Sport
Serena Williams beats Timea Bacsinszky 4-6 6-3 6-0 to reach French Open final
An ailing Serena Williams stayed on course for a 20th grand slam singles title as she came back from the brink to reach the final of the French Open with a 4-6 6-3 6-0 win against Swiss power hitter Timea Bacsinszky on Thursday.
The American, who looked unwell throughout the match, putting iced towels around her neck and against her forehead at changeovers, fell a set and a break down as the 23rd-seeded Bacsinszky peppered the court with backhand winners.
But Williams, who won Roland Garros in 2002 and 2013, dug deep to break back and Bacsinszky cracked, losing 10 games in a row.
Williams closed it out when Bacsinszky sent a backhand long and the world number one will now face Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova on Saturday.
“I have tried everything. I thought if I lose I must fight. I have tried and tried, I don’t know where I found the energy,” Williams told a courtside interviewer in French before a coughing fit ended the conversation.
Last year, Williams pulled out of a doubles match with her sister Venus at Wimbledon after appearing disoriented and weak on court when she was suffering from a viral illness.
There was no quitting this time, however.
Bacsinszky had promised not to be intimidated and she was true to her word at the start of the match.
The 25-year-old broke for 3-2 with a quickfire service return winner, leaving a subdued Williams to walk back to her chair at a snail’s pace.
Williams had her only break point of the set in the 10th game, but the Swiss saw it off with a trademark backhand winner.
