SERENA SLAMS SHARAPOVA & AGGIE RADWANSKA LOSES TO MUGURUZA AT WIMBLEDON 2015 SEMI FINALS

Written by: Global Chick on 9th July 2015

SERENA SLAMS SHARAPOVA & AGGIE RADWANSKA LOSES TO MUGURUZA AT WIMBLEDON 2015 SEMI FINALS

Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates winning against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their semi final match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 09 July 2015. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

Day 10 and Unicorns – Global Chick’s Wimbledon Diary

One of the things I always enjoy doing is passing the time of day with the hard working souls on the press desk. After the stress of the potential travel disruption setting the tone for the day, it has to be noted that Day 9 seems to be a bugbear in Slam coverage.

By this point you are at your most tired, and everything and anyone seems to irk everyone. Even the headphones for my screen at my desk were ‘looking at me funny,’ and it did not help that it was the murkiest day by far.

But after the rain cometh sun, lovely people and even my headphones are I are friends once more!

Today was ladies’ semi-finals day, and the potential was there for some outstanding tennis, and for many there was a feeling we were about to see a revisit of the 2012 final line-up.

First up was first-timer Garbine Muguruza and 2012 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska, in her third semi-final. Not that there was any sign of nerves from the Spaniard at the start, putting Radwanska on the defensive from the start, as she broke her at the start of the match to nudge ahead a break, which she added to, as the first set started to quickly get away from the Pole.

Whilst she had a stay of execution, Muguruza’s hefty display of monster serving saw her file away the first set in 33 minutes, as though she was desperate to grab a late lunch.

And if poor Radwanska hoped that the nerves would have finally found Muguruza, she was mightily wrong, as Muguruza broke her again in the first game of the second set, as they mirrored the score-line. Could she change the script? Would we be scampering for tea and scones shortly? Heavens we might even contemplate the strawberries.

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in action against Garbine Muguruza of Spain during their semi final match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 09 July 2015. EPA/GLYN KIRK

Perhaps the one thing you never want to hear is the round of sympathetic applause when you finally get a game, or in this case a point, but it might just have been what Radwanska needed to hear. This set had to be more competitive, and under the watchful eye of her former coach Martina Navratilova in the Royal Box, slowly but surely Radwanska started to sneak her way back in, finally breaking the power of Muguruza and consolidating to lead in the match for the first time.

It was enough to give her the momentum she so badly needed having been pretty much bullied into submission in the first set. And with the crowd subtly switching their support, we were into a third set, but would ninja experience win the day?

For the briefest of moments, it looked like the Spaniard had been routed, but he stopped the rot with two games on the trot. Now, would it power versus guile?

We were treated to some howling errors but almost as quickly Muguruza righted the ship to break and regained some of that aggression we saw in the first set. It was enough for her to nudge ahead and stay there, especially with a questionable challenge by Radwanska giving Muguruza match point, duly converted to send her into her first Grand Slam final.

She will, of course, face Serena Williams who delivered a predictable straight sets beat down to Maria Sharapova, extending her winning streak against her to 17 in a row.

Muguruza has beaten Williams before, at the start of a fantastic run to the French Open quarter-finals last year – a feat she echoed this year, and she said: “If you want to win a Grand Slam, when you dream, you say, I want Serena in the final. She’s like one of the best players in all these years. So it’s obviously I think the best challenge to have.”

Serena Williams of the US returns to Maria Sharapova of Russia in their semi final match during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 09 July 2015. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

Williams knows better than to underestimate the Spaniard, as the talk about the … shhh don’t mention it, continues to swirl around, as she spoke to the press.

“It’s definitely not an easy matchup. She actually has a win against me. We had a tough match the last time we played. And she’s given me problems in the past. So this time I have to just, you know, go in it like have fun and do the best that I can, just try to stay positive and stay focused. I don’t think she’s intimidated at all. She’s not that kind of person. So she’ll be fine,” she said.

“Every time I step out on court, the practice court, the match court, I do look at it as a more fun time because it’s not as much stressful as it was. Like getting to 18 was super stressful for me. It was fun, but I was so stressed out. After that, I’ve just been really enjoying myself.

“Believe me, if you won five Wimbledons, you would be smiling (smiling).”

· Novak Djokovic will kick things off on Friday against Richard Gasquet, after his outstanding win over Stan Wawrinka.

· A nation expects, and probably secretly thanks the trade union gods that travel chaos is over as Andy Murray takes on Roger Federer.

Topics: Agnieszka Radwanska, All England Tennis Club, Garbine Muguruza, global chick, London, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Tennis News, Wimbledon 2015, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

July 9, 2015 at 1:11 pm

-@serenawilliams SLAMS @MariaSharapova & @ARadwanska LOSES TO @GarbiMuguruza AT @Wimbledon 2015 SEMI FINALS- http://t.co/EPxrQdnziL #tennis
Kwatontoh says:

July 9, 2015 at 1:15 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@serenawilliams SLAMS @MariaSharapova & @ARadwanska LOSES TO @GarbiMuguruza AT @Wimbledon 2015 SEMI FINALS- http://t.co/…
ZUQUI3 says:

July 9, 2015 at 2:24 pm

RT @TennisNewsOne: SERENA SLAMS SHARAPOVA & AGGIE RADWANSKA LOSES TO MUGURUZA AT WIMBLEDON 2015 SEMI FINALS http://t.co/DUtQVkhmQL #tennis
nuhumooktar says:

July 9, 2015 at 2:46 pm

RT @TennisNewsOne: SERENA SLAMS SHARAPOVA & AGGIE RADWANSKA LOSES TO MUGURUZA AT WIMBLEDON 2015 SEMI FINALS http://t.co/DUtQVkhmQL #tennis