The last episode of Grand Slam action will conclude for the women on Sunday evening when Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki go head-to-head for the 2014 US Open title.  This has been a remarkable year at the Slams with all four finals being contested by eight different players.  Personally, I think it demonstrates the tremendous depth in the women’s game right now.  Wozniacki was first into the final when Peng Shuai was forced to retire through heat exhaustion.  It was an absolutely heartbreaking moment for Peng and horrid to watch.  She gallantly tried to carry on, but her body failed her.  Credit to Wozniacki for her classy touch of sportsmanship.  I don’t think anyone would want to win a tennis match in those circumstances, even if it was a Grand Slam semi-final.  The match up till then had been very competitive featuring plenty of brutal rallies in hot and humid conditions.  It was a refreshing far cry from the one-sided quarter-finals as both players started very well in a swirling wind on Ashe.

Peng served for the first set at *5-4, but a mixture of tightness, wind and Caro meant she was unable to hold.  Peng’s groundstrokes then became rather wayward at the end of the first set and into the tiebreak, which Wozniacki cruised through to take, 7-6(1).  This wasn’t one of Wozniacki’s best performances as she later revealed she had been in bed for the past two days due to illness.  I really loved that Peng never gave up.  She opened the second set with a break of serve, but Wozniacki held a couple of lengthy games, which were crushing blows for Peng’s chances.  It was serving at *4-3 when Peng was unable to continue and Wozniacki progressed into her second US Open final.

In the second semi-final, Serena Williams produced arguably her best performance of the entire year to defeat Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 6-3 in exactly one hour of play.  Makarova broke Serena when serving for the match, but it just delayed the inevitable.  Serena was playing at an incredible pace and her footwork was superb.  There have been a number of matches where she has looked sluggish this year, but she was on the ball in her semi-final match.   Despite the disappointing matches on Friday for Peng and Makarova, this has been a tremendous tournament for both players and they can leave with their heads held high.  Makarova will be contesting the doubles final with her partner, Elena Vesnina on Saturday.

Wozniacki and Williams have played each other nine times on the WTA tour with Wozniacki winning just one of those encounters.  That match came in Miami in 2012 when Wozniacki won in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.  They played each other in Montreal and Cincy with both matches going three sets.  Their match in Montreal was an excellent contest.  You can read my full recap of that match HERE.  Their encounter in Cincy wasn’t as good and featured plenty of breaks of serve.  The key thing to take away from their match in Cincy is that if Wozniacki is going to stand a chance in this final, she has to serve well.  The longer that Caroline stays with Serena, the better chance she has of raising doubt in Serena’s head.  Caroline HAS to start strongly.

If Serena plays like she did against Makarova into this final, then I don’t think there is any doubt that Serena wins this. However Serena has thrown in some wobbly performances this year, incuding at the Slams.  I think Serena will feel the pressure to win this Slam with the looming prospect of going a whole year without winning one.  If Serena stutters, things could get interesting. Caroline is playing well enough to take advantage of any opportunities she gets.  The women’s tournament has gone a little flat and in my opinion, needs a strong finish…  Come on Caro!

Prediction: S.Williams d. Wozniacki in 2 sets (1 tight, 1 easy)

Photo: Jimmie 48 Tennis Photography

I’m delighted to be able to share some of Jimmie’s photos, who is the photographer for Women’s Tennis Blog.  I’m sure you will agree that his photos are  absolutely stunning.  You can check out his tournament galleries HERE.