[Break My Rapture]

Her potential career-best season about to be upended, shoulder practically broken, serve in tatters, a hauntingly painful choke against the same opponent in the same round at the same tournament 2 years ago somehow repeating itself, but started swinging for the fences (even for Maria's standards) with this very memorable point and reaction as a result. Although I feel like her intensity here belied a certain desperation that she knew she wasn't going to get over the finish line with a win in this one and that her season (career?) was in jeopardy.

 

[VeeJJ]

Venus Vs Hingis USO SF 2000

Venus was not playing great but then stepped it up at 5-5 in 3rd set (despite how highly some people talk up this match I always found their Wimbledon QF earlier that year much better quality)

Great pick! As she said herself- UNBELIEVABLE.

Even Richard left the stadium when she was down 3-5 anticipating a loss.

 

[HatersGoToHell]

 

[Smarter Force]

Azarenka vs Ivanovic, 2013 USO R4. A fun, dramatic match that went down to the wire. I genuinely think Ana would’ve made the finals that year if she could’ve gotten over the line 💔

Yes out of all Ana’s matches, this would be the one. She did lose a few extremely competitive heartbreakers to Sharapova but all those matches involved Ana’s choking at some point. But this match was different. She was up to the task from beginning to an end but Azarenka was at her peak. Some of the forehand winners down the line whenever she was close to defeat were mouthwatering. Eventually she did lose and I also think she could’ve been the finalist that year had she somehow edged Vika. But an inevitable loss to Serena in the grand slam final would follow anyways. 🙂

Nonetheless it was an early intro to 2014 and her comeback to the top 5. She already had the Serbian team that US open and the change was obvious so fast. I’m still baffled that she fired Kontic after just a year. Who the hell knows what happened there.

 

[Sammo]

Date vs Venus Wimbledon 2011 R2

 

[Viktymise]

Also, kind of a random one, but Venus losing to Jankovic @ Wimbledon in 2006 included the same energy as the aforementioned Venus matches in this thread. Just banging screaming winners at 2-5 down in the 3rd but her UE count was also insane in that match. I feel almost all the 3-set matches she lost in 2006 had about 50+ UEs minimum, and it was probably the most hyper aggressive she had played in her whole career.

 

[Julian.]

Sharapova def. Kvitova at the Semifinal of Australian Open 2012

 

[SerenasAngles]

The 2010 Madrid win over Dushevina is the longest match of her career.

 

[VeeJJ]

Sharapova def. Kvitova at the Semifinal of Australian Open 2012

OH. MY. GOD.

YES.

Kvitova’s true second slam RIP

 

[VeeJJ]

Jankovic def Paszek AO 2008 R1

Jankovic def Serena Rome 2010 SF

Serena def Henin Miami 2007 F

Venus def Cariapti Miami F 2001

 

[Hanan Ubis]

for some reason these matches come to mind:

Myskina lose to Serena Williams YEC 2004 RR. To go against that crowd and come up with some great points! Wow!

And on the opposite end, Serena lose to Qiang Wang AO 2020 R3

Qiang was fighting but so was Serena!

Jankovic def Paszek AO 2008 R1

Jankovic def Serena Rome 2010 SF

Serena def Henin Miami 2007 F

Venus def Cariapti Miami F 2001

your mention of JJ reminds me of this disaster of a match, where JJ really fought hard to stay in this match despite getting dominated in the 1st set, being down 3-5 in the 2nd, and going down 0-5 in the 3rd but to no avail in the end. JJ was throwing all sorts of defense which Serena struggled to deal with.

JJ lose to Serena Miami 2008 F

 

[MorganD]

Also, kind of a random one, but Venus losing to Jankovic @ Wimbledon in 2006 included the same energy as the aforementioned Venus matches in this thread. Just banging screaming winners at 2-5 down in the 3rd but her UE count was also insane in that match. I feel almost all the 3-set matches she lost in 2006 had about 50+ UEs minimum, and it was probably the most hyper aggressive she had played in her whole career.

Wimbledon truly was JJ's garden beating defending champions Venus and Kvitova, on top of her slam win.

OT : Davenport vs. Venus Wimbledon 2005

 

[CountryLife]

Yes out of all Ana’s matches, this would be the one. She did lose a few extremely competitive heartbreakers to Sharapova but all those matches involved Ana’s choking at some point. But this match was different. She was up to the task from beginning to an end but Azarenka was at her peak. Some of the forehand winners down the line whenever she was close to defeat were mouthwatering. Eventually she did lose and I also think she could’ve been the finalist that year had she somehow edged Vika. But an inevitable loss to Serena in the grand slam final would follow anyways. 🙂

Nonetheless it was an early intro to 2014 and her comeback to the top 5. She already had the Serbian team that US open and the change was obvious so fast. I’m still baffled that she fired Kontic after just a year. Who the hell knows what happened there.

Azarenka wasn't at her peak. She was a mess all summer after that fall/injury she had at Wimbledon (in fact her level all 2013 before that was getting increasingly worse and below 2012, her peak year) and had lost easily to her pigeon Stosur one final. Her serve was so bad even for her standards and her only really good matches that summer were against Serena.

 

[Smarter Force]

Yes out of all Ana’s matches, this would be the one. She did lose a few extremely competitive heartbreakers to Sharapova but all those matches involved Ana’s choking at some point. But this match was different. She was up to the task from beginning to an end but Azarenka was at her peak. Some of the forehand winners down the line whenever she was close to defeat were mouthwatering. Eventually she did lose and I also think she could’ve been the finalist that year had she somehow edged Vika. But an inevitable loss to Serena in the grand slam final would follow anyways. 🙂

Nonetheless it was an early intro to 2014 and her comeback to the top 5. She already had the Serbian team that US open and the change was obvious so fast. I’m still baffled that she fired Kontic after just a year. Who the hell knows what happened there.

@Ashura what is so funny? She would not lose to Hantuchova in the QF or Pennetta in the SF of a grand slam, both were her pigeons. She would’ve been in the final had she beat Azarenka in that match.

 

[WilliamsWillWin]

Probably Sharapova vs. Henin 2010 RG. Nobody gave Sharapova any inkling of a chance considering the surface and her form at the time.

She played what was then her best match on clay in a respectful defeat where she was getting the better of Justine for a stretch.

Was really entertaining by both and she left with her head held high.

 

[SerenasAngles]

Wimbledon truly was JJ's garden beating defending champions Venus and Kvitova, on top of her slam win.

OT : Davenport vs. Venus Wimbledon 2005

She had great wins there but couldn’t make a single QF.

 

[Triggervic]

Azarenka wasn't at her peak. She was a mess all summer after that fall/injury she had at Wimbledon (in fact her level all 2013 before that was getting increasingly worse and below 2012, her peak year) and had lost easily to her pigeon Stosur one final. Her serve was so bad even for her standards and her only really good matches that summer were against Serena.

She was on an 8 match winning streak going into the Ivanovic match. That included the Cincinnati title where she got wins against Wozniacki, Jankovic, and Serena. You can argue that she was better in 2012 but to say she had a bad summer is incorrect

 

[michael1991]

Dulko Vs Serena AO 2009. So many great shots from Dulko even if the 63 75 scoreline looks unremarkable. Not sure if there was a big choke from Dulko though (she had a healthy lead in the 2nd set). I first saw Dulko Vs Dementieva in Wimbledon 2008 and thought her forehand was incredible...glad she got to show it on the big stage a few months later!

 

[TNT96]

I have to go back in time to the Wimbledon final in 1991.
Steffi Graf defeated Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 3-6, 8-6
Twice Gaby was two points away from the title. If she had just knocked that backhand volley harder and out range Graf would have been unable to recover it. She would have had a championship point and who knows how that might have gone down. It also turned out to be Gaby’s last. appearance in a major file.

 

[ILoveMeat]

Her potential career-best season about to be upended, shoulder practically broken, serve in tatters, a hauntingly painful choke against the same opponent in the same round at the same tournament 2 years ago somehow repeating itself, but started swinging for the fences (even for Maria's standards) with this very memorable point and reaction as a result. Although I feel like her intensity here belied a certain desperation that she knew she wasn't going to get over the finish line with a win in this one and that her season (career?) was in jeopardy.

Ugh this video reminded me how much I loved Maria’s topspin BH.