The 2015 US Open will reach its climax with two unheralded women from Italy set to vie for top honours in the Women’s Final. Flavia Pennetta will take on her country woman Roberta Vinci at Flushing Meadows to bring curtains to the Grand Slam calendar of 2015.
Pennetta (pictured) was the surprise from bottom half to make it through to the Final. The Italian overcame Australian Samantha Stosur, Petra Kvitova and number two seed Simona Halep in consecutive rounds to reach the Final.
Everyone expected the second-ranked Halep to overpower Pennetta in the Semis. But, the 33-year-old 26th seed had other ideas and overpowered the Romanian in just under an hour in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Rain on Thursday postponed the match, but Pennetta was the one who came fresher.
Standing between Pennetta and her first Grand Slam singles title is Roberta Vinci. The 32-year-old is a multiple Grand Slam champion in doubles but this is new territory for her in singles.
If Pennetta reaching the final is a surprise, her compatriot Vinci reaching from the top half is nothing short of a miracle. Serena Williams was the overwhelming favourite even before the tournament started. With the “Calendar Slam” within her reach, Serena was expected to stroll through the Semis. But, in one of the biggest surprises in tennis history, the Italian veteran defeated Serena in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Serena was bothered by illness but take nothing away from Vinci’s performance. The doubles specialist showed commendable grit to find answers to everything Serena threw at her.
For Pennetta and Vinci, this is a very rare opportunity to showcase their skills in their first Grand Slam singles final. Considering their age, this could also be the last chance for them. It’s always difficult to pick a winner when two underdogs are battling it out. Pennetta will have the confidence of being consistent while Vinci will be riding high on the emotion of overcoming Serena. Odds of $4.00 at Sportsbet for Pennetta winning in 3 sets looks like a solid betting play for the final.
Both players have experience of playing in Grand Slam finals in doubles. As such, there should not be any problem of nerves – unless the occasion catches up with each of them. For the viewers though, it should be an interesting match to follow with a guaranteed victory for Italy!
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