What a treat to see two crafty veterans plotting and playing at their best. 

Kuznetsova was perhaps the biggest roadblock standing in the way of Williams winning another French Open title. 

On paper it looked like a gimmie; the heavily favored No. 1 Williams against an unseeded player. But anyone who follows tennis knows Kuznetsova is more than some unseeded player. She has two Grand Slams.

Kuznetsova is a far better clay-court player than Williams. She grew up on clay. She is No. 11 on the WTA's all-time money leaders. She returned to the tour this year after missing six months with a knee injury. 

After dropping the first set 1-6, Kuznetsova outplayed Williams in many respects. The angles and drop shots she dished out to Williams were simply "Nadalian."

She put pressure on Williams, who struggled with her serve.

Kuznetsova came in with a superb game plan and was able to execute it. She was not intimidated by Williams. S...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!