Viva Vinci: Serena Stunned to Set Up All-Italian U.S. Open Final

Italian Roberta Vinci pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tennis history on Friday, beating Serena Williams 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to end the American’s hopes of winning the Calendar Slam, and setting up an all-Italian U.S. Open final as she faces Flavia Pennetta.

It looked like it would be smooth sailing for Serena early on. Despite falling down a break 1-2, she responded with a break to even things up and reeled off five games in a row to take the opener 6-2.

But the tide began to turn in the second set. Serena’s errors began piling up and Vinci used her backhand slice to coax the world number one into some unforced errors. She got the lone break of the second set, hitting just four unforced errors to force the match into a deciding third.

And still, it seemed as if Serena was still in control. She broke in Vinci’s first service game for a 2-0 advantage. The Italian broke right back and the set would remain on serve until Vinci broke yet again for a 4-3 lead.

She would serve for the match at 5-4, and hit a couple of drop shots in that game that were unbelievable and too much for Serena. The Italian closed it out on her first match point for one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history.

“This is like a dream,” she told ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi on-court. “I beat Serena. I’m in a Grand Slam final. It’s the best moment of my life.”

Serena committed 32 unforced errors in the final two sets, and even though she said in her post-match press conference that she didn’t feel any pressure, some of her mistakes looked like a result of nerves.

“I don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me," said Serena in her post-match press conference. "I thought she played the best tennis in her career. She’s 33 and she's going for it at a late age. That's good for her to keep going for it and playing so well.”

The final will be the first ever Grand Slam final between two Italians, and will be played at noon EST Saturday. In nine previous meetings, Pennetta holds a slight 5-4 advantage, with their last meeting back in 2013 in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, a 6-4, 6-1 win for Pennetta.

"It will be a tough match for both of us tomorrow," said Vinci of Pennetta. "We know each other for a long time. I played against her three or four years ago and I lost on center court. I remember that I was completely scared, like a little bit blocked. I didn't play and didn't play in that case. I hope that tomorrow—of course I will do my best. I hope to play my game, and not so stressed or tight … because it's a finals. It's normal. Come on, enjoy. That's it!"