Another Seed In Serena’s Sight – US Open 2011

Written by: Staff on 10th September 2011

Another Seed In Serena's Sight - US Open 2011

Serena Williams of the US reacts after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during their Quaterfinals match on the eleventh day of the 2011 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 08 September 2011. The US Open runs through 11 September 2011. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Serena Williams will continue her assault on seeded players at the US Open today when she takes on No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki after defeating No. 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, No. 16 Ana Ivanovic and No. 4 Victoria Azarenka in the previous three rounds. In doing so, Serena improved to 28-7 against seeded players in Flushing Meadows and ran her winning streak against seeded players here to eight. (Her lone loss in that span came to an unseeded Kim Clijsters in the 2009 semifinals, and her last loss to a seed came against No.

1 Justine Henin in the 2007 quarterfinals.)

Serena also owns a 17-0 record on hard courts this summer, having won the tournament titles in Toronto and Carlsbad, Calif., and then winning her first match in Cincinnati before withdrawing. (A granted walkover does not count as a defeat.)

LOW SEEDS AIMING FOR RARE WOMEN’S FINAL APPEARANCE

With Serena Williams a very real threat to reach the women’s singles final as the No. 28 seed, and No. 9 Samantha Stosur facing unseeded Angelique Kerber in the other semifinal, the 2011 US Open is assured of having one of its lowest-seeded women’s finalists of the Open Era:

· Kerber today will attempt to become just the fourth unseeded woman to reach the women’s singles final in the Open Era, joining Kerry Melville in 1972, Venus Williams in 1997 and champion Kim Clijsters in 2009.

· Serena, meanwhile, will try to become the fifth double-digit seed to reached the final, joining Wendy Turnbull, seeded No. 12 in 1977; Pam Shriver, seeded No. 16 in 1978; Helena Sukova, seeded No. 12 in 1993; and Mary Pierce, also seeded No. 12, in 2005.

· The only instance in which two players seeded outside the Top 8 played in the US Open final came in 2009, when Clijsters defeated No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki, who is seeded No. 1 this year and faces Serena today.