Serena Williams rolls into US Open semifinals, draws comparisons to Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan

By ADAM ZAGORIA

NEW YORK — Serena Williams rolled into the US Open semifinals on Tuesday night, and is now two wins from her 24th career Grand Slam title, which would tie her with Margaret Court atop the all-time women’s list.

Considered the GOAT of women’s tennis, Williams was compared by filmmaker Spike Lee to Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan among the all-time greats in sports.

“To be compared to Ali or Jordan is just really, I really have no words,” No. 17 Williams said in her on-court interview after beating No. 8 Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Namely Ali because he did so much for the sport. He did so much for the world and for everyone. For me, that’s what I want to be remembered for. It’s not what I do out here, it’s whether I can inspire people off the court so that’s my dream.”

Sealed with an ace!@serenawilliams prevails under the lights to defeat Pliskova 6-4, 6-3!

She’ll face Sevastova in the semifinals…#USOpen pic.twitter.com/zfpYDp9oBb

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2018

Williams avenged her 2016 semifinal loss to Pliskova and remains alive for her first US Open title since 2014 and her seventh overall. She will face No. 19 Anastasija Sevastova in the semifinals on Thursday after the Latvian dispatched defending US Open champ Sloane Stephens in brutal heat earlier Tuesday.

Williams lost in the US Open semis in 2015 and ’16.

“I want to just get past the semis here,” said Serena, who turns 37 later this month. “It’s been a few couple rough semis for me, but this has been a great road and I’m really excited. Hopefully you guys will be cheering and I’ll be here.”

All the feels…

???@serenawilliams#USOpen pic.twitter.com/7ojWpCtddt

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2018

Down a break in the opening set, she reeled off eight straight games. With the win, she improved to 89-11 all-time in Ashe Stadium.

“The crowd was really rooting for me and I felt so bad because everyone out here was cheering and I wasn’t winning and I thought, ‘I gotta try harder, I gotta do harder,’ so thank you guys so much,” Serena said.

Williams missed the Open a year ago because of the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia. She has yet to win a tournament since her daughter’s birth, and lost in the Wimbledon final to Angelique Kerber. Now she is now just two wins shy of tying Court.

“I really feel like I’m playing free because I was having a baby this time last year so I have nothing to prove,” she said. “I’m just on my way on the tour and doing the best I can.”

Williams has now won 14 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals.

“When I get to a Grand Slam and a major, I want to play really hard and I want to do really well,” she said. “I love it. I love this game and I love playing, so maybe that’s why.”

Most Slams all-time among women:

Court – 24
Serena – 23
Graf -22
Wills Moody – 19
Evert -18
Navratilova -18 https://t.co/y8tdrbrS0C

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 5, 2018

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