It was a day of mixed emotions for Serena Williams at the Yarra Valley Classic where she won one match before announcing her withdrawal from the competition.
The former world No.1 resumed her campaign at Melbourne Park with a roller-coaster 6-2 4-6 (10-6) win over Danielle Collins on Margaret Court Arena to book a spot in the semi-finals. Williams’ latest victory follows her wins over Daria Gavrilova and Tsvetana Pironkova earlier in the week.
“It was a good match,” the 39-year-old told reporters after. “I think Danielle is such an aggressive player, at least against top players in particular, so I knew that I was going to have to be ready for today.’
“She plays well. I knew it was going to be a good one. I’m glad I was able to get through that one in a tiebreak. Different but nice.”
Speaking during her press conference, the 23-time Grand Slam winner gave no indication that she was considering withdrawing from the tournament and even spoke about her next match. She was set to play top seed Ash Barty in the semi-finals in what would have been their first meeting since 2018. Williams described the showdown as an ‘opportunity for both of us to get back in the swing of things.’
However, such an opportunity will not occur after the WTA confirmed the American has pulled out due to soreness in her shoulder. Making it the second tournament in a row Williams has been forced to quit after an Achilles injury forced her out of the French Open last October.
“Serena Williams has withdrawn ahead of her semifinal at the Yarra Valley Classic due to a right shoulder injury. Ashleigh Barty receives a walkover into the final,” WTA Insider tweeted.
It is unclear as to how serious the issue is but Williams still intends to play at the Australian Open next week where she will take on Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the first round.
Meanwhile, Barty says she is growing in confidence this week from playing in Yarra Valley after missing almost a year of the Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the rust is always there for everyone the first few matches of the season. But without a doubt, I felt better and better each match,” she said.
“Each match has been very different, different challenges, different things I’ve had to overcome, which is the best thing, to be able to work through those and give myself another chance to play a little bit better the next day, focus on some new challenges for the next day.”
In the final Barty will play either Garbine Muguruza or Markéta Vondroušová.
