Roberta Vinci stunned the world Friday when she defeated world No. 1 and heavily favored Serena Williams in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
"This is like a dream," Vinci said following the match. "I beat Serena, I’m in a Grand Slam final. It's the best moment of my life."
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The upset victory marks the first time Vinci, who is the world No. 43 in singles, has reached a Grand Slam final. So who is the 32-year-old from Italy?
Vinci was born in Taranto, a coastal city in the southern part of the country.
She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 1999, when she was 18. She also describes herself as a good soccer player.
She is listed at 5-4, 132 pounds.
She has won nine Women's Tennis Association singles titles, the most recent being the 2013 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo.
It wasn't until 2012 that Vinci reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the U.S. Open when she upset then-No. 2 Agnieszka Radwańska. She ultimately lost the semifinal round to her doubles partner, Sara Errani.
Vinci once again reached the quarterfinals in the 2013 U.S. Open, but lost to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta. Interestingly, Vinci must push past Pennetta to lay claim to the 2015 U.S. title.
She is better known for her doubles performances and owns five Grand Slam doubles titles, all with Errani. They won the Australian Open in 2013-14 and also notched the 2012 French Open and U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2014.
She has won $8.2 million in her career, $422,158 this year (before the Open).
Her lucky charm is an orange stuffed dinosaur, given to her by her brother.