Sloane Stephens was two points away from losing her semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night, but the young American came back to defeat seven-time major champion Venus Williams 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 and reach her first US Open final.

US Open 2017 women’s final preview

Stephens, 24, will face 22-year-old Madison Keys in the women’s title game, which will begin at 4 pm EST on Saturday. No. 15 seed Keys advanced easily by cruising past 20th-seeded American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 in just over one hour in Thursday’s first semifinal.

“I have a lot of grit,” said Stephens, who is ranked 83rd after undergoing surgery on her left foot in January and is the fourth unseeded finalist at the tournament in the Open era, which dates to 1968. “I don’t give up. Like, I’m not just going to give it to someone. I’m not just going to let them take it from me.”

Ninth-seeded Williams, 37, was hoping to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. She was also striving to reach her third major final of 2017 (after reaching the title game at the Australian Open in January and Wimbledon this summer). Williams made her US Open debut in 1997 and reached the final that year. The American has won the tournament at Flushing Meadows, Queens twice, in 2000 and 2001.

“I just wasn’t playing well. Those are moments where you have to dig deep and figure out how to get the ball on the court and have a big game. I can’t be tentative and try to figure out how to put that ball in,” Williams said. “Clearly she’s seen me play many, many times. I haven’t seen her play as much,” she added of Stephens.

Williams finished with six double-faults and a total of 51 unforced errors, 24 more than Stephens.

Williams was up 5-4 with Stephens serving at 30-all in the final set, and was thus just two points away from clinching the match. A 25-stroke point ensued, until Stephens fired a backhand passing winner down the line, then turned around and pumped her fists in excitement.

At 5-5, Stephens broke with a fantastic arching winner — “That lob-thingy,” as she referred to it after the match — that led to a standing ovation from the crowd at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Stephens then managed to return a short ball by making a full sprint to the net and hit the shot from an impossible angle.

“There was nothing I could do about those shots,” Williams said.

Keys — who missed the first two months of the year after undergoing left wrist surgery and needed another procedure in June due to pain in that arm — recorded 25 winners and only nine unforced errors in her victory over 25-year-old Vandeweghe.

“It was kind of one of those days where I came out and I was kind of in a zone,” Keys said of her play Thursday, “and I just kind of forced myself to stay there.”

Keys never faced a break point during her semifinal. Play was delayed for more than five minutes when Keys left the court to have her upper right leg taped at 4-1 in the second set.

“Madison played an unbelievable match,” said Vandeweghe, who couldn’t help but cry during her news conference. “I didn’t really have much to do with anything out there.”

Stephens and Keys have only played once before, on a hard court at Miami in 2015. Stephens won in straight sets.

The two youngsters are reportedly close off the court.

“She’s one of my closest friends on tour. It’s obviously going to be tough,” Stephens said. “It’s not easy playing a friend.”

Keys and Stephens — the first All-American women’s final at the US Open since 2002 — will face off at 4 pm EST on Saturday at Arthur Ashe. The match will air on ESPN and online at WatchESPN.

On the men’s side, 28th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson and 12th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta will face off in the first semifinal at 4 pm EST on Friday. The second men’s semifinal will begin at 5:30 pm EST and will see top seed Rafael Nadal play Juan Martin del Potro, the 24th-seeded Argentine who eliminated Roger Federer in the previous round to erase fan’s hopes for the first-ever Nadal-Federer final at Flushing Meadows.

The men’s final will begin at 4 pm EST on Sunday. All three remaining men’s games will also air on ESPN and online at WatchESPN.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 07: Sloane Stephens of the United States returns a shot against Venus Williams of the United States during their Women’s Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven during the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images for USTA)

Juan Martin del Potro ended Roger Federer’s hopes of securing a record-stretching 20th Grand Slam title and a sixth U.S. Open trophy by defeating the third-seeded Swiss 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 in a thrilling quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night, Day 10 of the the tournament.

US Open 2017 Semifinals News

The 24th-seeded Argentine — who will be 29 later this month — beat Federer in the 2009 Final in Flushing Meadows, Queens and will next face World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in Friday’s second semifinal.

Tennis fans had been eagerly hoping for the first-ever US Open matchup between Federer and the top-ranked Spaniard, who advanced by eliminating Russian teenager Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesay, but del Potro dashed those hopes.

The first men’s semifinal on Friday will see 28th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson play 12th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta. 

Del Potro hit big serves and huge forehands and remained concentrated when Federer appeared to regain control in the second set. In the first set, the Argentine boasted a 79 first-serve percentage.

“I think I played my best match of the tournament, I did everything well,” said del Potro. “I served so good, I hit my forehand as hard as I could and I think we played a great match and I think I deserved to win.”

Del Potro had a chance at 5-5 in the first set when Federer recorded a double fault and then smacked a strong forehand shot, with which he also took the opening set over the Swiss in the following game.

Federer — who had been suffering from back problems — barely sat during the pause between sets, and he broke for 3-1 with a forehand passing shot as del Potro’s serve began to falter, and the Swiss easily won the second set.

After del Potro regained control in the third set tie-breaker — during which Federer double-faulted in the second game — the Swiss saved another break point in the fourth game of that set, setting up one for himself in the seventh. Del Potro lost that seventh game with a double fault.

In the tie-breaker, Federer took a 6-4 lead to earn two set points, although del Potro saved them with an amazing service return on the baseline and a powerful serve.

A Del Potro double fault gave Federer another opportunity, but the Swiss messed up a backhand half-volley and the Argentine took the set with a forehand winner on the fourth set point.

After forcing Federer to hit a volley long in the final set, del Potro broke for 3-2 with an amazing cross-court backhand winner.

The sold-out crowd of 23,771 at Arthur Ashe roared when the Argentine won the match with a powerful forehand winner.

“I think it’s my home court, too, you make me feel happy every time I play here and I love your support guys. I love to see you cheer for me,” del Potro told the crowd. “After all my injuries and surgeries … New York is my favorite tournament, my favorite city to play tennis.”

 On the women’s side, all four ladies playing in this year’s semifinals are American. This marks the first time since 1985 that four U.S. women advance to the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, and the first time four American female players reach the US Open semis since 1981.

Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe have all made it through to the last four. Both women’s semifinals will be held on Thursday night and will air on ESPN.

Williams will face Stephens in the first semifinal at 7 pm EST, after the latter advanced by beating 16th-seeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova in three sets on Tuesday.

In her last three tournaments — Toronto, Cincinnati and US Open — Stephens reached the semi-finals. Before Toronto, Stephens ranking had dropped to 934 in the world after a year of inaction. By making the last-four at Flushing Meadows, Stephens has assured that she will be back in the top-35.

The 24-year-old Stephens — who is playing in her first US Open — is also seeking her first Grand Slam title after undergoing foot surgery in January and serving as a broadcaster earlier this year as well.

No. 15 seed Keys and No. 20 seed Vandeweghe will face off in the second semi-final at 8:15 pm EST on Thursday. Keys, 22, advanced by defeating Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday, while 25-year-old Vandeweghe eliminated top-seeded Czech Karolína Plíšková with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory on Wednesday.

Keys underwent her second wrist surgery in 10 months after a devastating three-set loss at the French Open in May. Thursday’s game will be her second Grand Slam semifinal: she previously reached the last four at the Australian Open in 2015. Vandeweghe, meanwhile, has defeated two World No. 1 players thus far in 2017: Pliskova and German star Angelique Kerber, whom she beat in Melbourne in January.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 06: Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina returns a shot against Roger Federer of Switzerland during their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Serena Williams secured a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Madison Keys in an all-American women’s singles final at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday, earning her first title in nine months.

Serena Williams Ends 9-Month Title Drought At Italian Open

Williams’ previous title came in Cincinnati last August, just one month before her attempt at a calendar-year Grand Slam ended with a semifinal loss to Italian Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open.

“It feels great,” Williams, 34, said, pointing out that she’s only played four tournaments since Cincinnati. “So it’s not like I was playing every week. So that’s kind of how I look at it. But it feels great to win a title, especially on clay.”

This was Williams’ fourth Italian Open title. The French Open begins next week.

“I’m feeling pretty fit. So I’m looking forward to it,” said Williams, who will be attempting to defend her title at Roland Garros. “I’m going to definitely go in there and feel more calm and (not) feel stress to have to win.”

Williams addressed the crowd in Italian during the post-game trophy ceremony, then took a selfie in which she posed with the trophy.

It was the first time two American women have met in a final on clay since Serena beat older sister Venus in the 2002 French Open.

When the two shook hands at the net following the match, Williams told No. 24 Keys that she had the potential to someday become No. 1.

“Too bad what she says doesn’t just happen,” Keys, 21, said. “But it’s always great to hear that from her. … Hearing that is definitely something that makes me just work harder.”

The last all-American final in Rome was in 1970, when Billie Jean King beat Julie Heldman.

On the men’s side, Andy Murray defeated top-ranked Novak Djokovic in a rematch of last week’s Madrid Open final.

This was Williams’ 70th overall career title.

Keys made it to the Australian Open semifinals and the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year.

Keys broke Serena at love in the opening game of the match and hit six aces in her opening two service games to take a 3-1 lead.

However, Williams became more aggressive, and Keys recorded two double faults to hand the break back, making it 3-3.

Williams then gained control in the tiebreaker with a sharp cross-court forehand that Keys simply couldn’t return and finally closed it out on her first set point with a big serve out wide that Keys returned long.

Serena hit only 13 winners compared to Keys’ 17 but had less unforced errors: 24 against 32, and converted five of her six break-point opportunities.

Williams improved to 16-0 against Americans since losing to older sister Venus in the Montreal semifinals in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt-ii9sMpBA

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11:  Serena Williams of the United States returns a shot to Roberta Vinci of Italy during their Women’s Singles Semifinals match on Day Twelve of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.  (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Chinese tennis ace Zhang Shuai was able to put behind the odds of being eliminated in the first round last week. She did this in defeating American player Madison Keys last night in the Australian Open to advance to the quarterfinals.

Zhang defeated Keys with the scorecard of 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Monday night in Melbourne to overcome a dismal first round performance and possible retirement. Zhang is ranked No. 133 in the world while Keys is currently No. 18. The first set was solely Keys striking down on Zhang and taking the set. An injury was found in Keys’ upper left thigh and had to be wrapped during a medical timeout. During the course of the match, Keys’ leg was becoming more painful because of landing on that specific leg after serving the ball. At the start of the third set, it seemed Keys had her injury under control but the pain would not suffice and had Keys hitting the shots into the ground and tears rolling down her face. “So difficult to concentrate when I saw her [in pain], it’s so tough to continue to play,” Zhang said after the match.

Zhang has lost in the first round of the 14 Grand Slam tournaments she has participated in since 2008 and retirement was clearly in her path. She will put that on hold when she plays for a semi-final spot against Britain’s Johanna Konta. After finally winning a match, Zhang said, “this time I’m feeling like maybe God will bless me. Like I’m feeling one time, give me many wins.”

Photo: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 25: Shuai Zhang of China plays a forehand in her forth round match against Madison Keys of the United Statesduring day eight of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)