US Open women's semifinal preview - Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka one step away from finals showdown

(2) Victoria Azarenka vs Flavia Pennetta – H2H tied at 1-1

Victoria Azarenka

Coming into the Open, Victoria Azarenka was seen as the only real challenge to Serena in New York, especially after her win over Williams in the Cincinnati finals just two weeks earlier. That was Azarenka’s second win over Williams in three meetings this year.

The Belarusian has struggled this fortnight, dropping a set in her third and fourth round matches to Frenchwoman Alize Cornet and Serbian Ana Iavnoic – which may be a bad thing and a good thing at the same time.

Bad, because it means that Azarenka may not be playing her best tennis in New York. Good, because it shows just how mentally tough she has become. Champions often need to find a way to win when they are not playing their best and that’s exactly what Azarenka has done this week.

Her opponent, the pretty Italian Flavia Pennetta, who once dated former world no. 1 player Carlos Moya, has had an up-and-down season.

This is only the fourth time that she has won back-to-back matches this season – the others coming in smaller clay court events in Strasbourg and Bastad and on grass at Wimbledon.

Azarenka and Pennetta were due to play in the second round at Wimbledon this year, but the Belarusian pulled out of the match due to a fall she suffered in the first round. Pennetta went on to make the most of the opportunity and reached the fourth round there.

24-year-old Azarenka is the only player under the age of 30 in the semifinals. 31-year-old Pennetta may be playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, but comes with a ton of experience, having peaked at no. 10 in the world before Schiavone and Errani made their breakthroughs in Paris.

Pennetta plays a steady game from the baseline and can also come to the net to finish off volleys when required – she is a former world no. 1 and Grand Slam champion in doubles.

Flavia Pennetta

Azarenka has lost only one match on hardcourts this season, but she knows it won’t be easy against Pennetta on Friday, having lost their last encounter in Dubai two years ago, ‘Yeah, that match was a bad memory there. But I think it’s gonna be different. We played the match long time ago. To see her go through the injuries and coming up with, you know, best results she has right now, it’s really amazing. She’s very good player, all around player. She can do anything. She has a great touch; great variety; she can create power; create spin. I’m really looking forward to that match. It’s a big challenge. I think we all know what Flavia is capable of. She’s been around for a long time. Very experienced. She’s been very playing she’s been in top 20, beat a lot of top 10 players. The ranking and everything, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about the moment right now. Right now she’s playing terrific tennis.”

Prediction – Azarenka in straight sets