Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Roberta Vinci can hardly believe her good fortune in being the player who provides the   obstacle to Serena Williams completing the Grand Slam.

Aged 32 and ranked 43 in the world at singles, and admittedly a winner of all four major titles on the doubles court, Vinci has been scurrying around on the WTA scene since the end of the last century.  However sensibility never once allowed her to even contemplate going so far in this a 44th attempt at emulating her doubles success on the singles court.

Vinci stressed: “I’m at the end of my career. I’m not young.” Twice previously reached the New York quarterfinals, in 2012 and again a year later, but she maintained: “I did not expect one semifinal at the US Open.”

Only three weeks ago Vinci played the qualifying rounds at the Connecticut Open in New Haven and earlier in the summer she lost in the first rounds of both the French Open and Wimbledon. Even on Italian clay she could make no headway and was beaten in her opening match at Rome.

Although they have been on the WTA circuit since 1998, Williams and Vinci have four previous meetings in singles. In that time the Italian hasn’t managed to win once.

The pair played most recently on a similar hard court in Toronto with Williams winning 6-4, 6-3 in little more than an hour and a quarter, while cracking 12 aces and saving every one of six break points.

“The serve,” Vinci said in an exasperated tone. “It’s incredible. It’s tough to return. She’s the no. 1. When you play against Serena, experience doesn’t matter. You have to play better then better then better.”

Meanwhile Vinci compatriot Flavia Pennetta could be Williams’s final opponent after beating Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a semi meeting with second seed Simona Halep “I’m very and she proud,” said the 33 year-old from Brindisi. “When I saw Roberta in the locker room, I hug her was amazing. I think this is really important for our country. We did a lot of good things in the last 10 years. We have me, Roberta, Francesca (Schiavone), Sara (Errani), now Camila (Girogi) is coming also. So I think it’s really good for Italian tennis to have such good players.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.