With the Women's event at Wimbledon drawing to a close it's time to have a look at the final four in the draw and discuss who will be raising the trophy aloft over the weekend. So far we've had some high quality entertainment and an even higher standard of tennis. The rain may have come in strong but with some good scheduling and late night drama we've got the semi final line ups for the women's singles completed with all players getting a full day of rest before their semi finals. That means all players are on an even footing and there are no excuses from here on in, the player who produces their best will be rewarded greatly.
It's been a very exciting tournament and the standard of tennis has once again been very high. All eyes will be on the second match on Centre Court between four time champion Serena Williams and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka but before that two women who have been outstanding this season and are both looking for their first Grand Slam final appearance will take the court. Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber both came through very difficult quarter final matches on Tuesday and will both feel confident in their games having battled through tough final sets where they both could easily have been beaten. Radwanska faced a stiff challenge from Russian Maria Kirilenko and when they were moved under the roof it looked as though the Russian would be going through but an amazing drop shot which clipped the net saved Radwanska and she eventually took the match 7-5 in the third. Having watched that match I thought the Pole was playing very well. She's a solid player with very consistent shots off both sides and is good on serve. I think she struggles more when players take the game to her and play with no fear which is what I'd expect Kerber to be like. Angelique has been one of the best players of the year and her Wimbledon campaign has been very good so far. She showed no nerves when facing the legend that is Kim Clijsters on Monday and absolutely hammered the Belgian in her final Wimbledon and her win on Tuesday was even more impressive. Having beaten Sharapova, Sabine Lisicki was playing the best tennis of her life but Kerber played amazing tennis and even when it looked like Lisicki was going to win having saved match points and gone ahead in the third set Kerber somehow managed to find a way through to her second Grand Slam semi final, and first at Wimbledon. Without a doubt the match between Lisicki and Kerber was the best and most exciting match of the tournament and I feel that having come through it Kerber will raise her level again. The fact that Kerber has flat ground strokes will work against her if she allows nerves to take control of her play but I'd expect her to play with some more freedom having already achieved more than people expected. It's a great opportunity for both players to reach a Grand Slam final and having seen Kvitova win last year who's to say one of these two won't be crowned Wimbledon champion on Saturday? I think Kerber will play the way she did against Lisicki and Clijsters and really step up into the court and dictate play and if she manages to do that then I think she will overpower Radwanska and fire winners off her powerful forehand and backhand shots. I'd expect Kerber to just about get through.
The main attraction for Thursday will of course be the Williams-Azarenka match. It's an intriguing match up and one that will split the public right down the middle. Williams has demonstrated why her serve is recognised as one of the greatest serves the women's game has ever seen. It's the reason she's got this far and the reason she still has a chance of winning a fifth Wimbledon crown. She looked down and out against Jie Zheng and she was simply overpowered and outclassed from the baseline and she managed an incredible 23 aces during that match to get through 9-7 in the third. Again against Shvedova she needed her serve to bail her out on numerous occasions to get through. Whether it's first or second serve it's very difficult to read and it contains so much power she is able to get on the front foot straight away in the rally which makes her very difficult to beat. I didn't think she would get through Kvitova on Tuesday if I'm honest. I thought Kvitova would match her on serve and be strong enough mentally to overcome Williams and she wouldn't be intimidated by Serena. I thought Kvitova played very well but Williams was a step ahead on the big points and was fully deserved of her win. Azarenka, in my opinion, has been the player of the tournament. She has been sensational and I think she could very well be the woman lifting the title on Saturday. If she does win it then it will put her back to number one and prove to everyone that her slight drop in form was simply because of the change to clay. She was brilliant on hard courts and has been stunning here on the grass of Wimbledon. Ana Ivanovic was in great form this championships but she was crushed by Azarenka and the in form Paszek was also dismissed in straight sets which shows just how dominant the Belorussian has been. Her statistics on the return of serve have been outstanding and that's the reason I think she could beat Williams. Williams won't get as much free points on serve and Azarenka will try her best to take time away from Williams. I think Williams movement is her weak point and at this stage of a Grand Slam the very best players should be exposing that, and Azarenka is one of the best. Her attitude is magnificent, from her walk out with the ipod on and the hood up in her own world to her patience in the rallies and positive reactions between points. I think she will constantly make Williams play that extra ball and eventually I think that will take it's toll on Williams. If Azarenka is allowed to play on the baseline then Williams won't be as dominant as she has been against other players because Azarenka has got the power to mix it with her and is more than capable of hitting huge winners. This match should be one of the highest quality and I think that in the end if she can stay on the baseline and not allow Williams be the aggressor then Azarenka will be in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.
So that's my preview of the semi finals of the women's singles at Wimbledon which take place tomorrow. It's very difficult to say who will be in Saturday's final as we have four top class players in the semi finals and all have their own ambitions and beliefs of how far they can go. If I had to pick then I'd go for Azarenka and Kerber to be in the final and I think that would be a fitting way to end the fortnight as these two have probably been the most consistent of the year so far. With this being my 50th post I'd just like to quickly thank all the people who read my work and as always your feedback is much appreciated by e-mail at Deano24893@live.ie or on the Amateur Sports Journalism facebook page. So thanks again to all of you, it's your support that motivates me to write.
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