NEW YORK – Serena Williams already was struggling to keep up in a fast-paced U.S. Open semifinal when she stopped behind the baseline after a third-set point and leaned over. She held that pose for a bit, then clutched at her lower left leg and asked for a trainer.
While Williams took a medical timeout for a tape job for what she later said was trouble with an Achilles’ tendon – her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam singles title seemingly slipping away – her opponent, Victoria Azarenka, sat in a sideline seat, eyes closed, calm and composed as can be.
After a delay of about five minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium, action resumed, and while Williams raised the force of her shots and the volume of her shouts, it was Azarenka who finished off a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory to return to a major championship final for the first time since 2013.
The loss left Williams just short of No. 24 yet again. She was beaten in the finals of four of the preceding seven major championships, including at Flushing Meadows in the past two U.S. Opens.
“Maybe I took a little too much off the gas pedal at some point,” Williams said.