Tennis

Venus falls to Angelique Kerber as hopes of Williams finals quashed

venus

Angelique Kerber denied Venus Williams the chance to meet sister Serena in the Wimbledon final by winning their semifinal encounter 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.

The Williams sisters have won a combined 11 Wimbledon singles titles and last met in the All England Club final in 2009, but a lackluster serving performance and numerous errors cost Venus the chance to renew the sibling rivalry.

Instead it is Kerber who will face Serena in Saturday’s match — a repeat of this year’s Australian Open final in which the German triumphed.

A wide forehand from Williams saw her drop the opening service game, and a similar theme to the first set of Kerber’s quarterfinal against Simona Halep, which included nine breaks of serve, ensued.

After five successive matches went against serve, another miss from the five-time Wimbledon champion Williams — in her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2010 U.S. Open – resulted in Kerber taking a 4-2 lead.

A long forehand from Williams gave the fourth seed a two-break lead, and, after halving that advantage, the 36-year-old found the net on Kerber’s set point.

Further errors proved costly for the eighth seed as she slipped 2-0 down at the start of the second set, but she found the range with her forehand to help stave off three break points in game five.

However, Williams was unable to stop Kerber moving to within one match of a second Grand Slam title, the German wrapping up a straight-sets triumph with a sublime cross-court forehand.

 

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Kerber [4] bt Williams [8] 6-4 6-4

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Kerber – 17/11
Williams – 24/21

ACES
Kerber – 2
Williams – 3

BREAK POINTS WON
Kerber – 5/11
Williams – 3/5

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Kerber – 71
Williams – 64

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Kerber – 73/27
Williams – 57/48

TOTAL POINTS
Kerber – 63
Williams – 58

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