Dementieva would have won had she hit a decent passing shot on a match point in the third set. Serena came in on too weak an approach shot, but on what should have been an easy backhand pass, Elena hit the ball right over the center of the net, and all Serena had to do was move a couple of steps forward to put it away. Now that Elena's serve has caught up with her outstanding ability in baseline rallies, she should have more time to work on those passing shots, and more important, putting away short balls, the majority of which she missed against Serena.
Short balls are easy winners for most players, but Elena hits so flat and hard, when there's less total distance between her and the opposite baseline, there's less time for gravity to bring her shots down, so she tends either to hit long or, more often, to aim so low that she hits the top of the net. If she practices hitting more topspin on short balls, she won't have to cut it so close on crucial points.
Elena would also benefit from practicing a knifing, one-handed slice on short backhands. The two-hander is often awkward while running forward, and when Elena tried it, it missed badly on some key points. The low-skidding slice would likely set her up for an easy volley, and it might be an outright winner. It doesn't have to be hit as hard as a flat ball to be effective, so Elena could hit it a foot above the net instead of the few inches she tries for on her hard, flat shot. The preparation for a slice drive also looks identical to that for a drop shot, so she could easily fool her opponent, and drop shots work especially well on short balls, because they spend less time in the air, thus giving the opponent less time to chase them down.
