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 Instead, the pained expression on the ailing American's face spoke
volumes about what she must have been thinking -- 'Thank Jehovah
it's over'.
Using her racket like a walking stick Williams, who now stands one
match away from winning a 20th grand slam title, gingerly shuffled
her ailing body back to her seat after completing a 4-6 6-3 6-0
semi-final win over the Swiss outsider.
It was a victory that an hour earlier, when she was a set and a
break down, seemed nigh on impossible as her body seemed to be
letting her down with the mercury tipping at 27 degrees Celsius on
the hottest day of the championships.
But a woman who has built a career on overcoming every obstacle life
can throw at her -- be it a piece of glass that sliced her foot open
or a childhood spent dodging bullets during practice sessions in
Compton, California -- was determined not to give up on her dreams
of a third French Open title.
To do that, the American will need to recover quickly to overcome
Czech firecracker Lucie Safarova in Saturday's final.
On Thursday, however, Williams -- who always thanks Jehovah for her
grand slam victories -- was not thinking that far ahead.
"I tried everything. I thought if I lose I must fight. I have tried
and tried, I don't know where I found the energy," the world number
one spluttered during the obligatory on court interview.
"Sorry I am sick," she added before a coughing fit abruptly ended
the conversation.
Safarova, who had staged her own fightback from 5-2 down in the
first set to beat Serbia's 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic 7-5 7-5 in the
other semi, has been left wondering which Williams will show up on
Saturday.
The one who has clung on for dear life to survive four three-set
battles at this year's championships or the one capable of crushing
opponents without so much as a second glance.
NO QUITTER
On Thursday, it was clear that all was not well in the Williams camp
when she was seen coughing violently during her practice session
earlier in the day.
But while some feared she may be a no-show for the day's second
semi-final against Bacsinszky, Williams was keen to prove she was no
quitter.
As she fell a set and a break down at 2-3 in the second set, the
American appeared to close to tears and on the verge of passing out
during the changeover.
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The towelled ice-collar around her neck provided little comfort and
she took more than 30 seconds after the umpire called 'time' to get
up and walk back to the baseline to receive Bacsinszky's serve.
But just when it seemed that the daughter of a Transylvanian tennis
coach would sink her teeth further into Williams to increase her
suffering, the 33-year-old found a way to break back.
In fact despite often being rooted to a spot on the baseline,
Williams waved her racket left and right to produce the most
improbable shots.
She was in agony, pain and distress but still the winners kept
flying off Williams's racket -- and sometimes, but not very often,
they were greeted by her roars of approval.
The match that occasionally featured entertaining exchanges, with
the American at one point sliding to the net before suddenly
applying the brakes to her foot in order to hit some rapid reflex
volleys, petered out with the physically struggling Williams winning
the last 10 games on the trot.
The result earned Williams a much needed hug from her coach Patrick
Mouratoglu while Bacsinszky wiped away the tears streaking down her
face as she walked off Philippe Chatrier Court thinking what might
have been.
There were scenes of joy later in the day, however, when American
duo Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mike Bryan beat Lucie Hradecka and
Marcin Matkowski 7-6(3) 6-1 to win the first final at this year's
tournament, the mixed doubles.
(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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