Beaten foe in awe of Serena's prowess

American Serena Williams hits a backhand against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their semifinal match Thursday at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Williams won 6-0, 6-4 to advance to her seventh Australian Open final.
American Serena Williams hits a backhand against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their semifinal match Thursday at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Williams won 6-0, 6-4 to advance to her seventh Australian Open final.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- When Serena Williams plays as well as she did in the semifinals of the Australian Open, there's little an opponent can do to challenge her. Even one who's soon to be ranked No. 3 in the world, just two places behind her.

"I was just standing there kind of watching her play," the fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska said after her 6-0, 6-4 drubbing by Williams on Thursday. "There was just no mistake. Unbelievable serve. Everything, she was going for it. I couldn't do much. Not at all, actually."

It's been a familiar feeling among the players Williams has brushed aside on the way to the final, her seventh at Melbourne Park. She's been so dominant at the Australian Open this year that she's reached the final without losing a set -- something she's never achieved in 15 previous appearances.

She has dropped just 26 games in six matches, a number she has bettered just four times at the Grand Slams in her career.

Williams seems as surprised as anyone by how well she's playing. She didn't expect to be so sharp after taking a four-month hiatus after last year's U.S. Open. The break was necessary, she said, to recharge after coming just two matches shy of a calendar-year Grand Slam.

But as she's demonstrated many times in her career, putting the tennis rackets away for a while agrees with her.

"I was extra busy on my new collection that I'm starting," said Williams, a sometimes fashion designer. "But I needed it. I needed time off just to, like, take a minute and just chill and re-heal, get ready."

Williams certainly looks refreshed, both physically and mentally. She hurried through the first set against Radwanska in 20 minutes, winning all but seven points and allowing Radwanska just one winner while smacking 18 of her own.

Her performance was so complete that 18-time major winner Chris Evert asked, "How can you say she's not the greatest of all time when she plays like this?"

Although her level dipped in the second set, Williams got the decisive break in the ninth game to go up 5-4 and then closed out the match in a brisk 64 minutes. Radwanska had played a much more competitive set but still finished with a 42-to-4 deficit in total winners.

"She goes on court, and she just wants to kill it," Radwanska said. "I don't think anyone can really play on that kind of level at all."

Williams will be aiming for her 22nd major title, tying her with another German, Steffi Graf. She will face Angelique Kerber, who is in her first Grand Slam final.

"I will go out there, try to enjoy my first final, try to beat Serena," Kerber said. "I must play my best tennis to have a chance."

Sports on 01/29/2016

Upcoming Events