Those wondering about Serena Williams' readiness to win this year's US Open should no longer be wondering after Serena's first two matches in New York.
She won her first round match on Monday by the score of 6-1, 6-1 and she followed that up with a 6-0, 6-1 victory on Thursday. Her outstanding play, coupled with the losses of several top players, will make it easy for her to take home yet another US Open title.
The saying goes that when Serena Williams is playing well, there isn't a player on the WTA Tour that can beat her. We hadn't seen that Serena Williams in quite some time, but she is back in a big way now.
She is moving exceptionally well and her serve is as powerful as ever. Most importantly, she seems confident that her body will hold up like she needs it to. That has been a question in the recent past and no player can be successful when they don't trust that their body will hold up.
With how well she is playing, it probably doesn't matter who she plays, but she has caught some breaks in the draw. Two rounds have not yet been completed and there are already several ranked players like Li Na, Marion Bartoli, Kaia Kanepi, Daniela Hantuchova, Yanina Wickmayer, Agnieszka Radwanska, Dominika Cibulkova and Petra Kvitova have been eliminated.
That's to say nothing of her sister Venus, who had to withdraw from the tournament after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto-immune disorder.
Of the players left in the draw, none seem capable of beating Serena.
Caroline Wozniacki is the top-ranked player in the world, but that has more to do with her willingness to play a ton of tournaments and less to do with great tournament results. She has yet to deliver a Grand Slam title.
Maria Sharapova has the game to match Serena, but she often seems too busy getting in her own way to be successful. Her serve is all over the place and her unforced errors are excessive .
Her best challenger might end up being Vera Zvonareva. She is the second-ranked player in the world, but she is overlooked by her more decorated and outgoing counterparts.
Williams is in top shape and she is in rare form. It will take a truly special effort to beat her and I don't think there is a player out there that has that level of play in them.
Phil Hughes Damaso Marte Mariano Rivera Kerry Wood Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller
No comments:
Post a Comment