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Serena Williams chasing all kinds of milestones at the US Open but so far, so good

Serena Williams chasing all kinds of milestones at the US Open but so far, so good

NEW YORK – It’s hard to fathom that Serena Williams might not be the No. 1 female tennis player in the world in 10 days or so.

But it’s a real possibility. So you’d think it might even do the 34-year-old some good to take mental break from this second consecutive year of chasing tennis immortality to focus on the short-term project of staying at the top.

But it seems there’s no way for the 34-year-old to avoid history with every little step she takes.

Williams’ easy-as-pie 6-2, 6-1 victory over Johanna Larsson of Sweden Saturday at the US Open added yet another mile marker to her very crowded interstate. With it, she posted the 307th Grand Slam tournament match victory of her career, which moves her one ahead of Martina Navratilova for the most ever by a female player.

Serena Williams waves to fans after defeating Johanna Larsson of Sweden. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Serena Williams waves to fans after defeating Johanna Larsson of Sweden. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

With her next match, another eminently winnable one against big-serving Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 on Monday, she would have 308 – one more than the all-time record holder, male or female. Roger Federer’s Grand Slam absences this season have opened the door, and Williams could step right through it on Monday.

“Actually, it was a really good feeling, I have to say. It is actually a really good feeling. So to be up there with both men and women is something that's super rare, and it actually feels good,” Williams said after her victory over Larsson. “I was really excited to reach that, was it 306? 307? I was really excited to do that. Something I didn't even know about until Wimbledon. I was like, ‘Oh, I have a new goal’ “That was pretty cool for me. Obviously I want to keep that number going higher and see what can happen,” she added.

A year ago at this tournament Williams was chasing immortality of another sort, an accomplishment that had less to with longevity than it did the nearly unfathomable level of excellence, good luck and good health needed to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year.

Having won the first three majors, Williams found herself needing only to defeat two veteran Italians of her generation, Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta, to finish off the job and become the first player in the Open era since Steffi Graf to accomplish the feat.

The prospect seemed almost a little too daunting all along; Vinci shocked her in the semis.

The semi-final loss to Roberta Vinci was a shocker few saw coming a year ago. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The semi-final loss to Roberta Vinci was a shocker few saw coming a year ago. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

This year feels different; it feels as though the huge weight of what she was trying to accomplish a year ago has lifted a little bit.

But that might be a little deceptive, because Williams is chasing even more history.

She was looking for career Grand Slam title No. 22 in Australia, to tie Steffi Graf. But Angelique Kerber shocked her in the Australian Open final. On the plus side, that immediately took the calendar Slam out of play for the rest of the season.

Williams tried for No. 22 again in Paris but Garbiñe Muguruza (who has since flamed out early both at Wimbledon and here in New York) shocked her in the French Open final.

She got No. 22 at Wimbledon. If Williams wins in New York, she will pass Graf to become the queen of the Open era.

In her interview on court Saturday, there was a hint of the scratchy voice that has often signalled the Serena Slam ‘flu over the last few years. She said Saturday that she actually felt better going into last year than she does this time, which is partly health-related.

Williams' Olympics was a major disappointment both in singles and doubles. A US Open title could apply some salve on those wounds. (EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS)
Williams' Olympics was a major disappointment both in singles and doubles. A US Open title could apply some salve on those wounds. (EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS)

Williams’ biggest issue is the shoulder, which first flared up at Wimbledon and meant she took a hard pass on the Rogers Cup in Montreal. It certainly contributed to a third-round exit at the hands of Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the Olympics. After accepting a wild card into the tournament in Cincinnati the following week, Williams withdrew before playing her first match.

Contrast that with the summer of 2015 when she reached the semi-finals in Toronto (losing to eventual champion Belinda Bencic) then won the Cincinnati event on her way to New York.

“I felt pretty good last year. I definitely felt more prepared. Hoping I can start feeling that way soon this year, as well,” Williams said.

Williams’ ace count was down Saturday, halved from the double figures she posted in her first two matches. But her velocity has been consistent throughout, which is a good sign.

There’s no magic potion; Williams has a lot of work done on the shoulder before every practice and match, and afterwards.

“It definitely feels solid. I'm doing a lot of work on it so I can keep it in this position. Definitely not going to stop doing all the rehab and therapy, so I don't want to go down. It's pretty good,” she said. “It's a lot of post-match stuff, stuff I'm not really excited about, but at the end of the day I think it's good for me.”

Williams needs to do better than Kerber at this year’s Open to remain at No. 1 in the rankings. It’s a computer calculation that isn’t exactly worked out on an even playing field, as Williams has 14 tournaments on her 52-week resumé while Kerber has 22.

Kerber lost in the third round in New York a year ago to Victoria Azarenka, while Williams was a semi-finalist. So when those ranking points drop off as the results of this year’s US Open are added, the German lefty will have a greater net gain if she goes as far as Williams does in the tournament.

Back when Williams beat Graf to win the Indian Wells title in 1999, it was hard to imagine all the history-chasing that has come since. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
Back when Williams beat Graf to win the Indian Wells title in 1999, it was hard to imagine all the history-chasing that has come since. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

She could have taken over the No. 1 ranking had she won in Cincinnati two weeks ago. She lost in desultory fashion to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, though, and that allowed Williams to keep the No. 1 ranking at least three more weeks – until the end of the US Open.

Why is that significant? Kerber’s failure to seize her opportunity extended Williams’ consecutive-weeks streak at the top of the game to 186 weeks – tying Graf for the longest-ever reign at the top. 

No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska also has an outside shot at reaching No. 1. But she’d have to win the title, and that’s something she has yet to do at a major.

The ideal scenario here would be for Williams and Kerber, the top two seeds, to meet in the final. It would be a showdown for the No. 1 ranking, and you can’t ask for more than that.

If Williams could win that one, not only would she stay No. 1, she would also pass Graf with major No. 23. She also would hold the record for consecutive weeks at No. 1.

In her way is Shvedova (against whom she’s 4-0) then possibly Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and maybe even her sister Venus in the semi-finals.

Williams is a long way from the final weekend.

“Obviously I don't feel like I'm Serena out there yet, but hopefully she'll come around the second week,” Williams said Saturday.

Hopefully she won't get stuck in the Labour Day holiday traffic on the way to Queen's.