NEW YORK – Roberta Vinci is a time machine. Her tennis game is out of the 1970s, pounding opponents into mental submission with her slice backhand, finding angles that would make Euclid proud. In a game of baseline bombers, Vinci provides little pace. You need patience to beat her—and then more patience to finish her.
Angelique Kerber proved worthy of the mental challenge and is now in the U.S. Open semifinals. This was a very tricky match for the German lefty, a 180-degree shift from fourth round opponent Petra Kvitova, a fellow left-hander who smashes balls from the baseline with ferocity.