Why This French Open May Be Serena Williams' Finest Major

ByJIM CAPLE
June 5, 2015, 1:10 PM

— -- PARIS -- Serena Williams has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, the second-most of anyone in the Open era. She will fight to win another here Saturday. If she does, it will not be just her 20th, but one of her most remarkable as well.

Consider what she has done this fortnight. She has lost the first set of a match four times this French Open and come back to win each time. The first three times it was mostly about rallying from a poor start. Thursday's semifinal victory over Timea Bacsinszky wasn't just about Serena rallying from a poor start, though. This was about having the strength to overcome a poor start and illness.

And also turning what was shaping up to be one of the ugliest losses of her career into one of her most stunning wins. Down a set and a break in the second set, she rallied to win the final 10 games to beat Bacsinszky 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and advance to the final, where she will face  Lucie Safarova.