Monday at the Miami Open said goodbye to third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, fourth seed Garbine Muguruza, twelfth seed Elina Svitolina and others, but Svetlana Kuznetsova was in charge of the biggest upset, ending Serena Williams‘ bid for her ninth title at the prestigious tournament. The world number one’s 6-7(3) 6-1 6-2 loss in the fourth round is her first in Miami since 2012, as she had lifted the last three champion’s trophies in the city.
In a close first set, both players registered a break, but neither managed to take charge and the outcome had to be decided in a tiebreak, which Williams dominated by summoning her well-known aces that often save her in crucial moments. The French Open and US Open champion Kuznetsova went up a break early on, 3-1, and held on to that lead, sweeping the next three games to take the match to the decider in which she raced through the first three games, breaking Williams’ serve twice, and even though the American stopped her opponent’s momentum with a break of her own, the Russian hit back immediately and finished the job in two hours and two minutes. (photos: Jimmie48)
What’s wrong with ny girl Serena these days? I want to know why she won’t lose some weight. She is obviously too heavy, and this slows her down and hinders her breathing. I do realize the heat and humidity are horrible in Miami, but she resides there and claims to be used to it. I honestly believe she’s bothered by some type of injury, perhaps her knee again. I love her so much and wish she’d get back to being the fierce tennis player she’s known to be. By the way, where’s the older gentleman her coach hired as her new fitness trainer? I haven’t been seeing him around anymore. He did a fine job of getting Serena fit and svelt again. I mean, just look at Kerber’s physique now. Her mobility and shot-making skills are out of this world! “Go, Serena, go!”
I am a huge fan of Serena’s but let’s just admit the only undefeated player so far is father time and I think he has caught up with her. I hope she still has one more slam in her (at least) but to me, this looks like it and I wont be surprised if she retires by the end of this year. I will be very sad, but I think she looks tired and like she has had enough.