Serena pushed, but ultimately prevails at the US Open
— -- NEW YORK -- If it seems Serena Williams versus the field isn't a fair fight, these statistics back up that astute perception:
Williams has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, five more than the other 127 women who lined up here at the beginning of the tournament.
And wonder of wonders, a record No. 23 remains a distinct possibility after Wednesday night's dramatic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of No. 5 seed Simona Halep.
The match, which captivated the near-capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, required 2 hours, 14 minutes to complete.
"I knew I could play a lot better," Williams said in her on-court interview of the second set. "I felt I lost my rhythm, and Simona started playing better. I knew I had to step it up in the third set."
Some takeaways from the highly competitive match:
The shoulder is holding up: Serena pulled out of Cincinnati three weeks ago after accepting a late wild card into the draw; a right shoulder injury was the culprit. Against Halep, she had a tournament-high 18 aces, and blasted one serve 123 mph. In addition, Serena hit a 110-mph second serve -- on the line.
Halep digs down deep: Serena's depth and power puts incredible pressure on service games. In the second game of the second set, Halep fought off no fewer than seven break points. A Serena backhand into the net, the 18th point, ended a 10-minute game, and sent off Halep on a second-set tear. For the set, Halep saved all 12 of the break points she faced.
Celebrity Watch: In terms of depth and marquee, the best of the fortnight -- Pharrell Williams, Tony Bennett, Queen Latifah, Michael J. Fox, Rod Laver, Jimmy Arias, Jennifer Capriati.
History still beckons: For another two days at least, Williams' quest for an Open era record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record seventh US Open title and a new mark for consecutive weeks (187) at No. 1 remains alive.
Get your popcorn ready: Williams faces No. 10 seed Karolina Pliskova in a Thursday night semifinal that will feature the two women with the most aces among WTA players. "Wow," Serena said, "there will be a lot of aces in that match. Regardless, I look forward to it."
