Ten is a nice, round sort of a number, isn’t it? You could almost hear Serena Williams rolling it around her tongue like a boiled sweet, clearly deciding that she liked the sound of 10 Grand Slam titles. “It would be cool,” said Williams, after putting herself within one match of making it a decade of trophies by winning her fourth Australian Open. “Maybe I'll get the special 10-plus bonus mail,” said Williams, inventing a new tennis tradition off the top of her head. “Like, I'm sure that people have 10-plus Grand Slams get special letters. I'll be part of a really elite club.”
She might not get a letter if she beats Dinara Safina in Saturday’s final, but then she would probably be happy enough with another Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy. In beating Elena Dementieva 6‑3 6‑4 in their semifinal – and inflicting a first defeat of the season on the in-form Russian – Williams played like a woman on a mission. She complained earlier in the tournament of not feeling at the top of her game, but Dementieva, who played rather well herself, might beg to differ. Williams was at her powerful, dominant best, slamming down her unrivalled credentials for the title like a poker player with a Royal Flush and a whole lot of attitude.
“I definitely wanted to play better than I did the last few times I played her. And just wanted to do some different things. The last few times I played her, I didn't play that well,” said Williams. “Was it a perfect match for me? Oh, no, no, no. But it was definitely better. She's great on the run. That's why she's been doing so well. And today I thought, I have to be good on the run, too. I know I play my best tennis when I'm on the run. That's kind of how I play.”
“I think it was a good match,” agreed Dementieva. “I think Serena played really well today. I think I was maybe not aggressive enough and maybe I was playing not deep enough, which allowed her to be very aggressive and dictate the game. But I think she was very powerful today.”
She was indeed, and though you could make a case for Dementieva being the most talented player in the current top 10 not to have won a Grand Slam title, she is well-adjusted enough to accept when she has been beaten. After a dazzling Australasian summer which brought titles in Auckland and Sydney, she will leave Melbourne in a good frame of mind. “I just had a good run, you know, from the beginning of the year,” said Dementieva. “I played a lot of matches. I won all of them. And I feel like today I was not quick enough. I was not maybe aggressive enough against her. But I have no regrets. I had just a great time here.”
As for Williams, she still has work to do to attain that magic number of Grand Slams, so Safina had better be ready for an onslaught. “This is definitely not over. I have to play a really tough opponent who wants to win, you know. It will be their first Grand Slam,” said the American. “That's super exciting. Who doesn't want that? So I'm already focused.”
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