Mary Pierce vs Elena Dementieva US Open Semi-final 2005

[@asantesamuel13]

This is one of the best match-ups of this generation of women's tennis, and just overall. I mean, just such solid hitting. Pure tennis; love love love both of them.

[@Munkyjoe1]

My 84 year old mother still asks me to play my recorded video of this match

[@wackybrinyc29]

"Taught her everything she knows... except the serve." lol throwin' that shade

[@tuneaddicted]

its true though

[@1welshdevil]

I honestly think the women's game is going backwards, hard to imagine Kerber or Halep coping with this.

[@richmlvcable]

kerber yes..Halep no

[@tenisfin]

It is amazing that most people felt that the next generation of players would necessarily be power hitters, but that largely did not happen. A few, yes, but so-called Big Babe Tennis did not continue!

[@deepakmahajan170]

​@@tenisfinit continued Osaka won four sabalenka two. Rybakina is in mix. Barty and swiatek are players with spin not pushers. So big babe tennis will forever be alive

[@IAMMOVIN4WARD]

Mary was always a favorite of mine! I was even a fan of hers for a moment back then lol.

[@TheHellyeah14]

Two of the best ball strikers of all time. They were killing the ball.

[@ophelia5100]

@gmaabs i had this match on dvd. Pierce has problem with her back on the word go. she even asked the umpire is she allowed to have both timeouts in a row (back and thigh) and the umpire said yes. And as mentioned, Elena even won the first game of the second set. Pierce won this match with brutal hitting in the third set. fair and square and that's about it

[@vosharap]

What a great match!, congrats to Pierce. Dementieva is such a great hard-hitter as well.

[@gasquet3]

Thank you so much! what a match! what a performance and atitude! we miss you on court Mary!

[@folieatois]

Some bitter fans on this thread. Mary won. She didn't cheat to win, she had treatment for an injury. Authorized by the umpire. Someone actually commented that she must have cheated because she became a better player all of a sudden in the second set.....errr yes.....because she had treatment for her injury. Honestly, it's a game. Pierce won. Get over it and go home.

[@mickwelly6123]

yes she won but what disgusting behaviour by certain people and the moronic crowd no one deserves that kind of abuse only in america.

[@toriii816]

​@@mickwelly6123french crowd would like a word

[@chriscze6153]

Great highlights reel. I wasn't a fan of Elena's yet but I remember everyone talking about this match and what Pierce did. Elena had two sets to recover from the timeout, her level dropped (but still was quite high it seems) and while Pierce got some yoga and breathing drills in, Elena just didn't play well enough at the end of the day.

[@cupidslover3]

Thanks! I do agree that the time-out enabled Pierce to gather her thoughts and loosen up. She was always very injury prone so I don't think she faked an injury. At the age of 30 and after all she'd been through I think I give her a pass...she probably knew she wouldn't be in that position again. Elena had the opportunity to take it but Mary played out of her mind for the last two sets. That's tennis!

[@brentaltm]

Commentator: "[Mama Vera] taught her everything she knows, except a serve" Ouch, that was SAVAGE lol

[@BOOMER751]

thank you for uploading this. I remember this match so well. Brillant ball striking from both players.

[@iceescape]

So sad that Pierce wasn't able to follow up this performance in the finals. She was amazing in 2005 but wasn't able to bring out her best tennis in the finals of the FO, USO, and Season ender.

[@cambed71]

In the season ender she did. She lost to Mauresmo in a nailbiter

[@gopies1456]

Dustin Gabe I Think Kim clijsters ams Lindsay Davenport were pretty much equal 2nd on hard court. Lindsay played Kim twice in 2005 and won on both occasions

[@dusanstanisic7567]

lol sorry but this was not an epic performance from Pierce. It was apparent she would get her ass kicked in the final. Heck you could even say Dementieva was a bit unlucky not to go trough I'm sure she would have put up a better fight. The serve made the difference. Pierce hit 10+ aces, Dementieva hit 5-6 double faults. The highlights don't show how many errors Pierce really made in this match, her serve bailed her out.

[@hogarthbrown7251]

What can one say? This match leaves contemporary tennis in the dark. NO one is playing tennis like this today, I suggest not even the men. I would like to see anyone handle what they dished up that day. These two gave a masterclass in full throttle kitchen sink tennis. Some of the shots were breath taking. Dementieva was moving like Djokovic before he reached the top of the game. It reminds you just how high the standard was, and to think Pierce was then beaten by Clijsters in the final: who played incredible tennis to win. I miss those glory days.

[@asantesamuel13]

+Hogarth Brown Agree on just about everything you said, these were the days!

[@nated0gggg]

+Hogarth Brown Ugh. I miss this.

[@PsychicDragon22]

Indeed, this match as well as Venus vs. Sharapova and Venus vs. Davenport at Wimbledon earlier that year perfectly illustrate everything you wrote. It was a shame that neither Pierce nor Dementieva could play at this level consistently. I thought they each had the talent to win at least three Grand Slam titles.

[@PsychicDragon22]

No, Pierce actually has two Grand Slam singles titles: 1995 Australian Open and 2000 French Open.

[@PsychicDragon22]

Good news: Kim Clijsters is returning to the tour next year! She was part of the great era of women's tennis that you mentioned. Hopefully, she still has her trademark speed, power, and athleticism.

[@seanjenkins331]

Mary had a smooth service motion

[@gymmygymmy2685]

Until now I still wish Dementieva would hv won a slam. She is a much better player than many who has won a slam. She deserves to win one.

[@cupidslover3]

@GazMysticism I just love watching Mary play and going through all the old matches. Got a few more to upload, although a lot on are VHS unfortunately. Need to get a converter!

[@spartyutube2020]

SLUGFEST to the max! They were literally trying to kick each other in the balls! lol

[@seanjenkins331]

Elena was too good a player and too good an athlete for the serve she had. I know watching Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Helena Ostapenko all win majors is absolutely killing her

[@tenisfin]

Her service motion was actually good, it was her toss which was the culprit. There was some mental block, clearly, since I'm sure her toss was fine in practice!

[@cupidslover3]

Another reason why this kind of hard hitting looks so good and you won't see replicated as much nowadays is here's two women both using fairly hefty heavy control rackets. They are generating the power themselves more. A lot of top players now are using (more so on women's side) lighter beefed up rackets. The power can be immense but they have less control!

[@ivanfernandez7802]

I love Mary!!!!!

[@1welshdevil]

The women's game is so poor compared to these days, watched loads of matches this year, and the likes of Woz, Radwanska, Arvidsson etc are so boring to watch. These two are fierce, loved them both, Love Mary's service technique, wonderful strike!

[@ochsebbe]

This is truly brutal hitting!

[@cupidslover3]

I think players five to ten years ago were just better. So many players now rely on rscket technology to hit the ball hard but actually cant keep the ball between the lines half the time. There are still some really good players though but the mental toughness is lacking

[@cvcfoundation8413]

So true. Even with today's technology, these two were hitting harder and faster than today's WTA.

[@Munkyjoe1]

Mary was so awesome and tough here

[@GazMysticism]

ur always coming up with the Mary goods ;-)

[@KristynaNW]

Pierce is back….. love that one.

[@mikef4490]

Now THIS is some fine ballstriking! Man do I miss prime Dementieva....Pierce was a joy to watch as always, dirty tactics or not.

[@kenarthur6253]

Super high quality shots by both players. Great match.

[@seanjenkins331]

Elena Dementieva couldn't catch a break in Grand Slam Semifinals and Finals. This was definitely a match she should have won

[@christianandersson92]

Was the surface faster (in general) 5-10 years ago or was it the fact that the players was so much better then the active players now on the WTA? They strike the ball so much harder/flater and cleaner! Loved Pierce game btw!

[@lujavier7432]

Hi cupid 83 , do you have this full match I would like to pay you , there is one moment that Mary tie her shoes but people said she tie shoes between Elena second serve and first serve. I want to prove them wrong , it was before the first serve

[@househeadericmdhousehead9118]

Big babe tennis at its best. Slugfest galore! Both of them playing high quality bang bang 🎾!! Fun to watch. Pierce should have won 4 or 5 slams instead of 2. Dementieva is one of the best women never to win a GS.

[@seanjenkins331]

One of Elena's worst loses. She probably still.would ha e lost to Kim in the final but this match was HERS. She'll always be defined by her disappointing moments. And that's a shame. She was soooo good

[@SmithyPL]

Sean Jenkins Pierce was too powerful in 2005 for her. Worst Elena loss ever was SF Wimbledon 2009 with Serena. Then she wasted 3 chances, FO final with Myskina, USO final with Kuznetsova and FO SF with Schiavone in 2010.

[@househeadericmd]

cheated? don't think so.... mary may have played slow and mussed with her hair etc.... but cheat.... never..... she was a very classy lady and she suffered from a lot of physical set backs. i have seen so many more players break the rules and pierce did not. she came into the 2005 open with back issues.... i love dementieva too but pierce won far and square.

[@cupidslover3]

@gmaabs Seems a bit harsh! Obviously you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't reckon she was cheating in this match. The rules allowed it to happen. She was obviously not reaching up for her serve in the first set. She came back after the time out and Elena won that game. Tennis is full of ups and downs and perhaps it was a bit of gamesmanship but not cheating. In the end it was a fair contest between two players on top of their games.

[@fabianplayer24]

I love both.

[@christianandersson92]

No she didn't! 2 time finalist, US Open and French Open! She did won a gold medal in the Olympics though! :)

[@NOTHEOTHERGUY]

Dementieva had best pair of gams EVER!

[@freiundschwerelos1133]

Who is that girl great Mary Pierce is playing here!? How many Slams did she win?

[@GazMysticism]

@cupidslover3 Me two...for me when she was playing on form she could of beat any player...amazing ground stroke's an basically really good in all areas, I really miss watching her an was so disappointed when her career ended after that injury...she done so well getting back to her best.

[@jeffcody4853]

i remember this fantastic year ! Mary reached both French and U.S. opens' finales Mary had really tough opponents here - Henin, Mauresmo, Dementieva and Clijsters ! Those 4 were the best players of the moment. Clijsters 's part of the draw was less difficult. One of Mary s best year since she also reached Masters' finale . I was so ashamed to be French since the whole French Fed Cup team was for Mauresmo. Mary beat her a few days before the finale ... but i never understood why Mauresmo (number 2) met Sharapova (2) and Mary (1) met Davenport(1) in the semies ?!? Davenport should have beat Mauresmo and met Mary at the end (?!?)

[@seanjenkins331]

Mary Pierce won this match because she started to play better at the end and Elena choked, which she had a history of doing. BUT the concurrent injury timeouts and the major delay in the match was absolutely unacceptable

[@stephanearthaud8308]

Cela lui va vraiment bien, le orange, à Elena. Sa robe lui va vraiment bien. Superbe prise de vue sur son service ! Vue du retourneur... Quelle affiche ! Le niveau est là aussi, quand on pense que, même diminuée Mary parvient à une telle résistance, cela nous rappelle son talent très au dessus de la moyenne. On voit les effets de sa blessure ; beaucoup de fautes inhabituelles en coup droit et service. Ce qui est logique quand on regarde où elle a mal. Bisous.

[@thesovgc]

J'adore Marie et Elaine 😍. отлично! 💗

[@greenpeace4246]

I think it is fate at works that Mary Pierce get to reach the final against Clijsters. 2005 is the year of the “Gang of Four” namely the William Sisters and the Belgians to snap and share their slams in the same year. Lindsay, Mary and Maria are the three destined losers are made to support such a cruel reality. An Elena finalist would be a huge spoil for such destiny. Sorry Elena, i know it’s unfair, but that year is not for you to shine.

[@rlopen13]

Why does it seem they hit so much harder here than most players do today? The only players today who compare to this power (it seems) are Serena, Maria, Petra, Sabine (on grass), Stosur, Venus, and Camila Giorgi.

[@AntiSweg]

the courts was faster back then

[@jordanfrancis5812]

rlopen13 I would even throw in Madison Keys

[@Pkmngayboy]

Taught here everything she knows, except the serve. Lol :p

[@rattata30]

I would of sue the us open for millions on breaking their own rules on the injury time-out

[@RachelDavisMatthews]

Mary would've Loved the Challenge System.......to give her more 'stall' time. Brilliant at controlling the playing pace...........gotta hand it to her

[@desmondbrown7378]

Elena dementieva was a great PLAYER didnt stay long in tenis

[@FlabbyTitmuss]

She stuck around for over 10 years. Pretty good going.

[@leostevl4192]

Je me souviens parfaitement de ce match que j'ai vu du début à la fin. Il y a des choses bizarres qui se passent dans le sport de haut niveau. On dit parfois qu'à la guerre tous les moyens sont bons pour gagner.... Quoi qu'on dise, prendre une pause comme Mary l'a fait n'est pas du tout sérieux. Je comprends les déclarations de Elena Dementieva à la fin de ce match. Et je me demande parfois comment le tribunal des sports ne condamne pas ce genre de comportement. Même si elle a battu Elena Dementieva à cette demi finale, je trouve Elena Dementieva meilleure que Mary Pierce. Mary Pierce croyait remporté cet US OPEN à ses 30 ans mais je savais qu'elle ne pouvait pas battre Kim Clijsters qui était en pleine forme à cette époque et qui d'ailleurs lui a infligé une belle fessée......

[@thesovgc]

This was a good un!

[@1welshdevil]

Womens tennis seems to have gone backwards since these days, both massively missed, anyone imagine most of the top 20 and wozniaki living with this?

[@Bittenax]

Womens tennis has become more and more boring to me since 2008/2009. I miss Elena and I miss the top 10 from the late 90s and the 2000s!!

[@PaNdeM0niuM]

did Dementieva ever win a Grand Slam ??

[@nipaipo36100]

no

[@connieschultz6329]

No

[@Nitemares102]

The Dementieva of old could absolutely RIP the ball... just amazing.

[@Brandy-gc5hw]

Clijsters would have clocked Dementieva in quite the same manner.

[@HanzSygnal]

Respectfully disagree: I do agree there is a palpable lack of mental toughness amongst todays elite, however, I think the talent level right now in both Mens and Womens is outrageous.

[@alanleandro17]

superb hitting from both, and damn I really miss Dementieva, moreover she looks so hot in that dress!

[@aaron1983]

finally know who's Pierce successor was, Dementia plays so much like Pierce. Artillery tennis.

[@vincentc3475]

Brutality

[@Akenaten1]

Dementieva the worst server in tennis. Kept her from wining a slam in my opinion

[@Gabriel.Onetto]

Clijsters took her down in The final. Pierce great player

[@janjr165]

Disrespectful handshake from Elena. Elena had a TERRIBLE serve - she got far more from tennis than she deserved, and with her awful serve she would NEVER be a major title winner.

[@jasonthomas4872]

Considering what happened with Mary’s long injury timeout, the handshake was brief but not disrespectful. Her serve improved massively through her career and she was so strong in other areas, in fact it’s pretty much thought that she underachieved.

[@davidflorespizana3821]

Elena's body was perfect... but then she added all those muscles and screwed it up. Shame

[@lacheyrulez]

Elena serve is just awful

[@AnnaYess]

lacheyrulez but it's not that awful as your English

[@katerinadicamella]

Things on the players like Pierce and Sharapova, yes they consider pretty in sports world, but what's annoying other player and audiences was too many gestures when they playing. Personally I think Dementieva much more attractive but without all the acting, simply just play the game!

[@FANATICUNIVERSE]

i love mary pierce amazing tennis player

[@mejdi8292]

I have never seen someone run much better after injury lol ... Drama Queen forever.

[@junkaiyang9657]

Oh the medical timeout again!

[@dawidekpieron3859]

Sore lososer

[@treve052002]

she did cheat. she became a different play all of a sudden

[@lowbidle]

Mary Pierce did not have any injury and used dirty tactics. Elena got her revenge at Fed Cup final.

[@joezhou787]

After the treatment was Elena on 6 points in a row, just to remind you this.

[@leonelkembe3517]

je suis d' accord avec toi Lowbidle. Et Dementieva en avait fait allusion en conférence de presse. Meme si Pierce a gagné 2 Grands Chelem, je préfère la carrière de Démentieva qui elle a été plus constante et plus régulière au plus haut niveau.

[@mejdi8292]

@@leonelkembe3517 oui et plus respectueuse, Elena était presque tout le temps dans le dernier carré. je pleure le jeu de Dementieva, elle me manque tellement cette jolie fille.

[@eboumboukks]

Pierce deserves to be criticizd here. That was bad sportsmanship on her part.

[@DonSyndrome]

This match made me lose respect for Mary.

[@gabesernaa]

how did she cheat?

[@gabesernaa]

FOREAL

[@gabesernaa]

how did she cheat?

[@abdullahsuherman2186]

Not elena... mary did... such ashamed... time out again