Australian Open 2022 will mark the 100th anniversary of women’s singles competition at the year’s first major tournament.
Tied to that anniversary was the announcement the AO 2022 women’s semifinals will be rescheduled to feature in a prime-time Thursday evening session, after traditionally being staged on Thursday afternoon.
READ MORE: Women continue to make AO history as semifinals move to prime time
Women’s semifinals at the Australian Open have often been scintillating affairs, especially since the event relocated to Melbourne Park. Many matches at this stage of the tournament are now considered classics.
As we hope for similar at AO 2022, we reflect on some of the greatest women’s semifinals in the following list, all defined by dramatic comebacks – and in which many saw match points saved.
1996: [1] Monica Seles d [13] Chanda Rubin 6-7(2) 6-1 7-5
Seles was playing at the AO for the first time since winning three straight titles from 1991 to 1993, a heart-warming return Down Under after she had suffered a frightening on-court knife attack in Hamburg in April 1993. Playing fellow American Chanda Rubin, Seles trailed 5-2 in the final set, and Rubin led 30-15 when serving for the match at 5-3. The absorbing contest captivated the crowd as Seles tapped into her trademark will-to-win, clinching the final five games of the match. "Chanda's such a fighter, I'm very lucky to be in the finals,” Seles said. “I still can't believe it." Two days later, she beat Anke Huber in the final for her ninth and final major singles title.
1999: Amelie Mauresmo d [1] Lindsay Davenport 4-6 7-5 7-5
This was 19-year-old Mauresmo’s breakout tournament. While she would go on to reach world No.1 and win two Grand Slam titles, at the time she was an unseeded player ranked 29th facing the then top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, the reigning US Open champion. Davenport powered through the first set but increasingly struggled with Mauresmo’s heavy topspin and athleticism. Although the inexperienced Mauresmo twice trailed by a break in the final set she fought admirably, eventually completing a stunning upset with a backhand winner down the line.
2003: [1] Serena Williams d [4] Kim Clijsters 4-6 6-3 7-5
Williams was playing with enormous pressure at AO 2003, targeting a fourth straight major title which would deliver her the “Serena Slam”. Her quest looked set to end in the semifinals when she clashed with the talented Clijsters, who matched Williams in both power and athleticism. The popular Belgian surged to a 5-1 lead in the third set at Rod Laver Arena and even held two match points as she served at 5-2 for a place in the final. Williams, however, elevated her game at exactly the right time, gathering momentum that saw her reel off six straight games to produce the most incredible of comebacks.
2005: [7] Serena Williams d [4] Maria Sharapova 2-6 7-5 8-6
Williams repeated the feat two years later against another superstar opponent in Sharapova. Sharapova had beaten Williams in their past two meetings – including the 2004 Wimbledon final – and stormed to a 6-2 5-4 lead, only to play an error-strewn game when serving for the match. The Russian was undeterred, earning three match points at 5-4 in the final set. Again, Williams raised her level of tennis when most necessary, erasing two of those three match points with winners before going on to record a thrilling triumph. Just as she did in 2003, Williams went on to lift the trophy with a three-set victory in the final.
2008: [4] Ana Ivanovic d [9] Daniela Hantuchova 0-6 6-3 6-4
Incredibly, Ivanovic trailed 6-0, 2-0 in this semifinal as Hantuchova attained an untouchable level in her first major semifinals. Yet once Ivanovic got on the board in the third game of the second set – even that was a struggle for the Serb, who missed multiple game-point chances before eventually earning her first game – the complexion of the match changed. Ivanovic increasingly relaxed and was buoyed by the crowd, while Hantuchova lost fluidity as her significant lead shrunk. With her superior forehand power, Ivanovic ultimately staged a memorable comeback to reach her second major final within the past year.
2011: [9] Li Na d [1] Caroline Wozniacki 3-6 7-5 6-3
Wozniacki came incredibly close to her first AO final when she led Li 6-3, 5-4, 40-30 while attempting to serve out this semifinal. But Li stared down that match point, saving it with a powerful forehand that forced an error from the world No.1. And from there, her greater power proved the difference as the match unfolded. Dealing patiently with Wozniacki’s excellent defence, Li’s textbook groundstrokes flowed from the baseline as she charged into her first Grand Slam final – the first of three Australian Open final appearances.
2018: [1] Simona Halep d [21] Angelique Kerber 6-3 4-6 9-7
In perhaps the most compelling, dramatic Australian Open women’s semifinal ever, Halep looked a likely winner before Kerber wrested control of the match and stood on the brink of victory – only for another momentum swing to Halep. The Romanian led 5-3 in the final set and held two match points at 4-5, 15-40, but after a series of punishing rallies, Kerber worked her way to a 6-5, 40-15 lead. Halep saved both of those match points with aggressive play, extending this battle to the delight of the Rod Laver Arena crowd. As the match neared the two-and-a-half hour mark, and on her fourth match point, Halep finally prevailed.