Unheralded Belgian teenager makes US Open semi-finals
Unheralded Belgian teenager makes US Open semi-finalsBelgian teen Yanina Wickmayer, never before better than a Grand Slam second-rounder, advanced to the US Open semi-finals yesterday by beating Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4.
Wickmayer, who at 50th was ranked two spots above Bondarenko, will play for a berth in the championship match against the winner of a later meeting between 70th-ranked US teen Melanie Oudin and Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki.
Defending champion Serena Williams, an 11-time Grand Slam champion, and Belgian Kim Clijsters, back after a two-year layoff to start a family, will meet in Friday's other semi-final.
Super effortIt was a stunning effort for Wickmayer, whose mother died of cancer at age nine and whose father gave up his construction job and moved to America so his daughter could follow her dream of playing tennis.
"Playing the semis in a Grand Slam is great," Wickmayer said. "It's amazing. It's all so very exciting."
One upstart from a quartet of Grand Slam quarter-final debutantes will play in Saturday's final for a title never won by a player rated beyond the top 10.
Never have two unseeded women reached the last four at the same US Open, but 19-year-old Wickmayer made it happen by rallying from 4-1 down in the second set, winning the last five games to advance after one hour 41 minutes.
"I missed a few opportunities," Wickmayer said. "I was pretty mad at myself but I kept on fighting, kept hanging in there and I was able to come back."
Wickmayer was broken serving for the first set at 5-4 but responded by breaking back immediately, holding serve for the set and breaking Bondarenko to open the second set. The 23-year-old broke her twice for a 4-1 edge but never won another game, Wickmayer's 31 winners being 16 more than Bondarenko fired.
"I just go for every shot," Wickmayer said. "I put all my energy into every shot."
Bondarenko beat Wickmayer last month at Toronto and in last year's Birmingham final to claim her only WTA title. Wickmayer's only WTA crown came last May at Estoril.
