'Not fair': Tennis world erupts over 'brutal' Serena Williams act
Serena Williams has stormed into the US Open final four in one of the most lop-sided quarter-finals Flushing Meadows has ever seen.
The 23-time grand slam champ completely dominated Chinese opponent Wang Qiang on Tuesday, blowing Ash Barty’s conqueror off the court 6-1, 6-0.
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Wang managed to stun Barty in the Round of 16, but was no match for Serena on Tuesday, unable to hit a single winner in the 44-minute thrashing.
“I think the crowd feels for Wang a bit here,” one commentator said on ESPN late in the match.
“You have to feel for her.”
Serena grabbed the first five games of the match in about 15 minutes.
Then, after dropping one game, Williams collected the next 11 points in a row and every remaining game.
The brutal thrashing sent the tennis world into a frenzy.
Ankle issue?
Naaaaa....
Damn does Serena look strong tonight. It's not even fair right now. #USOpen— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) September 3, 2019
Serena Williams in devastating form. 25 winners. 44 minutes. Loses *ONE* game. Insane stuff #usopen
— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) September 4, 2019
Serena Williams beats Wang Qiang 6-1, 6-0 in 44 (!) minutes to reach the #USOpen semifinals. Williams lost 4 points in the 2nd set. Wang hit *zero* winners all match.
[getty] pic.twitter.com/mKqukGMYpf— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 4, 2019
Never seen a mismatch like we've just seen between Serena Williams & Qiang Wang. A brutal display of Serena's effortless power. Wang won just 15 points in 44 minutes. With some many top seeds out, Williams will never have a better chance to reach 24 Grand Slams #USOpen
— Uche Amako (@UcheAmako) September 4, 2019
They could arrest Serena Williams for assault after this.
Stop the match! What a beatdown.— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) September 3, 2019
Serena playing like she and the hubby have dinner reservations they can’t be late for
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) September 3, 2019
I’ve run out of adjectives to describe how unbelievable Serena Williams is. There are no more left.
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) September 3, 2019
This is Qiang Wang’s first career match against Serena. So she’s finding out firsthand now about that different level of tennis. 🐐
— Howard Chen 陈定豪 (@TheHoChen) September 3, 2019
Serena, god damn. No shame in getting creamed by Serena in the quarters though. It's Serena. pic.twitter.com/ipfsD9EJrJ
— Five Alive (@Mont_Jiang) September 3, 2019
Total domination by Serena.
— April (@ayeyonic) September 3, 2019
I love Serena Williams but I feel sorry for Whang.😣 This is brutal. Rena isn't showing any mercy.
— The Omnipresence (@MabongaTapiwa) September 3, 2019
Savage Serena is out in force tonight
— ALWAYSHONEST (@ALWAYSHONEST10) September 3, 2019
The win was Serena’s 100th at the US Open and moves her another step closer to equalling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slams.
"I never thought that I would get to 100," Williams said after the match, reflecting on the two decades she's spent playing at Flushing Meadows.
"It's so special. I never want to let it go."
The 37-year-old American was dominant from the start, firing off 25 winners, compared to zero from 18th-seed Wang, and winning 90% of her first serve points.
Svitolina awaits
Earlier, Elina Svitolina continued her dominant run against Johanna Konta with a 6-4 6-4 win to reach the US Open semis for the first time.
The fifth-seeded Ukrainian, who has won all of her meetings with the Briton, reached her second straight grand slam semi-final after also making the last four at Wimbledon in July.
Svitolina's sturdy baseline attack wore down the 16th-seeded Konta, who made 35 unforced errors, 22 more than her opponent, on a sun-soaked day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"It feels amazing," she said of being the first player to reach the semis at the tournament this year.
"It was a very, very tough match ... I think we were both striking the ball. It was quite even," she said.
"I'm very happy with how I handled the pressure."
Svitolina rifled a backhand winner on break point for a 4-3 lead in the second set, celebrating with an emphatic fist pump in front of the crowd that included her boyfriend Gael Monfils, who plays his quarter-final on Wednesday.
Konta continued to fight, however, saving two match points on her serve, but Svitolina ended the contest in the next game when the Briton fired long.
Svitolina said that Frenchman Monfils has been a big help to her during the tournament.
"Definitely we are pushing each other I think because we are trying to join each other in the quarter-final and now the semi final ... so now he has to step up his game," she said with a laugh.
with AAP