On quarter finals day at the Western and Southern Open of Cincinnati, the first WTA match of the day proved more one-sided than many had predicted, with Serena Williams storming past Jelena Jankovic in straight sets
But, at the start of the day, as both players took to a stunning blue court, with the sun shining down from a crisply coloured sky, there was sense of easy optimism from both players. Having struggled at the Grand Slams this year, Serena will surely be desperate to set this right at the US Open and as the players finished there warm up, one could see the classic iciness in the American’s eyes.
And almost instantly, she grabbed hold of the match and didn’t let go. On the first point, she stood in on a short second serve from the Serb, and cranked it past her flailing opponent. This merely set the tone. An intense opening game followed, with Jankovic struggling to assert herself on the match, with Serena consistently attacking any shot which wasn’t struck with perfection.
Several topsy-turvy rallies followed, and with Jankovic’s short shots being greeted by a gleeful Serena, who was not afraid to rush to the net. Sealing the break, and bringing the crowd to a respectful halt, it seemed the writing was already on the wall for the former Western and Southern Open winner.
Try as she might, Jankovic failed to offer any sort of resistance to an extremely steady Serena. With Patrick Mortoglou watching on in delight, she continued to take control of the rallies early on, punishing weak second serves and frightened returns.
She may not have been the omniscient Serena Williams, but she was an incredibly consistent one, hitting the ball with godlike ease and committing only a handful of unforced errors. Whereas, Jankovic, continued to seriously struggle, and as she sent a weak second serve towards Williams on set point, a fiery return could only be patted wide by the Serb as she gifted the third break and a comfortable opening set for her opponent.
At the changeover, Serena looked calm and easy, whilst Jankovic continued to mutter away to herself in her native tongue; thankfully for the broadcasters’ sake.
Into the second set the two women proceeded, Williams looking calm and Jankovic on edge. But, as the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving and the unfurling events suggested anything but. At fifteen all, Jankovic fired in a short return and Williams stepped up to the plate for some easy pickings but inexplicably, she fired the ball several feet wide.
Finding herself on the back foot, and suddenly a break point down, Williams benefitted from a timely call from the chair umpire. After a tense rally, Jankovic fired a ball straight at the feet of Williams who struggled to adjust and subsequently fired the ball into the foot of the net. As the Serb turned to celebrate a much needed game, a lonely call reverberated from the chair. ‘Out'. In shock, her hand immediately rose to the air, but the hawk-eye system proved the overrule was in fact the correct call. Needless to say, Williams served out the game on the next two points.
It seemed that this would prove the Serb’s last hurrah, and although she managed to hold on her next game - despite serving another double fault – it seemed more a matter of when rather than if.
But, those in Eastern Europe are made of stern stuff, and none come much sterner than Jankovic, and in the very next game, she again found herself on the front foot. With Williams visibly frustrated, she sent the break point long and suddenly found herself on the end of a service loss.
The newfound sense of optimism didn’t last long. Serena Williams broke back immediately and this time, the writing really did look on the wall.
As Jankovic reverted back to misfiring more balls than not, Williams stepped into the court and began to hit the ball with all of her 16 Grand Slam vigour, breaking Jankovic in the Serb’s next service game to move to within two games of the semifinals.
And after just over an hour of play, the victory was sealed for the America, serving the match out to three match points and remaining on course to win the Western and Southern Open for the very first time.
'It didn't seem fast...I was just trying to not make many errors and play the best that I could.' She told the crowd after the match.
And yes, she may have won comfortably today and in some style, but she is far from the deity she once was. Her footwork was clumsy, she looked off balance on too many shots and she is still having a hard time finding her depth. But she brushed aside a player who is an established name in the top ten with such an ease to suggest that a weak Serena is still an almighty one.
Western and Southern Open Quarter Final Result
[1] S Williams d. [8] J Jankovic 61 63