lucie Safarova reached her first Grand Slam final at the age of 28 on Thursday when she defeated former winner Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 7-5 in a mistake-ridden French Open semi-final. The Czech 13th seed will play top seeded American Serena Williams in Saturday’s final.
Safarova is the first Czech woman to reach the French Open final since Hana Mandlikova won the title in Paris in 1981. Prior to this year, her best showing had been a run into the last 16 in 2007 and 2014.
“It’s a dream come true. I still cannot believe it,” she said after converting her third match point. “I started too slowly, but I tried to pick up my level and started to play really aggressively because that was the only way to get the win.”
Ivanovic, the champion at Roland Garros as a 20-year-old in 2008, had to battle hard to get into the last four, three times going the full distance.
In contrast Safarova had not dropped a set, winning five straight tie-breaks, one of those coming in the first set against defending champion Maria Sharapova in the round of 16.
But it was the Serb, watched by German World Cup winning footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger, who made the stronger start. She raced into a 3-0 lead on the back of a service break in the second game before Safarova opened her account.
On the hottest day of the tournament so far, Safarova was close to going into an early meltdown as Ivanovic staggered her with some superb line drives.
The Czech player, making just her second appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final after last year’s Wimbledon, knuckled down, however, to hold her next three serves and then redeemed her earlier loss with a break in the ninth game.
It was the turn of Ivanovic to struggle as Safarova won four games in a row and then served out for the first set to zero thanks to some dismal shot-making from the Serb.
Safarova staved off break points to level at 1-1 as the second set got underway and she promptly broke the Ivanovic serve for a third time to ease ahead.
The 13th seed was dominating the match now, with Ivanovic looking more and more out of sorts, and she had break points to go 4-1 up.
Ivanovic survived those, but her game was clearly off.
Serena makes yet another come back
At changeovers in her French Open semifinal, an ill Serena Williams walked ever so slowly to the sideline, where even lowering herself to sit down seemed difficult.
With the temperature nearing 85 degrees (30 Celsius) on the hottest day of the tournament, she pressed white towels filled with ice against her forehead and neck and guzzled water.
In the early going, her play was as poor as her health. She failed to chase balls she normally would. As telling as anything: Even when she won points, Williams mostly refrained from her familiar fist pumps and yells of “Come on!”
Never can count her out, though, no matter the circumstances. Down a set and a break Thursday, and clearly not herself, Williams summoned the resolve to reach the final by beating 23rd-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
After getting broken to fall behind 3-2 in the second set, Williams claimed the final 10 games. “Stunning,” said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “This is the difference between champions and everyone else. There is no logical explanation. She just has an ability to react when she is in danger.”
Mouratoglou said Williams has been dealing for several days with the flu, including a fever and chest congestion that “makes it difficult to breathe.”
Now one victory from her third French Open championship and 20th major title overall, Williams said, “I tried everything. I thought if I lose, I’ll lose with a fight,” Williams told the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd in French. “I tried, I tried. I found the energy. I don’t know where, but I found it. And I won. I hope that on Saturday, I hope ...”