Serena Williams' bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in over two decades came to an end when she lost to Roberta Vinci in a stunning upset 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the women's semifinals of the U.S. Open Friday.
Vinci was unseeded heading into the matchup and still managed to pull off one of the most unexpected defeats against the top seed in front of a shocked audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y. Vinci now advances to face fellow Italian and No. 26 Flavia Pennetta, who defeated No. 2 seed Simona Halep.
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The matches were originally supposed to take place Thursday, but were moved to Friday morning after being washed out by rain. Williams was looking to become the first person since Steffi Graf to notch a single-season Grand Slam. Graf accomplished the feat in 1988.
If you're like most people and wondering, "Who is this woman who knocked off household name Serena?" you're in luck because we've got you covered.
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Here are three facts about Vinci after she made waves Friday afternoon.
1) She's Won A Grand Slam...In Doubles
Vinci partnered up with Sara Errani and the duo became the fifth tandem to complete a Grand Slam in women's tennis together after they conquered Wimbledon last year. Serena and her sister Venus are one of the other pairs to accomplish the feat. The Italian twosome came in as the No. 2 seed and toppled 14th-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-1, 6-3 in the final. The two had five major wins together, stemming back to the 2012 French Open.
2) The Split Heard 'Round The World
The tennis world scoffed when the notion came to light that Errani and Vinci were splitting earlier this year to pursue individual success. The two have plenty of accolades as a tandem, but no one expected either to reach great heights without the other. In a joint statement, they co-authored, the decorated duo said playing together was a "wonderful journey," but they had a "common purpose" to start individual career paths. After Vinci's victory over Williams, she's laughing all the way to the finals of the U.S. Open.
3) She's Not Dating Drake
The rapper, who is rumored to be Williams' boyfriend, was in attendance again to watch her compete in the U.S. Open. Things didn't go as well as he'd hoped, as his belle lost one of the biggest matches of her career and her chance at making history crumbled in front of his eyes. Vinci is pretty private about her personal life from what we can tell, but we know for a fact she isn't dating the former "Degrassi" star-turned-rapper.
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