U.S. Open Day 12 Preview: Serena, Wozniacki On Path for Title Match Showdown
Serena Williams is one of four players vying for a spot in the US Open title match on Friday as the two women’s singles semifinal matches get underway later today from Flushing Meadows. The two-time defending champion Serena will take on 17th seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova, while 10th seeded Caroline Wozniacki looks to end the magic run of unseeded Shuai Peng of China.
The first semifinal will feature Wozniacki and Peng who have met six times prior to this match. The two will begin around 1:45 p.m. on Ashe as Peng seeks entry into her first Grand Slam final of her career while Wozniacki looks to continue her resurgence this summer and get back to the US Open final.
Wozniacki owns the head-to-head matchup between the two, winning five of the six meetings overall, with her only loss to Peng coming on the hard-courts of Toronto back in 2007. Despite being ranked number one in the world at one point, the Dane is still in search of her first career Grand Slam title. She has looked awfully impressive thus far in Queens, outlasting Maria Sharapova in a tight three-setter, and steamrolling Sara Errani in the quarterfinals. The 10th seed from Denmark is playing with a new-found confidence and adding an aggressive style to her already elite defensive skills.
To reach the final she will have to upend China’s Peng, who has surprised many with her run to the final four this week. The 29-year old has knocked off three-seeded players so far including fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, and will look to add to that list when she meets the 10th seeded Wozniacki. She has used an attack-the-net style to get to this point which makes for a unique matchup against Wozniacki’s defensive style.
In the semifinal match following this one, five-time US Open champion Serena Williams to try and exact some revenge on Ekaterina Makarova, who ended her doubles run along with partner Elena Vesnina. The top-ranked American has won three of the four head-to-head meetings with Makarova including a Round of 32 victory back in the 2012 US Open.
This is the first Grand Slam semifinal appearance for Makarova, who upended two-time finalist Victoria Azarenka in the quarters. She has never beaten a world number one player and will have to change that if she wants in to the finals. Her opponent has dropped just 22 games all-tournament long and carries into the match a 77-9 record at the US Open.
Before these semifinals get underway, the mixed double final will be played on the Ashe court. American Abigail Spears and partner Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico will face off against India’s Sania Mirza and Bruno Soares of Mexico, the tournament’s top seed who won the US Open back in 2012.
A couple New York locals will be in action today during the semifinals of the Women’s Collegiate Inviational. Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., who trains at the Sportime Randalls Island, matches up with Danielle Rose Collins. Loeb plays her collegiate tennis at the University of North Carolina, while Rose Collins plays for the University of Virginia. Another Virginia Cavalier, Julie Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y., will take on Kristie Ahn for a spot in the finals.
Click here for the complete schedule of Day 12 action at the U.S. Open.
