The start of the match for Williams was not easy, when at 1-1 she had to come back from 0-40 on her serve. From then on Serena kept her lead, despite several brief rain interruptions, breaking Begu at 2-1 for the first time. Then followed a string of broken serves, but Williams came out on top, eventually winning the first set 6-4.
Begu broke Serena’s serve in the first game of the second set, but that was the last game she won in the match. Williams ran the table, not giving Begu even a single break point to grasp at. Serena Williams has not lost a set on her way to the final, but this one was definitely the easiest of the final runs she had in 2016. Williams’ road to the final consisted of Friedsam, McHale, Kuznetsova, and Begu. And in the final she will face a player outside the Top 20, Madison Keys.
“I think that’s been really good and really interesting, because everyone I played has been pretty different,” Williams said. “But they have all been pretty good clay-court players and really consistent players.
“So I think it’s been a perfect draw for me. And even tomorrow against Madison, it’s another different type of player. So I think it’s just a perfect opportunity for me to have all these matches and trying to get ready for the next one.”
The match between Garbine Muguruza and Madison Keys was moved off the main court due to a rain delay causing a late start to the match. Keys took the lead early, breaking Muguruza to 3-1 only to be broken back a game later. Players were very level and the first set headed off in to a tiebreaker. In that Keys came out on top, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. Second set seemed to go the same direction until Keys broke for 4-3, and kept her lead to win the second set 6-4.
“You know, very happy that especially in the last game I was able to keep my nerves under control and serve it out and win. I’m really, really happy. You know, I’m just really happy that I’m kind of finding my form a little bit before the French Open, and, you know, hopefully I can continue tomorrow and walk out with a very big smile.”
This will be the first final between two Americans in 4 years. The last one to happen in Rome was all the way back in 1970 when Billie Jean King defeated Julie Heldman.
Serena Williams is a huge favorite coming into the final, but she still has not won a tournament in 2016, losing finals at the Australian Open to Kerber, and Indian Wells to Azarenka. Serena is leading the head-to-head over Keys 2-0, getting wins at the Australian and US Open last year.
