In the biggest surprise of the season, Serena Williams was defeated by Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open semifinals on Friday, cutting off her quest to win the fifth calendar Grand Slam in history.
It's a shock, not only because we were all so sure Williams was on her way to continuing the "Serena Slam," but also because most of us had expected an intense match between Williams and her sister, Venus, but not from a match with an unseeded player.
Either way, the Williams-Vinci match has made for some interesting statistics, to say the least.
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1. Vinci's status as an underdog
Williams' loss is stunning not only because she was at the top of her game, but also because Vinci was unseeded in the tournament. Vinci is no slouch -- she's the 43rd-ranked player in the world -- but prior to the match against Williams she had only 300-1 odds to win the title.
2. Williams had only ever lost to an unseeded player once
... until now. Before Vinci, Williams had a 43-1 streak against unseeded players at the U.S. Open, with the one loss against Kim Clijsters in 2009.
3. Italy vs. Italy
Venus and Serena famously battled in the U.S. Open finals in 2001 and 2002, but it's a rare occurrence to see fellow countrywomen go up against each other for the prize (the last time was in 2004). Not only that, but this is the first time anyone from Italy has entered the U.S. Open final, let alone two candidates.
4. Prices for the final have dropped dramatically
Not so much an unusual fact per se, but worth pointing out to really drive home the point that most of us were certain we'd be seeing Serena Williams win the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
Wow. US Open Women's Final tickets were at $250+ this morning. Now below $50. It's like Lehman just failed http://t.co/joS53gAi5q— Joe Light (@joelight) September 11, 2015
In any case, the Williams-Vinci match has shaken things up quite a bit for the U.S. Open. Not only did Williams' bid for a Grand Slam get derailed, but we're also seeing an unseeded player battling for the championship.