During today’s quarterfinal match at Family Circle Cup in Charleton, South Carolina,  Serena Williams unleashed a blistering serve that clocked in at 129 mph!  With that serve, Serena is currently tied with her sister Venus Williams as the holder of the serve speed record on the WTA tour.  

The recipient of Serena’s record tying serve was Maria Sharapova. Sharapova was looking to consolidate her recent success on the clay courts having claimed her first title on surface at last week’s Baush & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida.  

Serena faced a set point in the first set, however, she fought back and came from behind to steal the set from Sharapova. In the second set, Sharapova once again got off to a quick lead, but this time she was able to hold on to the breaks and tie the match.

There was enough drama in the first two sets that one could argue that the match was worthy of a final as opposed to a quarterfinal encounter.   Over the last year, Serena’s low ranking has resulted in her clashing with higher ranked opponents in the quarters or semifinals as opposed to the final.  This is probably of little concern to Serena who has shown that she can beat all of the top ranked WTA players. However, tennis enthusiasts would probably prefer for these epic battles to take place in a final. 

In the decisive third set, Serena turned it up a gear and played what she would later term the “Serena Game” ,eventually running away with the third set.  Serena’s 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Sharapova advanced her to the semis where she will take on the up and comer French teenager, Alize Cornet.