Serena Williams To Return To Number One Ranking Monday

Lawn Tennis, Ace Tennis Magazine, Lawn Tennis Magazine

Serena Williams To Return To Number One Ranking Monday
By Ken Miller, Lawn Tennis Analyst, Posted: Friday, February 15, 2013 12:40pm PST USA

DOHA-- Friday at Doha in the quarterfinals, the American and second seeded Serena Williams hit 14 aces to recover from a 1-4 third set deficit to defeat the seventh seeded Petra Kvotova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The win ensures the second ranked Williams a return to the WTA Tour’s world number one ranking Monday regardless of the remainder of the Doha tournament’s weekend results.

Kvotova raced to a 5-2 first set lead to began the match before closing out the set with only one break of serve 6-3 after 41 minutes of play.

Set two remanded on serve until Williams broke serve at 3 all to reach 4-3. Ace number eight of the day from the American leveled the match at a set apiece at 3-6, 6-3 after one

Serena Williams of the USA | Image: AP

Williams trailed 2-5 in set one as well as 1-4 in set three before winning.

hour and 15 minutes of play.

Kvotova held serve then broke serve to jump ahead early in the final set 2-0. However after hitting her 6th doublefault of the day, the Czech would lose serve to put the set back on serve at 2-1.

A Williams doublefault on breakpoint in the following game sent Kvotova ahead 3-1. The Czech would then hold serve to increase her lead to 4-1.

In the next two games, Williams held serve then broke serve to return the set back on serve at 4-3.

Aces number ten and number eleven of the day from the American would level the set at 4 all.

In the following game, Kvotova held serve on game point with an ace of her own to lead 5-4.

However a second serve ace on game point from Williams; her 13th ace of the day, would again level the set; this time at 5 all.

Williams would then break serve before connecting with her 14th ace of the day to end the quarterfinal encounter after two hours and seven minutes of play.

In semifinal number two Saturday, the 31 year old American takes on the third seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia. To start the day, the current world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will meet the fourth seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in semifinals number one. In the United States, the Tennis Channel will televise both semifinals as well as Sunday’s final by tape delay.

Williams could have returned to the top ranking in January following the Australian Open. But the American suffered a twisted then swollen ankle as well as a back injury which hampered her performance in Melbourne.

Last year Williams won Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open as well as the WTA Tour’s year end championships tournament.