Serena Williams, favorite, d. Simona Halep, No. 1, at Australian Open

MELBOURNE—Past 10:00 p.m. on this Monday night, eager to get home and be with her daughter, Serena Williams was crystal clear about what had happened this evening. In the fourth round of the Australian Open, she’d beaten world No. 1 Simona Halep, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. But serving at 2-1 in the second set, holding an ad for a 3-1 lead, she’d lost the game—and then, drip by drip, been less participant than witness to Halep methodically asserting herself.

“She literally lifted her game to a new level,” said Williams. “I didn't. I kind of stayed at the same level, and I should have looked at my game, as well.”

As the third set got underway, it was odd to ponder the idea that the player ranked No. 1 in the world was the one hoping to earn an upset win. But even Halep was attuned to that aberrational reality. Two days prior to the match, she’d made a statement that could be read two ways.

“In my opinion, to be No. 1 in the world and to be the best player in the world, it’s a little bit different,” Halep said Saturday night after a convincing win over Venus Williams. “In this moment, I’m No. 1 in the world.”

Then speaking of Serena, Halep said, “But for sure she’s the best player in the world because she won so many Grand Slams.”

On the one hand, Halep could be commended for her candor, a companion after all of high self-esteem.  But Halep’s words also carried the flavor of low self-esteem, her pragmatism the opposite of the illogical optimism and myopia often required to be a champion. Was Halep laying the groundwork of justification should she lose? Or again, just demonstrating her likeable brand of authenticity? What Halep lacks in hubris she makes up for with humanity.

Point after point, Williams was the hitter, Halep the mover. When Williams was rapidly able to assert herself—often with a serve or return—she took control of the rally. This was abundantly clear in the 20-minute first set.

“I will start with a joke,” said Halep as she began her post-match press conference. “I felt like I had been hit by the train in the first set. Everything was too fast.”

Leave it to Halep to confuse humor with metaphor and still be charming enough to trigger friendly laughter among the gathered media.

To derail the Williams train, Halep needed to take away Serena’s response time. Lacking the ability to match Williams’ power, the best way for her to do this is to strike the ball early, which requires putting her feet into overdrive.

In the latter stages of the second set, Halep found the range nicely. With Williams serving at 4-5, 30-30, Halep rapidly closed out a four-ball rally with a sublime backhand down-the-line winner. Now at set point, she dug in with just enough depth and pace that Williams flagged a backhand wide. Halep at this stage was hitting with far more depth than she had earlier, most notably arcing her forehand with topspin, a contrast to the flat, low-margin drives she hits when nervous.

But the real business of this match was settled over the course of two games in the final set. Williams served at 2-3. By this stage, Halep’s engaging blend of pluck and spark was in full glory. Said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, “I think in that moment Simona was playing a bit better than her, and the danger was real.”

Two vintage Halep scampers put her ahead love-30. Aided by two superb first serves, Williams rallied to 30-all. A sharp down-the-line forehand from Halep, struck from a defensive position, caught Williams by surprise and extracted an error. But on the first of three break points she’d earn this game, Halep misfired on a 106-m.p.h. Williams serve down the T. Williams saved the second by driving deep and down the middle proficiently enough to trigger a Halep forehand error. And on the third, Williams nailed a 111-m.p.h. wide service winner.

Past those challenges, Williams closed out the game with a sharp wide ace in the deuce court and a backhand winner. Said Mouratoglou, “She knew she should not get broken at that time, and she found a way. And then the match changed.”

One chance to break open a match versus Serena Williams is rare enough. Two chances? Don’t bet on it. Though Halep held a point to go up 4-3, a forehand winner from Williams extinguished that chance.  Two points later, she’d broken Halep and eventually comfortably served it out at 5-4.

“She was being herself,” said Mouratoglou of Serena. “I think that's her trademark, to be able to play those moments better than the opponent. I think one of her main qualities is to be a top competitor. And being a top competitor means turning, means being able to turn the matches around to feel the big moments during a match, and on those moments, raise their level either with quality of the shots or tactically to win those points and turn the match in their favor.”

“But it's a part of this journey on my way back,” said Williams. “You know, like I was saying, it's 10 months, so I can't be too upset at myself. I felt like I did have an opportunity to win that in straight sets, but then I'm playing the No. 1 player in the world.

“So I'm still learning, which is, at my age and my point in my career, I think admirable and exciting that I still have things I can learn from.”

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