Saturday 12 September 2015 15:58, UK
Serena Williams' bid for a calendar Grand Slam has ended in failure after a pulsating 6-2 4-6 4-6 defeat to Italy's Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals of the US Open.
Williams' defeat to the world No 43 means her run of 33 consecutive grand slam victories comes to an end, leaving Vinci to face compatriot Flavia Pennetta in Saturday's final after her 6-1 6-3 win over Romanian second seed Simona Halep earlier in the day.
Vinci, 32, had never before gone further than the quarter-finals of a major singles tournament but the 32-year-old is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and came from a set down to beat the Flushing Meadows home favourite - completing the job with a nerveless drop shot at the net.
Williams came into the meeting as a hot favourite after her successes at the Australian and French Opens and her Wimbledon victory in July had her on course for the first calendar year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
The world number one made a blistering start to take the first set 6-2 in comfortable fashion that did not do justice to the drama that was to follow as the unheralded Vinci began to make her mark.
Vinci, who came through qualifying in New Haven to book her spot at Flushing Meadows, broke in the sixth game of the second set and despite offering Williams a chance to break back when serving to take the match to a decider, Vinci held her nerve for a 6-4 success.
Into the decider Williams looked to blast away any nerves by powering into a 2-0 lead but Vinci was not to be overawed and come storming back to level things at 2-2 before the drama was ramped up a notch in the seventh game with Vinci breaking to take what was to prove to be the crucial advantage.
Williams opted for a change of footwear and it look like it might bring about a change in fortune as Vinci offered up two break points but the Italian managed to keep her cool and retain her lead before going on to close out the match to love in the tenth game of the set.
As Williams trudged off to the locker room to reflect on what might have been, Vinci made her apologies to the New York crowd - she needed have, the fans were thrilled by the performance and a victory speech that is likely to make her the fans choice when she meets her good friend Pennetta in the final.
