One dream dashed, another fulfilled

Serena Williams saw her dream of a calendar year Grand Slam title sweep destroyed Friday as Italy's Roberta Vinci shocked the world number one to reach the US Open final against compatriot Flavia Pennetta.

Vinci battled back to stun the three-time defending champion 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, ending Williams' 33-match US Open win streak and 27-match Grand Slam win streak.

In Saturday's final, Vinci will face 26th-ranked compatriot Pennetta -- who upset Romania's second-ranked Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 -- in the first all-Italian Grand Slam women's final in the Open Era.

It was a shocking end to Williams' run at not only a sweep of the year's four major titles, a feat that hasn't been done since Steffi Graf's 1988 effort, but her bid for a 22nd Grand Slam title to match Graf's Open Era career record and a fifth Slam crown in a row.

"I don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me," said Williams in a brief post-match news conference.

"I don't feel pressure. I never felt pressure. I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning."

Vinci was overjoyed by her shock win.

"It's an incredible moment for me," Vinci said. "It's like a dream. I'm in the final. I beat Serena. It's an amazing moment. It's incredible. I think it's the best moment of my life."

Vinci apologized to the crowd for ending Williams' Grand Slam sweep dream.

"Sorry for the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam and everything. Today is my day. Sorry guys."

In the matchup of first-time Slam finalists, Vinci has a 4-5 career mark against Pennetta, who took just 59 minutes to dispatch Halep.

Pennetta, 33, broke Halep in the fourth game and again in the sixth when the Romanian netted a forehand on the way to taking the first set in 28 minutes.

Pennetta and Halep traded breaks to open the second set and again in the fourth and fifth games of the second set.

Halep led 3-1 but double faulted to surrender a break and Pennetta held and broke twice more for the victory.

If she hoists the trophy in her 49th Slam appearance, Pennetta would have the most tries of any Grand Slam women's champion.