Roberta Vinci of Italy reacts after beating Serena Williams of the USA on day twelve of the 2015 U.S. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
On high alert after a day of spectacular upsets, world number one Novak Djokovic made sure his name was not added to the list of shocks, crushing defending champion Marin Cilic 6-0 6-1 6-2 to reach the U.S. Open final on Friday.
After watching women’s world number one Serena Williams and second seed Simona Halep crash out on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, Djokovic came out firing on all cylinders and needed just 85 minutes to bring Cilic’s title defence to a shuddering halt.
But it was the end of another defence that had New York buzzing, as Roberta Vinci delivered one of the biggest upsets in tennis history with her semi-final win over Williams that punctured the American’s calendar Grand Slam quest.
Two victories from becoming the fourth woman to win all four majors in one year, a brittle-looking Williams crumbled as unseeded Vinci, playing in her first grand slam singles semi-final, battled to an improbable 2-6 6-4 6-4 win.
“I don’t want to talk about how disappointing it is for me,” a grim-faced Williams told reporters. “I told you guys I don’t feel pressure. I never felt pressure.
“I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.”
The day got off to an ominous start when Flavia Pennetta stunned Romanian Halep 6-1 6-3 and the trend continued as an inspired Vinci emulated her Italian compatriot on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with an even more impressive triumph.
Djokovic quickly made it clear he would not be would not be joining them at the exit as he ran his record to 14-0 against the ninth-seeded Croat and moved one win away from adding to his 2015 grand slam triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
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