Serena Williams, Roland Garros 2015

Williams and Safarova roads to the Roland Garros 2015 final

June 6, 2015 · Leave a Comment 

Serena Williams road to the final

Much tougher than expected for Serena Williams who rallied four times (!) from one set down to reach the final. The best-ranked player she faced being Sara Errani, seeded 17. Sick in the semifinals, she beat the surprising Swiss Timea Bacsinszky after much drama.

Round Opponent Score
R1 Andrea Hlavackova 6-2 6-3
R2 Anna-Lena Friedsam 5-7 6-3 6-3
R3 Victoria Azarenka [27] 3-6 6-4 6-2
R4 Sloane Stephens 1-6 7-5 6-3
QF Sara Errani [17] 6-1 6-3
SF Timea Bacsinszky [23] 4-6 6-3 6-0

Serena will be the huge favorite to lift the trophy on Saturday. That what she said about the pressure to be the player to beat year after year:

It’s not easy. Some days I feel it and the pressure gets to you. It’s kind of hard when you go to every single match and you’re the favourite to win and it’s bigger news when you lose than when you win. But there’s one thing that I learned when I was really young, when I had an opportunity to work with Billie Jean King. She said “Pressure is a privilege”. I’m in a position of privilege to be able to feel that pressure.

Lucie Safarova’s road to the final

Lucie Safarova

Round Opponent Score
R1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 7-6
R2 Kurumi Nara 6-2 6-0
R3 Sabine Lisicki [20] 6-3 7-6
R4 Maria Sharapova [2] 7-6 6-4
QF Garbine Muguruza [21] 7-6 6-3
SF Ana Ivanovic [7] 7-5 7-5

A Wimbledon semifinalist last year, Lucie Safarova reached her first Grand Slam final without losing a set, an impressive feat when you look at the players she faced: defending champion Maria Sharapova, Sabine Lisicki, Garbine Muguruza… She beat Ana Ivanovic 7-5 7-5 in the semifinals, after an nerve-wrecking end of match. Watch Lucie’s joy after the last point:

A popular player on the WTA tour, Safarova was congratulated by current and former players on Twitter after her victory over Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals:

Asked if the “good girl” could win the title she said:

I hope so. I think sport should be about fair play. I think people should be nice to each other. Doesn’t matter if it’s in sports or in general. So that’s what I’m trying to do, even here. I have a few good friends on tour. It’s not easy when you play them, but that’s life.

Serena Williams – Lucie Safarova head to head: 8-0

Lucie Safarova has never beaten Serena Williams in eight meetings. Their most disputed match was in fact their first back in 2007, won by Serena 7-6 in the third.

Year Tournament Surface Winner Score
2014 Beijing R16 Hard Serena Williams 6-1 1-6 6-2
2014 Montreal R16 Hard Serena Williams 7-5 6-4
2013 Charleston QF Clay Serena Williams 6-4 6-1
2012 Charleston F Clay Serena Williams 6-0 6-1
2011 Toronto QF Hard Serena Williams 4-6 6-3 6-2
2009 Toronto QF Hard Serena Williams 6-3 6-2
2007 Miami R32 Hard Serena Williams 6-3 6-4
2007 Hobart R16 Hard Serena Williams 6-3 3-6 7-6

So, epic battle or routine win? Serena or Lucie? Who do you think will win? Please share your thoughts.
I’ll be watching the final at Roland Garros tomorrow and I’ll be rooting for Safarova, hoping she won’t be taken by nerves.

Who will win Roland Garros 2015?

  • Serena Williams (43%, 105 Votes)
  • Maria Sharapova (30%, 73 Votes)
  • Simona Halep (11%, 28 Votes)
  • Ana Ivanovic (4%, 10 Votes)
  • Eugenie Bouchard (3%, 8 Votes)
  • Other (3%, 8 Votes)
  • Caroline Wozniacki (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Petra Kvitova (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Carla Suarez Navarro (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Ekaterina Makarova (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Andrea Petkovic (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 247

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