Serena Williams Defeated In The U.S Open By Italian Roberta Vinci

We came expecting to see preparations for the coronation of Serena Williams, and instead got one of the most sensational upsets in the history of tennis.

The undisputed world No 1's dreams of winning a calendar Grand Slam died on the Arthur Ashe stadium when she was dramatically knocked out of the US Open semi-finals by largely unheralded Italian Roberta Vinci.

The 32-year-old Italian, ranked No 43 in the world, displayed astonishing sangfroid to reach her first Major final with a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory that nearly blew the arena's half-constructed 

roof off.

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In an incredibly composed final game as she served it out, hitting two half volleys at the net to take it to love and consign Williams's dreams to history.

The line-up for the final requires a sharp intake of breath: Vinci versus her compatriot Flavia Pennetta. 'It's an incredible moment for me, it's amazing, like a dream to be in the final. I lost the first set but tried to stay in every single game. It's the best moment of my life,' said Vinci.

Williams has got into trouble so many times at the Majors this year, and overall this was her 20th three-setter of the season, having won 18 of them previously. Sooner or later she was going to dance with the devil once too often.

The American had only needed to dispose of one Italian veteran, and then beat another on Saturday to complete the calendar Slam, and become only the fourth woman to do so, the first since Steffi Graf in 1988. This was surely her best and final chance as she turns 34 this month.

The pressure will only have been added to by knowing that she would face Pennetta, semi-finalist here in 2013 but generally better known as an outstanding doubles player.

That appointment was set up when the 26th seed shocked a desperately below par world number two Simona Halep 6-1 6-3, with the Romanian seeming to be flat following her gruelling quarter final against Victoria Azarenka.

It was the sort of match that showed the kind of disorder there is in the women's ranks below Serena, who had reigned supreme at the top of the game and not lost at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon last year.

Vinci, among a group of Italian women who have enjoyed relatively late career surges – including Pennetta – tried to play steadily rather than expansively against the American, which was undoubtedly the right way to go.

She proved a canny opponent, keeping up a brisk pace between points and mixing up and angles and spins to keep Williams moving and take advantage of her leaden footwork as nerves kicked in during the second set.

Although Vinci could not consolidate her early break in the first set she was comfortably able to do that from 5-3 in the second. When she did that it was the first time she had taken a set off the world No 1 in five attempts and it caused a mini eruption with the favourite smashing her racket at the changeover, incurring a code violation.

However, that seemed to do Williams some good and she won the next two games before the edginess returned and she double faulted twice to hand back the break.

A massive game came at 3-3 when Vinci stepped up her game magnificently and gained the break with some wonderful all-court play, helped along by a double fault but also hindered by a 126 mph ace.

Canadian rapper Drake was at the Arthur Ashe stadium to cheer on Williams from the stands

Williams forced two break points at 3-4 but could not muster the consistency, even though she was standing in even closer to receive than Roger Federer. But her repeated slamming of the ball into the net proved her undoing and the Italian remained staggeringly calm to the end.

-The Daily Mail