Serena Williams triumphs with 20th grand slam at Roland Garros 2015

Lucie Safarova put up a brave resistance to Serena Williams in the French Open women's file but the American pulled herself out of purgatory for a historic triumph. Novak Djokovic is optimistic about facing Stan Wrawinka in the men's final.

Serena Williams shows off her third trophy at Roland Garros Reuters

Lucie Safarova saw the end on a couple of occasions. One was when she was a set down and trailing 1-4 in the second set. Serena Williams had two points for a 5-1 lead.

“I'm proud that I fought back in the second set because it was looking like it was going to be an easy match,” reflected the Czech 13th seed after the game. “Serena was really strong out there. I just pushed myself to step up the level.” 

It worked.

The American top seed contrived to throw the game away by serving two double faults and injecting errors into her rallies where winners flowed before. Instead of 5-1, it was 4-2. Safarova held on to her service to make it 4-3. Williams, the steely champion, went on walkabout to give up her advantage. 

At 5-5 in the second set, Williams carved out a chance to control her destiny. After 80 minutes of play, at 6-5 up, the 19-times grand slam champion served for her third Roland Garros title. Williams didn’t even obtain a match point. 

“I was just there and thinking: ‘Okay, I'm going to go for it. Either she serves it out or I will go for every shot I can, 100%’” said Safarova. “I went for those shots and I managed to break her and then I played an amazing tiebreak after.” 

The 28-year-old is too modest. It was an astounding show of strength.

She didn’t edge the tiebreak, she seized it by the scruff of the neck from the outset taking the first three points. The only time she appeared in danger was when a service return went long to cut her lead to 4-2. But then three mistakes from Williams yielded the prize. One set all after 90 minutes. Ten mintues earlier she had seemed primed for the runners-up plate. 

She again had an opportunity for the main prize. It hovered tantalisingly close, too. Safarova took command of the decider by breaking Williams in her first service game. Playing with her clean, incisive strikes, she held her own service for a 2-0 advantage. 

But then the real Serena Williams returned.

“I got so frustrated,” said the 33-year-old. “I was just so angry at myself. I was pretty much giving the match away. I think she played really well. But at the same time, I was giving it to her. I started hitting double faults. I was really frustrated with myself. I just had to like try to pull it together.” 

She put it together alright reeling off six consecutive games to elude the self-made purgatory.

The record books will show a 63 67 62 triumph; a Roland Garros number three and grand slam title number 20.

“She did some great shots to break me and started to play really strong,” conceded Safarova. “She just was playing better than me.”

Williams has now claimed the second grand slam tournament of the season. But she was quick to play down the pressure of a calendar grand slam.

“I think it would be awesome to do it," she said. "But at the end of the day it's pretty awesome to have 20. Obviously, I would love to win a grand slam.” 

If Novak Djokovic emulates Williams he too will be half way towards the calendar grand slam. He moved into the men’s final after overcoming the British third seed Andy Murray.

The pair started their semi-final on Friday afternoon but they were interrupted by rain and poor light on Friday night with Djokovic two sets to one up and the score at 3-3 in the fourth set. In hot dry conditons on Saturday afternoon, Murray struck when Djokovic was serving at 5-5.

He carved out two break points and although Djokovic saved the first, he offered up his service when he pushed a forehand too long. Murray held his nerve to take the set 7-5.

The seeds were sowing a classic. But a legend failed to take root. Murray lost his first service game in the decider to give Djokovic a 2-0 lead.

The Serb was relentless thereafter.

He confirmed the break to go 3-0 up. Murray got on the scoreboard for 3-1 and that’s as good as it got for the Briton. Djokovic swept through the next three games to wrap up the set 6-1 and advance to his third Roland Garros final. 

This time Rafael Nadal won’t be there.

The Spaniard was his better on his previous two visits. But Djokovic removed him from the scheme in the quarter-final. The Swiss eighth seed Stan Wawrinka awaits him; a no less redoubtable foe but one he has mastered on 17 of their 20 meetings. 

That will be a huge psychological advantage.

“It wasn't a physically easy match against Andy, that's for sure,” said Djokovic. “But I think I will be fine for the final. Whatever I have left in me I will put out on the court and hopefully it can be enough.” 

A triumph for Djokovic will make him only the eighth man to have won titles at all the four grand slam venues of the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Nadal and Roger Federer are already in that pantheon. 

From the women’s game, Serena Williams has been there for more than a decade. She started what she dubbed the ‘Serena Slam’ at the French Open in 2002 and went on to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year and the Australian Open in 2003. 

“For me to win my 20th grand slam here in Paris, a city which I love and which is very special to me in my career, makes this win even more special,” she told the packed centre court in French after her win over Safarova.

The fans roared their approval as much for the sentiment as for her increasing fluency in their language. Djokovic too has been whipping out his French after winning his matches on the way to the final. 

He’ll also be hoping to dazzle the crowd with his linguistic skills in a victory speech on Sunday afternoon. Wawrinka, though, might well have a word or two to say about that.