Serena Williams’ wish to win her 24th Grand Slam singles title came to an abrupt end after Victoria Azarenka won her in the semi-finals of the US Open that took place recently.
Serena won the first set 6-1 but Victoria won the last two sets 6-3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to set up US Open final encounter with Naomi Osaka.
Williams, who has not added to her 23 Grand Slam titles since winning the 2017 Australian Open got her ankle jarred in the final set.
While talking about the loss, she explained that the defeat was “obviously disappointing” as she won’t relent in her effort to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam singles titles.
She added: “At the same time … I did what I could today. I feel like other times I’ve been close and I could have done better. Today I felt like I gave a lot.”
Following her victory, Azarenka said her mental game was crucial in beating the 38-year-old Williams.
She said: “I have been working on finding a calm mind and keep the body going.
“She dug me in a big hole in the first set. I needed to find energy to climb out of the hole and it wasn’t easy.”
