The Vinci Code

It didn’t seem probable that world No. 1 Serena Williams would lose to world No. 43 Roberta Vinci of Italy in the semifinals of the $42.3 Million US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York City, last week.

Vinci, 32, hadn’t beaten Williams, 33, in four previous meetings. In fact, she’d never taken a set from Williams. The oddsmakers installed Williams a 300-to-1 favorite to dispose of the 5-4 Italian who is five inches shorter. Vinci had not played beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament while Williams entered the US Open with 21 Grand Slam championships.

There was a lot at stake for Williams in the match. A win would keep alive her dream of becoming the first female player to achieve a calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graff in 1988. You capture a calendar Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year. Each of the four major tennis competitions is called a Grand Slam tournament. Williams won four in a row once but not in the same year. She took the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003 in what the press called the “Serena Slam.”

In this year’s US Open, Williams set her sights on making history. No active player, either male or female, has dominated tennis like Williams. And fans anticipated her crowning glory by selling out the women’s final before the men’s final for the first time in US Open history. After Williams beat her sister Venus in the quarterfinals to advance, average ticket prices for the women’s final jumped from $587 to $1,529 with the expectation that she would make it all the way.

Williams’ quest for the elusive calendar Grand Slam was the big story at the start of the US Open and her fall to Vinci in the semifinals was the big story in the end.

Vinci was like Steph Curry and Williams like LeBron James in their matchup. Vinci is scrawny, outweighed at least 30 pounds by the muscle-bound Williams. It was the NBA Finals brought to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the women’s semifinals. Williams was absolutely overpowering in the first set as she bowled over Vinci, 6-2. But Vinci, who never entertained notions of scoring an upset, stayed in the match by playing composed. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Slowly, Vinci began to break down Williams’ power game with her finesse. Suddenly, it dawned on Williams that she could lose. The pressure of claiming the calendar Grand Slam kicked in like a bad migraine. Previously, Williams showed signs of vulnerability in the third round when she came back from a set down to win over wildcard Bethanie Mattek Sands, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0. And in repulsing Venus, she also needed a third set to escape. Against Vinci, the prospect of losing came like a lightning bolt.

Vinci outdid herself by taking the second set, 6-4, and registered the biggest upset of the year by clinching it in the third, 6-4. She found the antidote to bring Williams down. Williams dominates because of her power and athleticism so the key is to take away her strengths. To punch her shots across, Williams needs both feet on the ground for maximum power. That’s the way she puts her entire body behind every stroke. So Vinci kept Williams on her toes, moving side to side, with deft drops and crosscourt shots. Vinci rushed the net to control the pace in the second and third sets, leaving Williams shuffling her feet and wondering how to regroup. Vinci also found a way to neutralize Williams’ booming serves and with that done, Williams lost a huge advantage.

Williams got off a 2-0 lead in the third set but Vinci equalized right back and was on serve for the match. Williams appeared out of breath lunging to pick up drops and acutely angled shots as the curtains slowly began to fall. At the net, Vinci was spectacular, making it look so easy with two touch half-volleys that left Williams scrambling. In the last set, Williams played cautiously and didn’t want to make mistakes so her returns lacked the usual power. That only gave Vinci more confidence to approach and go for the kill.         

The stats didn’t indicate how Vinci won. Williams had more aces, 16-1 and more winners, 50-19. But Vinci had far less unforced errors, 20-40, which meant Williams succumbed to the pressure while the Italian simply enjoyed the moment of playing with nothing to lose. It didn’t wind up a Cinderella finish for Vinci as she lost to compatriot Flavia Pennetta, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the final. Pennetta, 34, then announced she would play out the rest of the season and retire.

Vinci, who was unseeded at the US Open, now has career earnings of $8.2 Million compared to Williams’ $73.3 Million. The disparity is like night and day. It’s doubtful that Vinci will ever achieve what Williams has in the course of her career. But Vinci will always be remembered for her feat at Flushing Meadows. As for Williams, she proved that she’s only human. She’s no Superwoman after all – she has emotions, she cries, she gets hurt, she bleeds like everyone else. The loss won’t diminish her legacy. If at all, it will be enhanced. She’ll be back for sure. Remember that LeBron took it on the chin from Curry in the last NBA Finals and this early, experts are predicting the King to lead Cleveland to the throne next season. It’s the same with Williams – sooner or later, the calendar Grand Slam record will be hers.