Serena Williams juggles motherhood, fashion while chasing history

While Serena Williams chases tennis history at the US Open, she’s also planning a fashion show and spending as much time as she can with baby daughter Olympia.

The 37-year-old American advanced to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows on Friday by defeating Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-2 in only 74 minutes.


Williams, seeking her 24th Grand Slam title to match the all-time record set by Margaret Court, will play Croatian 22nd seed Petra Martic on Sunday for a quarter-finals berth.

But she’s spending precious rest time preparing for her clothing line’s presentation at Fashion Week, next week’s apparel spectacular in New York.

And the six-time US Open champion finds that the feeling of missing her daughter is tougher than what opponents put her through.

“The toughest thing right now is being away from my daughter. That’s the only thing that’s tough,” said Williams, who often trains early to spend the rest of her day with Olympia.


“In tournament schedule, it’s totally different, so I’m kind of pushed out of my usual day-to-day life — ‘Oh, my God, I’m not with her,'” Williams said.

“That has been the most, I mean ‘the’ toughest, thing I’ve ever dealt with in my career.”

Two years ago, Williams suffered a lung blood clot during labor while giving birth to Olympia, sparking major concerns and a significant hospital stay.

“I don’t really think about it, but it’s cool,” she said. “I think two years ago I had things attached to my arm, IVs, and it was a miracle that happened, having my baby. It was really a great day for me.

“Then it all went downhill. It all went downhill after that for a good five days. But I’m here and I’m going to be reflecting on my opponent more than anything.”


‘Heart literally aches’

Now Williams feels sadness at leaving her baby for the tennis court.

“In the beginning she would really be upset when I left. And now she’s a little bit better. I think I’m a little more upset,” Williams said.

“It’s hard. Sometimes my heart literally aches when I’m not around her. But it’s good for me, I guess, to keep working — and just to all moms out there that it’s not easy. It’s really kind of painful sometimes. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.”

This week, that means work matches around New York Fashion Week plans for her clothing brand.

“I’m obviously super hands-on,” she said. “Right now I’m actually working on the order I want the outfits to go down (the runway), which is shocking. Last night I was making notes on alterations on the fit model.

“I’m like, ‘OK Serena, make sure you stay focused on your tennis.’ But also, I do want to have a successful brand.”

“I’m definitely dedicated to tennis, but I’m definitely going to go home and I have a huge board where I’m going to lay out the order of the show.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena lauds controversial QB Kaepernick, Reid

Serena Williams said Friday that “every athlete, every human” should be grateful for the stand on social issues taken by former NFL players Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid.

Kaepernick and Reid, two former San Francisco 49ers who are now out of the league, were among the luminaries who turned out for 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena’s US Open showdown with elder sister Venus on Friday night.

The two were cheered when they were shown on massive screens at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Serena said she was too focused on her 6-1, 6-2 demolition of seven-time major winner Venus to notice them.

But she said she admired their willingness to use their public profiles to tackle issues of racial and social injustice.

“I think every athlete, every human and definitely every African American should be completely grateful and honored how Colin and Eric are doing so much more for the greater good, so to say,” she said. “They really use their platform in ways that is really unfathomable.”

Kaepernick, who began a kneeling protest during pre-game playings of the national anthem that eventually aroused the ire of US President Donald Trump, has been unable to secure a contract with an NFL club since becoming a free agent in March of 2017.

An arbitrator ruled this week that Kaepernick’s collusion case against the NFL can proceed in a blow for the league that had sought to have the case dismissed.

Reid has a similar grievance pending, alleging league owners colluded to keep him as well as Kaepernick out of the NFL as retaliation for the protests.

“I feel like they obviously have great respect from a lot of their peers, especially other athletes, people that really are looking for social change,” Serena said of the two.

source: sports.inquirer.net

7-time champ Serena Williams gets smooth draw at Wimbledon

LONDON — Serena Williams avoided any early matchups against opponents with success to speak of at Wimbledon in a draw on Friday that could put her against No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.

Williams is returning to the grass-court tournament for the first time since 2016 after missing it last year while pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in September.

She is ranked outside the top 150, but the All England Club decided to seed her 25th based on past success, which includes collecting seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon. Williams’ first-round opponent when play begins on Monday will be 107th-ranked Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, who has one career tour title.


Williams is competing for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open ahead of a fourth-round showdown against five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in early June, citing an injured chest muscle. That was Williams’ return to Grand Slam action after a 16-month absence.

Rus has only once been as far as Wimbledon’s third round, back in 2012. That was the last time she won a match at the All England Club. She was beaten in the first round of qualifying a year ago, as were both of the women Williams could meet in the second round, 136th-ranked qualifier Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria and 167th-ranked wild-card recipient Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic.

Svitolina has only once been as far as the fourth round.

Williams’ possible fourth-round opponent, 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, made one quarterfinal appearance, while the 36-year-old American’s potential quarterfinal foe, reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, has never been beyond the fourth round.

Williams could face her older sister, five-time champion and 2017 runner-up Venus, in the semifinals. The ninth-seeded Venus Williams opens against 62nd-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden, who is 0-7 at Wimbledon.

The Williams sisters are not in the doubles draw. They have won 14 Grand Slam titles as a pair, including six at Wimbledon.

In the top half of the women’s singles bracket, the quarterfinals could be French Open champion Simona Halep vs. two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, and defending champ Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 6 Caroline Garcia. In the bottom half, No. 2 Wozniacki was drawn to face Svitolina, while 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens could play No. 7 Karolina Pliskova.

The potential men’s quarterfinals in the top half are eight-time champion Roger Federer vs. 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson, and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic vs. No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov. In the bottom half of the bracket, it could be two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal vs. 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 7 Dominic Thiem.



Two-time champion Andy Murray will face 48th-ranked Benoit Paire in the first round. It’s a rematch of Murray’s fourth-round victory over the Frenchman at the All England Club in 2017.

That was Murray’s last win before he sat out nearly a year because of an injured hip that was surgically repaired in January.

He returned to action last week and so is ranked only 156th and unseeded at Wimbledon, which he won in 2013 and 2016.

Murray could face 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the second round.

The top-seeded Federer’s opening opponent on Monday will be 57th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia. Their only previous meeting anywhere came in Wimbledon’s second round last year, when Federer won in straight sets en route to the title.

No. 2 seed Nadal, whose 17 Grand Slam titles trail only Federer’s 20 among men, faces 129th-ranked Dudi Sela of Israel on Tuesday. Nadal has won both of their previous matchups.

Men’s first-rounders to keep an eye on include Dimitrov against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is still working his way back into form after knee surgery; 12-time major champ Novak Djokovic against Australian Open quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren of the U.S.; and No. 23 Richard Gasquet against Gael Monfils in a matchup of Frenchmen.

Two women who lost a Wimbledon final against Serena Williams will meet in the first round when former No. 1 and two-time major champion Angelique Kerber plays qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Kerber was the runner-up in 2016, Zvonereva in 2010.

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion who is seeded 24th, could face 2017 French Open champion and 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, and Kvitova in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena Williams launches fashion collection of her own

NEW YORK — Serena Williams has launched a fashion collection soon after participating in her first major tennis tournament in 16 months, dressed in a black “warrior princess” catsuit, no less.

But don’t look for her French Open outfit among the athleisure, office and evening clothes on her new namesake website, the only place her duds are available.

Following collaborations with HSN and Nike, Williams’ “Serena” line includes an “S” motif and comfortable price points.


The letter adorns bralettes and high briefs, along with a T-shirt with the name of her childhood home, Compton.

She says she hopes to inspire women to own their own “s” words, like strong, sexy, sophisticated, sassy, smart, silly and spontaneous.

Prices range from $40 for the logo T-shirt to $215 for a gold and black anorak jacket.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena Williams wins 1st match in comeback at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Walking on court for the first match of her latest comeback, Serena Williams allowed herself a rare smile. This time, tennis is different for the 23-time major winner.

What didn’t change is Williams winning.

She beat Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday night after a 14-month layoff for the birth of her first daughter.

“I almost cried before the match,” Williams said. “I texted Alexis, I was like, is it normal that I want to cry? I really missed her, but playing at night really helped because I know she goes to bed and she goes to sleep. I can’t like play with her right now.”

With new husband and Reddit co-found Alexis Ohanian looking on, Williams played from behind until breaking Diyas in the 11th game of the first set. Diyas netted a forehand and Williams yelled, “Come on!” as the crowd cheered.

“Right now, for this particular tournament, I’m really just trying to take it easy and not put so much pressure or stress or expectation on myself,” she said. “I feel like it’s one of the few times I’ve been able to do that.”

Williams has been away since winning the 2017 Australian Open early in her pregnancy. She gave birth to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. six months ago.

Williams is playing at Indian Wells under a protected ranking of 22nd. She hasn’t been unseeded at a tournament since 2011 in Cincinnati.

“I’m playing with nothing to lose, I only can gain,” she said. “For me, it’s a real joy to be out here.”

The half-full stadium warmly greeted Williams, with many fans giving her a standing ovation as she entered.

Williams served a love game capped by a 100-mph ace in her first service game. She had break points in the first and fifth games but couldn’t convert. She started hitting harder and her familiar grunting returned when she tied the set 5-all.

Diyas and Williams traded service breaks early in the second set. Williams then broke her opponent again en route to winning the final five games in front of the half-full stadium. She smiled as she walked to the net, and her family gave her a standing ovation.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,” Williams said on court. “We always have a couple tight sets. It was good. I’m a little rusty, but it doesn’t matter. I’m just out here on this journey and doing the best I can.”

Also in Williams’ box were her mother Oracene, sisters Lyndrea and Isha, her agent, and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Older sister Venus watched from a balcony seat in an upper-level box on a 68-degree night in the Southern California desert.

Ohanian bought four billboards along Interstate 10 outside Palm Springs in tribute to his wife. The fourth billboard shows a photo of Williams and their daughter with the phrase “G.M.O.A.T” — greatest mother of all time — and is signed by Alexis Sr. and Jr.

Now she’s traveling the tour with her baby and sometimes her husband, when he isn’t off working.

“I’ve never done this before,” she said. “I know I’ll make mistakes and I’m OK with that.”

Williams’ only competitive appearances since the birth came in December at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, a Fed Cup doubles match with sister Venus last month and an exhibition in New York on Monday.

Another new mother, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, won her first-round match over Heather Watson 6-4, 6-2.

The two-time winner of the desert tournament needed a wild card to get in because she has been off the tour since Wimbledon. Azarenka, who gave birth to son Leo in December 2016, has been in a custody fight that limited her travel.

In other first-round matches, CiCi Bellis overpowered qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0, 6-3.

The 18-year-old American, who spurned a full scholarship from Stanford to turn pro last August, had her serve broken just once by the Spaniard in the 65-minute match. Bellis earned a second-round matchup with defending champion Elena Vesnina of Russia.

Bellis led five Americans into the second round. She was joined by wild card Danielle Collins and Jennifer Brady, who both got stretched to three sets. Taylor Fritz needed three sets to advance in the men’s draw as did Mitchell Krueger and Jared Donaldson.

source: sports.inquirer.net

LOOK: Serena Williams enjoys off-court schedule with baby bump

The unmatchable Serena Williams is getting her due rest and relaxation after winning the Australian Open—all while she’s expecting.

Now around halfway into her pregnancy, Serena has had a very active social calendar, from making an appearance at the Met Gala, throwing her bridal shower, enjoying Disney World, and working the baby bump on a yacht. She was also a guest at Beyoncé’s VIP-studded baby shower, the Carter Push Party.

Last May 1, she swished in a Donatella Versace gown at the Met Gala:

People magazine shared exclusive photos from Serena’s bridal shower held on May 11 at Miami, where family and friends joined the tennis superstar for yoga and massages:


She had a blast at Disney World:

She radiated effortlessly on a yacht in a black one-piece:

The Greatest of All Time also squeezed into her schedule Beyoncé’s Moroccan-themed push party:

Her fiancé, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has said that “she gives 100 percent of herself to everything she does: as a friend, as a lover, and soon, as a mother.” Niña V. Guno/JB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Jay Z, Serena Williams, Kendrick Lamar help Beyoncé wrap up tour

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Beyoncé wrapped up her “Formation World Tour” with onstage assists from Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar and Serena Williams, while Hugh Jackman, Tyler Perry and Frank Ocean watched from the crowd.

The pop star performed Friday night at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, singing and dancing to songs from her six solo albums, including her latest effort, “Lemonade.”

Jay Z earned loud roars when he joined his wife for “Drunk In Love,” while Lamar matched some of Beyoncé’s dance moves in a pool of water during “Freedom.” Williams, who appears in the music video for “Sorry,” brought the clip to life by twerking onstage while Beyoncé sang the song.

Beyoncé originally was supposed to perform at MetLife last month, but postponed the show to rest her voice.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

No. 2 Murray narrows gap to No. 1 Djokovic in ATP rankings

LONDON — Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title has allowed him to make a dent in the still-substantial gap in the ATP rankings between him and No. 1 Novak Djokovic, last year’s champion at the All England Club.

Entering Wimbledon, Djokovic had nearly twice as many points as No. 2 Murray, 16,950 to 8,915. But after Djokovic’s loss in the third round, and Murray’s third Grand Slam trophy, the margin is 15,040 to 10,195 on Monday.

Serena Williams’ seventh title at Wimbledon and 22nd at a Grand Slam tournament keeps her at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, while runner-up Angelique Kerber jumps two spots to No. 2.

Williams’ sister Venus moves up one spot to No. 7 after reaching her first major semifinal since 2010.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena wins 7th Wimbledon, record-equaling 22nd major title

Serena Williams powered to her seventh Wimbledon crown as the world number one finally claimed a record-equalling 22nd major title with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Angelique Kerber in Saturday’s final.

Williams had been stuck on 21 Grand Slams since winning last year’s Wimbledon, but the American star ended that frustrating barren spell to retain the title and draw level with Steffi Graf’s Open era record.

Serena was pushed hard by Kerber in a high-quality clash lasting 81 minutes on Centre Court, but the German fourth seed eventually crumbled under a barrage of 39 winners and 13 aces from the defending champion.

“It’s a great feeling to be here. Angelique brings out great tennis in me,” said Serena.

“Number 22 is awesome. Centre Court feels like home.”

Kerber said the American was a great champion.

“Serena you deserve it, you are a great champion and great person. We played a great match,” said Kerber.

“It’s an honor to play on Centre Court and a great feeling.”

Having avenged her shock loss against Kerber in the Australian Open final in January, Williams was wreathed in smiles as she paraded the Venus Rosewater Dish around Centre Court after collecting a cheque for £2 million ($2.5 million, 2.3 million euros).

But the far more significant reward is the knowledge she has reestablished her supremacy at a time when doubters were beginning to question the 34-year-old’s hunger for more silverware after consecutive Slam final defeats this year.

In a testament to her remarkable longevity as the sport’s preeminent force, Serena is once again Wimbledon’s queen 14 years after her first success at the All England Club.

Equalling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles will be Serena’s next goal.

The 71st singles title of Williams’ astonishing career also moved her within two of Martina Navratilova’s all-time record of nine Wimbledon triumphs.

Showing signs of cracking under the pressure of her bid for tennis immortality, Williams had cut a grumpy figure for much of the tournament, earning a fine for racquet smashing and threatening to sue Wimbledon officials if she was injured on a wet court.

But a serene focus came over Williams with the trophy in sight and she delivered a 48-minute masterclass against Elena Vesnina in the quickest semi-final in Wimbledon history.

Defiant

With pop royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z among Serena’s entourage in the players’ box, Williams finally hit the right notes after so many recent disappointments.

In her ninth Wimbledon final and 28th at the majors, Williams had a golden opportunity to seize the initiative in Kerber’s first service game, but the German showed her mettle as she nervelessly saved three break points.

Given Williams’ pursuit of Graf’s historic landmark, it was a delicious twist that the 47-year-old had played a role in Kerber’s recent rise after advising her compatriot.

Showing she has heeded Graf’s words of wisdom, Kerber had sprinted to the final without dropping a set in her six matches and she matched Serena blow for blow in a tense first set.

Kerber, in her first Wimbledon final and second major title match, was moving Williams into awkward positions with her left-handed ground-strokes.

But Serena kept slugging away and the barrage eventually proved too much for the 28-year-old to resist.

A sequence of blistering ground-strokes rocked the German deep behind the baseline on set point, forcing a fatal error that Serena celebrated with a defiant shriek and a prolonged double-fist pump.

Kerber was still competing gamely in the second set, but when she finally earned a first break point in the seventh game, Williams got out of trouble with a pair of imperious aces.

The German’s look of resignation suggested the end was in sight and so it proved as Serena broke in the next game.

Serena’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou says she enjoys her major triumphs for little more than five minutes before switching her attention to the next target.

But judging by the joyous way Williams slumped flat on her back on Centre Court when Kerber miscued on match point, the sweet taste of this historic success might linger a little longer.

source: sports.inquirer.net

3 years after winning Wimbledon, Bartoli says she is ill

LONDON — Three years after winning the title at Wimbledon, Marion Bartoli said she has contracted an unknown virus and her life is an “absolute nightmare.”

The 31-year-old Frenchwoman is now extremely thin and said it’s because she is ill.

“My life right now, it’s an absolute nightmare,” Bartoli said in an interview on British channel ITV’s “This Morning” show. “What I’m going through, I wish it to absolutely nobody.”

Bartoli won the women’s title at Wimbledon in 2013, and retired from the sport the next month. She now works in fashion and also does TV commentating at tennis events.

She is working at Wimbledon, and had planned to play in the women’s invitational tournament for former players but said her doctors told her she couldn’t.

Serena Williams, a longtime rival on the court, praised Bartoli for going public with her problem.

“I was really proud to hear she did say something,” Williams said Thursday after reaching her ninth Wimbledon final. “She took it upon herself to acknowledge what she’s been fighting through. I really admire anyone that is courageous like that.”

Bartoli said she believes she contracted the disease while on a long flight in February.

She said she can only eat organic leaves and cucumbers without skin because her body rejects other food. She also can’t be in contact with tap water, she said, adding she has been seeking treatment.

“As a Wimbledon champion, I’m trying to fight my hardest to go through it and to survive,” Bartoli said. “I think my Wimbledon title is actually the strength I have inside me. I just really want people to understand I don’t do that to myself on purpose.” TVJ

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic facing Wimbledon humiliation as Sunday play confirmed

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic was facing Wimbledon humiliation on Friday before rain saved him from his worst defeat at the tournament since 2008.

Three-time winner Djokovic, who is halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam in 47 years, dropped the first two sets of his third round clash against American 28th seed Sam Querrey 7-6 (8/6), 6-1.

But after just 73 minutes of action, rain sent the pair running for cover off Court One, giving 12-time major winner Djokovic welcome sanctuary before play was called off for the day.

By the end of Friday, which had seen just three hours of action on outside courts, only 15 of the scheduled 32 ties had been completed.

That led organizers to decide that for the first time since 2004, and only the third time in history, play will take place on the middle Sunday

Djokovic, who has an 8-1 record over Querrey, has made at least the quarter-finals on his last seven visits to Wimbledon since losing to Marat Safin in the second round eight years ago.

In contrast, seven-time champion Roger Federer had the advantage of playing under the Centre Court roof and became the first man in the fourth round thanks to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over Britain’s Daniel Evans

Federer, beaten in the last two finals by Djokovic, has been aided by a generous draw that pitted him against two lowly Brits in world number 772 Marcus Willis and then world number 91 Evans.

“I didn’t make the draw but it’s been fun playing against Marcus and now Dan,” said Federer who now has 305 Grand Slam singles match victories, which moves him within touching distance of Martina Navratilova’s record of 306.

The All England Club, which has suffered three severely-hit rain days in the first week, said that playing on Sunday was needed to catch-up.

Williams sisters survive

In a further effort to cut the backlog, all men’s second round doubles matches were reduced to best of three sets rather than five.

There were still four second round singles to finish including two-time champion Petra Kvitova against Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.

“The move has been made in order to reduce the backlog of matches and to allow The Championships to finish as scheduled,” said a club spokesman.

World number one and defending champion Serena Williams defeated US compatriot Christina McHale 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court, only just avoiding what would have been her earliest-ever Wimbledon defeat.

The six-time Wimbledon champion will face Germany’s Annika Beck for a place in the last 16.

“It was a really good match. She played great and she always plays great against me,” Williams said after seeing off the world number 65.

“I know mentally no-one can break me.”

Five-time champion Venus Williams reached the last-16, seeing off Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in a tie featuring a rain stoppage when she held match point.

Williams, 36, was 7-6, 40-30 up on Kasatkina’s serve in the final set on Court One when play was halted.

Seventy-five minutes later, the players returned with Kasatkina saving the match point, the second of the day.

But Williams eventually triumphed at the third time of asking when the 19-year-old dumped a forehand into the net.

Williams, the eighth seed, goes on to face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever played a 10-8 set. That was pretty intense. All you can think is ‘hold serve’. Easier said than done,” said the American.

Juan Martin del Potro admitted he felt “alive again” after the injury-plagued former US Open champion sent Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka crashing out.

Playing in his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2014 Australian Open, his 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 second round victory over Wawrinka brought back memories of his stunning 2009 US Open win before a series of wrist injuries pushed him to the brink of retirement.

The world number 165 from Argentina, who was a semi-finalist in 2013 in what was his last appearance at Wimbledon, next faces French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille.

“It feels amazing, I feel alive again,” said the 27-year-old who has undergone three wrist surgeries in the last two years.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena Williams beats Wozniacki in exhibition at Garden

NEW YORK — Serena Williams beat good friend Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4 in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played a match since losing the Australian Open final Jan. 30, pulling out of two tournaments because of illness. She’s scheduled to return to competition at Indian Wells this week.

“I’m headed out to the desert, and we’ll see what happens,” Williams said in an on-court-interview.

There were plenty of mistakes — many punctuated by a shriek — for Williams early on Tuesday, but as she does so often, she somehow was still ahead at the end of the set. The game started to look more familiar: the court coverage, the well-rounded repertoire, the big serves to escape trouble. She even tried quite a few drop shots with mixed results.

“I never miss one in practice, ever,” she insisted.

Proving she was moving just fine, Williams earned her first set point when she sprinted to the net to run down a drop shot, and then immediately raced back to chase down a lob.

With her dogged defense, Wozniacki forced Williams into some long rallies. But as was the case in 10 of their 11 career meetings — which includes the 2014 U.S. Open final a few miles away — Williams’ offense was too much.

In the first match of the BNP Paribas Showdown, 16th-ranked Gael Monfils of France beat two-time major champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (6), 6-3. Two games midway through the second set were played as mixed doubles — Williams and Wozniacki came onto the court in their warmups, and Williams teamed with Wawrinka and Wozniacki with Monfils.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kerber, Raonic rise in rankings after Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber’s upset win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open and Milos Raonic’s second Grand Slam semifinal appearance will ensure they’re the biggest movers among top players in projected rankings to be released this week.

Seventh-seeded Kerber’s three-set win on Saturday, which prevented Williams from securing her 22nd major title, is expected to result in the German player moving to No. 2 on the WTA Tour.

The rankings, expected to be released Monday, should show Williams at No. 1, Kerber at No. 2 and Simona Halep, who lost in the first round at Melbourne Park, dropping one spot to No. 3.

“She’s had a great month,” Williams said of Kerber. “She got to the finals in Brisbane. She won here. So, yeah. I was surprised and really happy for her. I’m like, ‘Whoa, No. 2.’ What’s after 2 is 1, so I guess I better be careful.”

Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost to Williams in the semifinals, remains at No. 4, while Garbine Muguruza drops two places to fifth.

Maria Sharapova, the 2015 finalist who lost to Williams in the quarterfinals this year, moves to sixth, followed by Flavia Pennetta, Carla Suarez Navarro, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova.

Safarova did not play in Melbourne due to a bacterial infection.

On the men’s side, Raonic, the 25-year-old Canadian who lost in the semifinals to Andy Murray, was expected to be biggest mover among the top 15 on the ATP Tour, improving three places to No. 11.

It was Raonic’s second major semifinal after losing to Roger Federer in the final four at Wimbledon in 2014.

Quarterfinalist David Ferrer moved to sixth place in a straight switch with Tomas Berdych, who slips down to eighth.

The top five remained unchanged. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic and five-time losing finalist Murray would have remained 1-2 regardless of the result of their Sunday night final, which Djokovic won in straight sets.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the semifinals, remains at No. 3, Stan Wawrinka at 4 and Rafael Nadal, a first-round loser to Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne, rounds out the top 5.

Following Ferrer is Japan’s Kei Nishikori, unchanged at 7 after losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moves to No. 9, replacing fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who drops to 10. Following Raonic is No. 12 John Isner of the United States.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Angelique Kerber upsets Serena Williams, wins Australian Open title

MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber has upset Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open title, ending the six-time champion’s unbeaten streak in finals at Melbourne Park.

Williams was an overwhelming favorite at the Australian Open, where she had won all six previous times she’d reached the final, and was trying to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

For the second time in as many majors, though, she fell short. Williams won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2015 before losing to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals.

The 34-year-old Williams hadn’t lost a set in the first six rounds here until dropping the first on Saturday night against No. 7-seeded Kerber, who was playing in her first major final.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova faces nemesis Williams as stakes rise at Australian Open

The business end of the Australian Open begins in earnest on Tuesday when top seed Serena Williams faces old rival Maria Sharapova for a place in the semi-finals in a repeat of last year's title match.

In the men's draw defending champion Novak Djokovic, taken to five sets in the fourth round, will have to improve as he faces Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori while Roger Federer aims to continue his smooth progress against Tomas Berdych.

Sharapova will be desperate to avenge last year's final loss to Williams, although the omens are not good for the Russian.

She has lost her last 17 matches against the 34-year-old Williams and the American 21-times grand slam champion has been in dominant form so far in Melbourne after some pre-tournament injury concerns.

Williams remains wary though, saying such a one-sided statistic can work both ways.

"I think the person who's winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations," she said.

"The person who is losing X amount in a row could think 'I don't have anything to lose.'"

Djokovic's bid for a sixth Australian Open title was nearly sabotaged by Gilles Simon in round four and the in-form Nishikori will pose a serious threat as he attempts to prevent Djokovic reaching a 29th grand slam semi-final.

Nishikori beat Djokovic the last time they met in a grand slam, at the 2014 U.S. Open semi-final, and will need to reproduce that form on Tuesday.

"I think the biggest thing is he doesn't miss," he said. "He doesn't give you easy points, any free points." Federer takes on a familiar foe in Berdych, with the pair facing each other for the 22nd time.

The Swiss is on a four-match winning streak against the powerful Czech, but has lost their last two grand slam meetings.

Berdych will look to pull off another major upset, as he did at the same stage last year when he ended a 17-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal.

Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska opens the action on Rod Laver Arena when she battles it out with 10th seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.

The 26-year-old scrapped through to the quarter-finals after being pushed to her limits by Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam in the previous round. — Reuters

Djokovic and Serena Williams named ITF players of the year

LONDON - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named men's and women's world champions for 2015 by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday.

The Serb ended the year as men's world number one for the fourth time after taking three majors - the Australian, Wimbledon and US Open, as well as finishing runner-up to Stan Wawrinka in the French.

Williams also narrowly missed a calendar-year grand slam, winning the Australian, French and Wimbledon and reaching the her home US Open semi-final.

Martina Hingis, of Switzerland, and India's Sania Mirza were named women's doubles world champions, with Jean-Julien Rojer, of the Netherlands, and Romania's Horia Tecau taking the men's award.

Hingis thus became an ITF world champion again 15 years after being crowned singles champion.

Dalma Galfi, of Hungary, and USA's Taylor Fritz were named ITF junior champions. — Reuters

Djokovic, Serena reign despite sudden impact shocks

PARIS - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams celebrated seasons of epic proportions, claiming six of eight Grand Slam titles in a march to greatness dented only by two players producing once-in-a-lifetime performances.

Djokovic ended 2015 with 11 titles, 82 wins and just six defeats in a haul which included three of the four majors—the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon.

His on-court earnings of $21 million swelled his career total to a mind-boggling $94 million while the 28-year-old Serb now has 10 Grand Slam titles among his 59 career trophies.

Djokovic won six of the nine Masters and topped it off with a fourth successive end-of-season World Tour Finals triumph in London.

"I'm very proud to have these achievements with my team," said Djokovic. "It's been a long season, but the best of my life."

Djokovic reached the final of every tournament he played with the exception of his 2015 bow in Doha where Ivo Karlovic stunned him in the quarter-finals.

From then on it was one-way traffic—indoors, outdoors, hardcourt, clay and grass— the Australian Open, Masters in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome and then Wimbledon, US Open, Beijing, the Shanghai and Paris Masters and London

But Djokovic was still left with a case of 'what might have been' thanks to a single-handed backhand blitz delivered by Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros where a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 defeat left him still seeking a first French Open and a career Grand Slam.

Wawrinka fired 59 winners past Djokovic who finished runner-up for the third time in four years. The defeat left him in tears.

Roger Federer, who hasn't added to his 17 majors since 2012 Wimbledon, continued to defy the critics.

Despite passing 34 in August, the Swiss reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals and handed Djokovic a rare defeat in the round-robin section of the World Tour Finals before the Serb swept to a comfortable revenge in the title match.

The Swiss ended the year at three in the world and then ended his two-year partnership with coach Stefan Edberg.

Andy Murray finished at two after a season which saw him win his first titles on clay, announce that he will become a father in February and lead Britain to a first Davis Cup in 79 years.

Vinci stunner

Meanwhile, 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal may have lost his iron-grip on the French Open and suffer his worst rankings slump in a decade, but there were encouraging signs of life as the year ticked away.

He made the finals in Basel and Beijing and the semi-finals in London before ending 2015 back at five in the world.

The men's tour also endured a seedy controversy when controversial Nick Kyrgios was fined for an ugly sex slur aimed at Wawrinka in Montreal.

What Wawrinka did to Djokovic in Paris in June, unheralded Italian Roberta Vinci did to Serena Williams in New York in September.

Williams was looking to complete the calendar Grand Slam and win a 22nd major.

She looked on course for a routine semi-final win when she took the first set 6-2 against the 32-year-old, wafer-thin Italian who was playing in her first last-four clash at the highest level.

But from nowhere, the world number 43 raced through the next two sets for a famous win and a place in the final against fellow Italian and childhood friend Flavia Pennetta.

Pennetta triumphed for a first Grand Slam crown and promptly announced her retirement.

Williams was so stunned that she called time on her season, sitting out the last three months, an absence which helped Agnieszka Radwanska lift the WTA Championship title.

Williams was still the standout player of 2015, winning five titles in all, including the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon.

Her record read 53 wins against just three losses and she finished as the year-end world number one for a fifth time and third consecutive season.

She also inflicted a 17th successive win over long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semi-finals with the Russian star then forced to sit out the US Open with a leg injury.

Sharapova recovered her fitness to make a rare Fed Cup appearance in November's final against the Czech Republic but even her two singles wins weren't enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the Czechs. —Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Djokovic, Williams head elite fields for US Open

Wimbledon champions and world number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams head the field for the men's and women's events at this year's U.S. Open, the United States Tennis Association announced on Wednesday.

Djokovic, who has reached the U.S. Open final five times and won the title in 2011, tops an elite list that includes other former champions in Roger Federer (2004-08), Rafa Nadal (2010, 2013), Andy Murray (2012) and last year's winner Marin Cilic.

Serbian Djokovic will be aiming to land his third grand slam crown this year, having triumphed at the Australian Open in February before beating Federer in four sets in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.

The U.S. Open will be played from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

Serena Williams will command much of the spotlight over that fortnight as she bids to become only the third woman to win the "calendar year" grand slam in the professional era.

Aged 33, she outclassed Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-4 in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.

It was a sixth Wimbledon title and a 21st grand slam crown for Williams and, unless she suffers a dip in form, it seems unlikely anyone can stop her march into the history books at Flushing Meadows where she is unbeaten since 2011.

She won her sixth U.S. Open last year, and has since landed the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this season.

Joining Williams will be Russian world number two Maria Sharapova, the 2006 U.S. Open champion; third-ranked Simona Halep of Romania and fourth-ranked Czech Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion.  — Reuters

Williams sisters head into last eight in Miami

Sisters Serena and Venus Williams marched into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open after straight-set wins at Key Biscayne on Monday (Tuesday, PHL time).

World number one Serena beat 24th seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3 producing 29 winners and 20 unforced errors.

Kuzentsova, who owns two grand slam titles, had beaten Serena twice in their previous nine meetings but the outcome of this contest never looked in doubt.

"I know Svetlana is super tough and we always have super tough matches," said Serena.

"It seems like I'm cruising but don't think I'm cruising. I have my matches and I'm really focused in my matches because all these players I play are really good," she added.

Serena has now won 18 straight matches and she is looking to add to her seven titles in Miami with her third straight triumph after winning in 2013 and 2014.

Venus continued a winning streak of her own -- making it seven wins in seven against fellow former world number one Caroline Wozniacki with a 6-3 7-6(1) victory.

The win also made it seven wins in her last eight against top 10 opponents, highlighting Venus's return to form after her health problems.

The older Williams sister will face Carla Suarez Navarro in the last eight following the Spaniard's win over seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska 5-7 6-0 6-4.

Romanian third seed Simona Halep won through after beating Italy's Flavia Pennetta 6-3 7-5. - Reuters

Williams withdraws at Indian Wells, Jankovic tops Lisicki

Serena Williams withdrew before the start of her BNP Paribas Open semi-final on Friday (Saturday, PHL time) due to a knee problem, cutting short her return to the event following a 14-year boycott.

Williams, who has been absent from Indian Wells since winning the event in 2001 when she says she suffered racist abuse from fans, said she would not be able to give her all for the remainder of the tournament and decided to pull out.

The decision put her opponent, Simona Halep, into the final against Jelena Jankovic, who beat Sabine Lisicki in three sets.

"I was on the practice court yesterday and everything was going well, but literally the last two minutes I went for a serve and felt a super sharp pain in my knee," Williams said in a news conference.

"I even did an injection. I've never done an injection before. If this were any other event I probably wouldn't have considered it. But I wanted to give 200 percent. It just wasn't meant to be this year."

In the other semi-final, Lisicki, who endured a three-set quarter-final nailbiter on Thursday, took the first set 6-3 before Jankovic stormed back., the Serb taking the remaining sets 6-3 6-1. - Reuters