Calm Serena reaches Wimbledon semifinals

Serena Williams described one of her performances earlier in the Wimbledon fortnight as “serene”.

On Tuesday, it was “calm”.

The American needed all the composure she could muster during a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over big-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi, a result sending her through to an eleventh Wimbledon semifinal.

Once again, Serena Williams is made to elevate and she does exactly that.

Into the semifinals with a 36 63 64 win over a very good Camila Giorgi. 19 consecutive wins @Wimbledon. 24 winners, 9 UFE to Giorgi’s 20 winners, 14 UFE. #Wimbledon

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 10, 2018

There she will meet Julia Goerges, who like Serena recovered to win in three sets; the German’s 3-6 7-5 6-1 quarterfinal victory came over Kiki Bertens on No.1 Court at the same time Williams was engaged in her first-strike battle with Giorgi.

“Probably I don’t have many words today to describe the moment I’m going through right now,” said Goerges, who prior to this year had lost in the first round at Wimbledon every year dating back to 2013.

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“It’s pretty unreal for me at the moment to get to that stage at a Grand Slam. I’m just very glad the way I handled everything today because it wasn’t an easy match at all. I was maybe the better player in the first set but didn’t actually take the chances I would have loved to take.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to meet (Serena) at that stage. It’s an honour to share the court with her.”

A brilliant comeback victory…

Serena Williams awaits @juliagoerges in the #Wimbledon semi-finals pic.twitter.com/alLqfq6p9u

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2018

It’s hard to say whether or not Giorgi saw it the same way.

When asked prior to her quarterfinal what she liked most about Williams’ game from seeing her play over the years, Giorgi flatly replied: “I don’t follow tennis, woman tennis.”

She arrived on Centre Court and approached Serena’s game similarly dismissively. She went for broke on returns, pummelled her groundstrokes heavy and deep, and played at her customary rapid pace. She broke in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead and pocketed the first set in a tidy 35 minutes.

Yet judging by her demeanour, Serena wasn’t panicking. Prone to emotional displays on court, there was little of of that on Tuesday, save for the guttural roar she let out after snaring the second set. She rarely admonished herself, yet the intensity was still there. She exuded quiet confidence.

Her play reflected that. And there was a subtle shift in momentum as the match wore on.

That performance from Serena was a great example of her comment about raising her level against opponents playing at a high level. After losing the first set to a brilliant Giorgi, she improved across the board (serving, defence, forehand).

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 10, 2018

After getting wrenched and wrong-footed all over the court in the first set, she started anticipating better. She was better prepared with both feet and racquet. She began better absorbing Giorgi’s blows. And because she was rallying more comfortably with the Italian, Giorgi began to both press, and miss, more often.

“It’s weird. Sometimes I feel, Man, I’m in trouble. Sometimes I feel, I can fight. For whatever reason, today I was so calm,” Serena reflected.

“Even when I was down the first set, I thought, Well, she’s playing great. I’m doing a lot of the right things. It is what it is.”

One thing that Williams could control, however, was her serve. And that vaunted delivery improved set by set, too. By the third – during which she served six aces – she was landing 78 per cent of first serves, winning 89 per cent of those points, and averaging 175km/h on first serves.

She lost just three points on serve in the final set, and closed it out with a hold at love.

"I don't feel pressure. I'm here just to be here, and prove that I'm back"#Wimbledon @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/BmzyYcm999

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2018

“I think everything right now is a little bit of a surprise. To be here, to be in the semifinals. I mean, I always say I plan on it, I would like to be there, have these goals. But when it actually happens, it still is, like, Wow, this is really happening,” she said.

“Just to be clear, that (calmness) was just today. I mean, I’m hoping this is like a new thing. Honestly, I highly doubt it. It was just the way I felt today. I never felt it was out of my hands. It’s weird. I can’t describe it. I just felt calm.

“Hoping I can channel that all the time, but one day at a time.”

We’ll find out on Thursday.