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Serena Williams Set For Rain-Delayed Semifinal Match With Vinci

Serena Williams beat her sister Venus earlier this week, sending her into the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
Matthew Stockman Getty Images
Serena Williams beat her sister Venus earlier this week, sending her into the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

Serena Williams will continue her quest for a calendar Grand Slam Friday morning, when her delayed match against Italy's Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals begins.

The Williams-Vinci match is slated as the second of the day; it will start after Friday's first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, between tournament second seed Simona Halep and No. 26 seed Flavia Pennetta — who were to begin playing at 11 a.m. ET.

You can watch today's tennis live on TV via ESPN, or online at WatchESPN. You can also follow the action on the U.S. Open's Twitter account.

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The semifinals were rescheduled for Friday after heavy rains hit New York City Thursday night.

We'll update this post with news from the match.

Here's how the tournament's website describes Vinci's path to the semifinal against Williams:

"Vinci, a 32-year-old tour vet, has advanced to this point through a combination of great play and bad luck. What figured to be her toughest test – a fourth-round face-off with the No. 25 seed Eugenie Bouchard – resulted in a walkover for the Italian after Bouchard was forced to withdraw with a concussion. But take nothing away from the gritty Vinci, who has toughed out three three-set wins in reaching her best major showing. Best known as one of the women's game's premier doubles talents, Vinci owns five career Slam doubles crowns, and she has achieved a career Grand Slam playing in pairs."

Williams is also making news for her response to a question at a news conference after she defeated her sister Venus Tuesday night. That's when a reporter noted that she wasn't smiling and asked, "What's wrong?"

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Williams said:

"It's 11:30. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to be here. I just want to be in bed right now and I have to wake up early to practice. And I don't want to answer any of these questions, and you guys keep asking me the same questions. So, it's not really — you're not making it super enjoyable."

With a laugh, Williams finally cracked a smile, and said, "Just being honest."

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