Serena Williams Beats Timea Bacsinszky Despite Illness: Meet Lucie Safarova, Her French Open Opponent

Nothing is going to stop legendary tennis star Serena Williams -- not even an illness. The two-time champion came back from behind and beat 23rd-seed Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinal French Open 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Now, she will face Lucie Safarova in the finals at Roland Garros.

But Williams, 33, was too sick to give a press conference after her win. Instead, she issued the following statement. "I have been feeling unwell for a few days, and after this tough match against Timea, I needed to see the tournament doctor," Williams said in a statement. "I am proud to be back in the final here at Roland Garros, in a city that means so much to me, and am determined to be 100 percent ready for the final against Lucie on Saturday.”

Williams is sick with the flu and was near tears at certain parts of the game, CNN added.

Now that she has defeated Bacsinszky, Williams will take on Safarova, 28. Here are some quick facts about Williams’ finals opponent, courtesy of ESPN and Tennis.com:

1. The left-handed athlete was born and raised in Brno, Czech Republic.

2. She stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 136 pounds.

3. Safarova has played tennis professionally since 2002.

4. She has been playing tennis since she was three years old.

5. She has six singles titles and six doubles titles.

Safarova’s coach has confidence in his player. "I think she's always known she's had the potential," Rob Steckley told CNN. "She's just maturing. We all do. As she matures and starts to grow, she realizes what she hasn't done and what she has done and she kind of puts it together in a nice package now where she's able to accept and take control.”

Williams and Sarafova will battle each other in the French Open on Saturday, June 6.

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