NEW YORK — Let everyone else go ahead and assume Serena Williams will beat Roberta Vinci of Italy in the U.S. Open semifinals.
Williams, at least publicly, is not taking anything for granted as she closes in on tennis' first Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century.
When a reporter from Vinci's country began a question with the phrase, "Even in Italy, we think she has no chance," Williams tried to persuade him — and perhaps herself — that Thursday night's result is not a foregone conclusion.
First, Williams pointed out that her most recent victory over Vinci, last month in Toronto, was "really tough, and I didn't really expect that.