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American tennis legend, Serena Williams has revealed how she was wooed by her husband Alexis Ohanian on their first date.

In the latest installment of her ESPN+ docuseries ‘In The Arena’, the pair dived into their memorable first date nine years ago.

Williams, widely considered the greatest female tennis player of all time, opened up about her early years with her husband, highlighting that the vital conversation that made her fall was centered on ‘Marvel movies’.

According to Alex, the date was more like a “two hour interrogation” before he succeeded, inciting conversations about Marvel’s historic superhero franchise.

“It was like two hours of interrogation and questions. Do I have kids, am I married. Nothing was off limits.” He said.

However, Serena said that both her assistant and agent were spearheading the interrogation.

“Jill asked him straight up like, “What’s up with your girlfriend?” and he’s like, “I don’t have a girlfriend.” She said.

She further clarified; “During dinner he started talking about Iron Man and Marvel, and that’s the way to my heart.”

After sharing their love for superheroes and sci-fi on the date, the duo eventually got engaged in early January 2017.

The couple have been married since November 2017, one month after welcoming their first child.

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American professional tennis player, Serena Williams, has donated her US$43,000 winner’s cheque from the WTA Auckland Classic to the Australian bushfire relief fund on Sunday.

According to report, this is the 38-year-old Williams first tournament victory in three years, but she tempered celebrations by saying her thoughts were with Australians.

“I’ve been playing in Australia for over 20 years and it’s been really hard for me to watch all the news and everything that has been happening in Australia with all the fire and… animals and people that have lost their homes.”

In addition to donating her winner’s cheque, Williams has also signed the dress she wore in the first round in Auckland and put it up for auction to raise funds for the Australian appeal.

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Australia’s Ash Barty has claimed the biggest winner’s cheque in tennis history, beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3 to win the WTA Finals title and a $US4.42 million ($6.4 million) prize packet.

Key points:

• Barty is the first Australian woman to win the season-ending showpiece tournament since 1976
• She is also the first Australian woman since rankings were introduced in 1973 to finish the year as world number one
• She banked more than $US10 million in winnings in 2019

The cheque could have been even bigger, at $6.8 million, had she gone through the tournament undefeated, but a first-up loss to Kiki Bertens in the round-robin stage cost the world number one a few hundred thousand dollars.

The 23-year-old is the first Australian woman to win the season-ending showpiece tournament since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the crown for a second time in 1976.

It capped a superb week in Shenzhen for Barty, who, in addition to claiming the fattest winner’s cheque in tennis history — for male or female competitors — also became the first Australian woman to end the year as world number one since rankings were introduced in 1973, and pushed her annual prize money beyond $US10 million.

PHOTO: Ash Barty is the first Australian to win the season-ending showpiece tournament in 43 years. (Reuters: Aly Song)

Perhaps unsurprisingly in a battle between the best servers in the tournament, Barty and Svitolina traded service games through the first set of the decider, until the Australian finally broke in a lengthy 10th game to take the first set 6-4.

Things were back on serve through the first two games of the second set, before a series of errors and a double fault by Barty handed Svitolina a break, but the Aussie put the set back on parity at 2-2 with a break of her own and held her serve to love to lead 3-2.

The French Open champion appeared to be on a roll as she broke again on the back of Svitolina’s first double fault of the match to reach 4-2, but Barty could not hold her serve in the next game and the match was back on serve once again.

It looked like the run of breaks would continue when Barty replied to reach 15-40 in the next game, only for Svitolina to rattle off three straight points to have advantage, but the rollercoaster continued as Barty fought back to take the break before powering through her service game to hold to love and take out the tournament in style.

“It’s been the most incredible year for me,” Barty said at the trophy presentation.

“Congratulations to Elina and your team, you’ve had an exceptional year.

“You’re one of the toughest competitors on the tour and I know we’ll have many, many more battles in the future.”

PHOTO: Both players traded service games to start the match, until Barty finally broke to win the first set. (AP: Andy Wong)

It was Barty’s first win against Svitolina after five straight losses in their clashes since 2017.

Barty started that year ranked 271st in the world, a year after returning to tennis from a brief hiatus as a cricketer with the WBBL’s Brisbane Heat.

Her first WTA title in February of 2017, in Kuala Lumpur, suggested the Queenslander was ready to make good on the promise shown by her 2011 junior Wimbledon championship, when she was just 15. She reached the Birmingham and Wuhan finals and, despite not making a big splash in any of the majors, it was enough to end the year as the 17th-ranked player on the women’s tour — a jump of 254 places from January 1.

Barty effectively consolidated the next year, making an early final in Sydney before going out in the third round of the Australian Open, then losing to Serena Williams in the second round at the French Open. She won the Nottingham title in the lead-up to Wimbledon, but again fell in the third round at SW19.

A strong finish to the year with another title in Zhuhai allowed her to finish on a career high ranking of 15, before her stellar 2019.

This year she won titles in Miami and Birmingham, but her crowning achievement was her breakthrough major at Roland Garros in May and the world number one ranking was waiting a month later.

The final two majors of the year were perhaps slight disappointments, with fourth-round exits failing to elicit the same excitement as her Paris run, but the year-ending China swing saw her reach a semi-final in Wuhan and a final in Beijing before her record-breaking win in Shenzhen.

Source: ABC News Australia

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The tennis world was absolutely speechless after watching Serena William’s collapse

The tennis world was rocked by the high drama of Serena Williams’ “never seen before” collapse. Here’s how the world reacted.

Serena Williams quarterfinal fade out against Karolina Pliskova has delivered the headline moment of the tournament so far after three sets of high drama that stunned the tennis world.

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A company has been forced to offer an apology after a controversial cartoon sparked international outrage at the Australian Open.

Australian Open semi-finalist Naomi Osaka should be focusing on her charge to the No. 1 ranking – instead her Melbourne campaign has been dragged into controversy by a “whitewashed” cartoon advertisement.

Japanese company Nissin has now been forced to apologise for its advertising campaign which features caricatures of Japanese tennis superstars Kei Nishikori and Osaka.

The ad has come under fire for “whitewashing” the skin tones of both Nishikori and Osaka, who has publicly celebrated her gene pool mix of Haitian and Japanese ancestry.

Her dark skin tones are nowhere to be seen in the commercial – and her trademark hair style is also nowhere to be seen in the ad.

The 90 second commercial has simply gone down like a led balloon.

Nissin, an instant noodle company based in Japan, has released a statement to international media to say that the cartoon is part of an advertising campaign launched in January called “Hungry to Win”.

It features the artistic stylings of designer Takeshi Konomi, a veteran manga artist, who is best known for his cartoon “Prince of Tennis” series.

The company claims the depictions of Osaka and Nishikori are simply in-line with the artist’s traditional stylings.

Their explanation was simply not good enough for some to swallow.

“I’d been anticipating Osaka’s appearance since it isn’t often that a high-profile woman of color is featured in a major Japanese ad campaign. So when I cued it up on YouTube I was truly disappointed to see that there was no woman of color to speak of in the commercial. Instead, I found a whitewashed representation of Osaka,” Baye McNeil, ann author based in Japan wrote in a column for the The Japan Times.

“Come on, Nissin. Was this a business decision? Did you have concerns that your customers might be forced to uncomfortably ponder issues of race or ethnicity while slurping down a bowl of U.F.O. Yakisoba?

“Sure, anime fans aren’t used to seeing women of colour in the genre so … a few shades lighter on the skin here … a debroadening of the nose there … the de-exoticization of her hair … and, voila! The perfectly palatable girl next door. Not for this fan, though. Osaka’s de-blackening is as problematic to me as a Bobby Riggs tirade against female tennis players.”

His column was titled: “Somebody lost their noodle making this new Nissin ad”.

American commentator Darryl Wharton-Rigby said simply that Nissin “blew it”.

Nissin spokesman, Daisuke Okabayashi, issued an apology when approached for comment by The New York Times.

“There is no intention of whitewashing,” he said.

“We accept that we are not sensitive enough and will pay more attention to diversity issue in the future.”

The growing furore didn’t stop Osaka from cruising through to the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old World No. 4 will become the No. 1 player on the planet if she is able to take out the Australian Open crown.

Naomi Osaka.Source:AAP

Kei Nishikori.Source:Getty Images

Osaka was pushed to three sets in two of her matches in Melbourne, but it has still appeared like post-match interviews have given her more grief than her opponents.

She shut down her on-court interview with Channel 9 early on Wednesday after being asked to assess her potential semi-final match-ups with Karolina Pliskova or Serena Williams.

“I played them both and they’re both very great players,” she said.

“Sorry, I know it’s going to be tough no matter who I play, but I’m just trying to go inside because it’s a little bit hot right now.

https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1087887337952931840

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It’s his 20th grand slam title – the first person to achieve such feat. Swiss grand slam master, Roger Federer, today, won the Australian Open Tournament in Melbourne, beating Croatian Marin Cilic in a thrilling final match that ended 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Despite a rather shaky start to the match, the former world number-one dug out deep to emerge champion on the day.

In tears after the long battle on court, Federer said: “I’m so happy it’s unbelievable.
“It’s a long day waiting for the final.”

“Winning is a dream come true. The fairytale continues for us, for me.

“After the great year I had last year, it’s incredible.”

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Novak Djokovic said Friday that he had parted ways with his entire training team, including long-time coach Marian Vajda, as he attempts to arrest an alarming slide in form in the past year.

The former world number one believes that this “shock therapy” will help him return to the top of the game, said a statement on his official website.

“I am a hunter and my biggest goal is to find the winning spark on the court again,” Djokovic, 29, said.

The Serbian, who was knocked off top spot last November by Andy Murray, joined his rival at the exit of the Monte Carlo Masters after losing a third-set break in a quarter-final defeat to Belgian David Goffin 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 last month.

In January, Djokovic’s Australian Open title defence ended in a shock second-round exit.

The statement said Djokovic felt the need for a major change and had “mutually agreed” with Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic to end their partnership.

Djokovic said he was thinking of appointing a new head coach but did not want to rush the decision.

“I want to find a way to come back to the top stronger and more resilient,” he said.

“I have so much faith in this process and that’s why I will take time to find the right person who I can connect with professionally.”

For now he said he would be on tour alone with the support of his family and management.

“Novak can do so much more and I am sure he will,” said Vajda.

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Maria Sharapova won on her return to action after a 15-month doping ban as she beat Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Stuttgart Open.

The Russian, who was suspended last March after testing positive for meldonium, beat the Italian 7-5 6-3.

There was no noticeable bad reception for the 30-year-old, who responded well to losing her first service game to take a tight opening set in Stuttgart.

She broke twice in the second to progress to face Ekaterina Makarova.

Sharapova, who hit 11 aces and 39 winners, said: “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, those first few seconds before you enter the arena. To know you were walking back out there was special.

“I spent a long time without hitting any balls. I didn’t know when I would be back. I went to school for a little bit, I grew my business and had a normal life. I put the racquet away for a little bit.

“I felt I had to grow as a person and I think I’ve done that. But this is what I’ve done for so long. I’m a competitor – that’s when I’m at my best.”

The decision to give five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova a wildcard entry for this event, as well as upcoming tournaments in Madrid and Rome, has been questioned by a number of players, including her Italian first-round opponent.

However, it has been defended by WTA chief Steve Simon, who said it was in keeping with how former dopers were treated in other sports, adding that she was “starting at ground zero”.

The former world number one will find out on 16 May if she has been given a wildcard for the French Open, which starts on 28 May.

After Wednesday’s victory, the Russian told BBC Sport that she would “play in the juniors” if she had to, to compete at the French Open and Wimbledon in July.

Source – BBC

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Tennis superstar Serena Williams has been confirmed pregnant and she will be taking maternity leave through the rest of 2017.

Her spokeswoman  said Serena is expected to give birth this fall, in an announcement that upended a sport the 35-year-old athlete has dominated for the past decade.

The confirmation came hours after Williams, due to regain to the No. 1 world ranking next week, set off a day of frenzied speculation with a short-lived selfie posted on social media – posing for a photo in a yellow one-piece swimsuit on Snapchat with the caption: “20 weeks.”

Williams deleted the photo shortly after it appeared and waited more than six hours to make any public comment, stoking debate among tennis fans about whether or not she was joking.

“I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall,” Los Angeles-based publicist Kelly Bush Novak said.

Bush Novak told Reuters that Williams intended to sit out the remainder of the 2017 season and return next year.

Williams, the world’s highest paid female athlete, announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian last December.

Days ago she seemed to stir and quell speculation about impending motherhood with an Instagram post praising a newly published guidebook for new mothers by former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, adding in the caption: “One of these days I hope to apply this (but for now I’ll stick to my dog Chip).”

If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament singles title at the Australian Open in January.

Her victory over older sister Venus Williams broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles championships in the sport’s modern era. Serena Williams has not played since then, citing a knee injury.

Fans and celebrities reacted with a mixture of awe and glee to Williams’ Snapchat post.

“Serena Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd grand slam tournament at the Australian Open. And did not drop ONE SET. Let that sink in,” wrote Twitter user @noelleharmony.

“So Serena cheated,” Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, wrote on his Twitter account. “Because that’s technically a doubles match.”

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Britain’s Johanna Konta is targeting the world number one ranking after claiming the biggest title of her career at the Miami Open.

The 25-year-old British number one beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 to claim £940,000 in prize money and is set to climb to seventh in the world.

Konta was the world number 146 in June 2015, but she believes a Grand Slam title and further progress is possible.

“The belief has been there since I was a little girl,” she said.

“I’d like to be the best player in the world but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and then.

“Everybody’s journey is different. I needed a little more time and a little more experience to accumulate the knowledge that I have and re-use it in my matches.

“I play smart tennis and calmer tennis I think. It just took time. On paper it looks like a quick turnaround but it’s been a long time coming.”

Former Fed Cup captain Judy Murray – mother of Andy – has previously suggested the turnaround began with a heavy defeat in a match against Belarus in February 2015.

Murray put that down to Konta’s “really bad performance anxiety”, describing the result as “a bit of a horror”.

But her skill at handling the pressure of elite-level sport is now one of her biggest assets.

Konta herself has credited the influence of former mental coach Juan Coto, who died in December.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live following his death, Konta said: “Everything that I do, he will be a part of. He left me with some incredible tools to deal with my profession and also life. He is still very much a part of my journey.

She is working with a new coach this season – having made a surprise decision to replace Spaniard Esteban Carril towards the end of 2016, the most successful year of her career so far.

Under the guidance of Wim Fissette, Konta won January’s Sydney International without dropping a set, before now claiming her first success at a higher level – the top ‘Premier Mandatory’ rung of the WTA Tour – in Miami.

“She has big ground strokes, not many weaknesses, and I also saw her as somebody who is very hard-working and very disciplined,” Fissette told BBC Sport during the Australian Open, where Konta made the quarter-finals.

“I started working with her because I really believe she can win a Grand Slam if she keeps getting better like this.”

In October, Konta became only the fourth British woman to make the top 10 since the WTA rankings began in 1975 – after Jo Durie, Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.

“I think it was probably a combination of everything, but also a question of maturity,” Konta said of her rise on Saturday.

“I was very fortunate that throughout the years I’ve managed to have some very, very good people around me.

“The more I was able to absorb from them, their knowledge and wisdom, and the more I was able to reinvest that into the matches that I played, that’s the reason I’m here now.”

Analysis

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Only one other player has gathered more ranking points in 2017 than Johanna Konta, but more importantly the new world number seven has now successfully negotiated the perfect dress rehearsal for a Grand Slam.

Six victories over 10 days against the very best in the world in one of the WTA’s Big Four tournaments is the perfect stepping stone to Grand Slam success.

Wimbledon should provide Konta with as good an opportunity as the Australian and US Opens – where she has already had so much joy – but now it is time for the clay: a surface on which Konta is still to prove herself.

Source – BBC

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Roger Federer played superbly to claim a third straight win over Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career and reach the last eight in Indian Wells.

The Swiss, 35, won 6-2 6-3 to follow up his Australian Open final victory over the Spaniard two months ago, when Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title.

He will next face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, who upset world number two Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

Svetlana Kuznetsova was the first player into the women’s semis.

The eighth seed saw off fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-2 and next meets Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova or Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, seeded seventh.

Aggressive Federer crushes Nadal

In the pair’s 36th meeting – and first before the quarter-finals of a tournament since their initial meeting in Miami 13 years ago – Federer notched his 13th victory and third in a row.

Nadal, 30, had built his success against Federer over the years on attacking the Swiss player’s backhand, but Federer turned his weaker wing into a weapon in the Australian Open final, and if anything was even more aggressive in Indian Wells.

The Swiss crunched six backhand winners to none from Nadal as he played a flawless opening set, taking it in a little over half an hour.

Nadal might have hoped to profit from a surface markedly slower than that in Melbourne but it did nothing to curb Federer’s aggressive intent.

Another early break in the second set had Federer within sight of the finish line and he raced through with four breaks of serve to none to win in 68 minutes.

“I did very well today, I’m so pleased I’m able to step into the court and play super aggressive,” said Federer. “Coming over the backhand has been part of that.”

Djokovic helpless against Kyrgios serve

Kyrgios, 21, gave further evidence that he is now a force to be reckoned with as he blunted the Djokovic return game with another magnificent serving performance.

Djokovic was on a 19-match wining streak in the Californian desert, and bidding for a fourth consecutive title, but Kyrgios took their personal head-to-head to 2-0 as he repeated his victory in their first meeting in Acapulco 12 days ago.

Just as he had in Mexico earlier this month, Kyrgios gave the Serb nothing to work with as he powered through without facing a break point in nearly two hours.

The Australian grabbed the only service break of the match in the opening game, which proved enough to take the first set, and clinched the second after racing into a 3-0 tie-break lead.

“I am serving really well, that is creating chances for me to put pressure on their service games,” said the 15th seed.

“My mentality is improving and I am trying really hard to fight for every point and just compete.”

Japan’s fourth seed Kei Nishikori swept past American Donald Young 6-2 6-4, while on the other side of the draw Spanish 21st seed Pablo Carreno Busta and Argentine 27th seed Pablo Cuevas progressed to the quarters.

American 17th seed Jack Sock battled past Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5.

Good day for the Murrays

Fourth seeds Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares made it through to the doubles semi-finals with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer and Romania’s Horia Tecau.

And despite his absence following a shock early exit, Andy Murray saw his position at the top of the rankings enhanced after Djokovic’s defeat.

The Serb lost 990 points as he fell well short of defending his title, while Murray’s relatively modest record in Indian Wells meant his early loss only cost him 20 points.

Djokovic will also be defending a title later this month in Miami – another tournament where Murray lost early in 2016.

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By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams pushed sentiments aside in an emotion-charged 6-4 6-4 defeat of sister Venus to win the Australian Open on Saturday and a record 23rd grand slam title in the professional era.

Tortured by nerves in a tense family affair, Serena had to produce some of her best tennis to overcome Venus who won the crowd at Rod Laver Arena by scrapping hard to the end.

The American’s seventh title at Melbourne Park was won with an aggressive charge to the net and a desperate defensive backhand from Venus that floated into the tramlines.

Williams slumped to the ground, with hands in the air and eyes wide with joyous disbelief, before congratulating her sister for inspiring her run in Melbourne.

“She’s an amazing person, there’s no way I would be at 23 without her,” the second seed Serena said, cradling the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup at the trophy ceremony.

“There’s no way I would have anything without her.

“She’s the only reason the Williams sisters exist, so thank you for inspiring me to be the best that I can be.”

The win moved her past Steffi Graf on the list of all-time slam winners and she now sits just one shy of Margaret Court’s long-standing record of 24.

The victory also wrested back the world number one ranking from Angelique Kerber who swiped it away during her winning run to the U.S. Open championship.

Kerber, like a number before her, may yet be remembered as another caretaker for the ranking before its return to its rightful owner.

Venus was oldest finalist in Melbourne in the professional era and won huge admiration for her unlikely run to the final.

“Serena Williams, that’s my little sister, guys,” she said beaming.

“Congratulations Serena on number 23, I’ve been right there with you, some of them I’ve lost with you.

“Your win has always been my win, you know that.

“I’m enormously proud of you, you mean the world to me.”

At 35, an age at which most former champions have enjoyed life after tennis for several years, Serena’s powers appear undiminished and she will now train her sights on Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major titles.

Rightly or wrongly, many will feel Serena’s top ranking in history is already assured, with Court’s haul split between the amateur and professional eras and the American’s silverware amassed despite numerous physical setbacks.

In the ultimate throwback tournament, Serena met her sister on the same Rod Laver Arena court where 14 years before she had edged her in three sets to claim her first Melbourne Park crown.

Eight years had passed since their last grand slam decider at Wimbledon in 2009, and their combined ages in Melbourne added up to the ‘oldest’ major final ever contested.

They walked down the corridor silently prior to the match, with Serena tuned into headphones and Venus focusing only ahead.

It was a tense start and neither player was able to hold serve until Venus took the fifth game.

Serena was the worst afflicted by the nerves, and she smashed her racket in a rage in just the third game after she slipped behind the baseline when chasing down a ball.

She double-faulted three times to be broken a second time, causing a gasp from the crowd.

But galvanised by her serve, Serena soon settled and the blistering groundstrokes from the baseline began to find their mark as she surged to a 5-3 lead before sealing the set by thumping a pair of aces.

With Serena renowned as one of the best front-runners in the game, Venus showed her readiness to scrap, and she saved three break points to hold in the third game.

But she was never on safe ground, with Serena feasting on her second serve.

Serena pounced in the seventh game, firing a searing backhand return to break and served out to love to come within a game of the title.

Having dragged Serena to 15-30 at 5-4 on her serve, Venus dropped her racket in despair as she hammered a forehand into the net to give up match point.

Serena needed no further reason and after a furious exchange of shots, she charged in to the net swinging to claim yet another major title.

(Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ed Osmond/Amlan Chakraborty)

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By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – An Australian Open electrified by the revivals of seasoned champions will bathe in the warm glow of nostalgia on Saturday when the Williams sisters contest the women’s final at Rod Laver Arena.

Melbourne Park was where Venus and Serena Williams first clashed in a tour match in 1998 and nearly 20 years on, the Americans will add another chapter to tennis’s greatest sibling rivalry.

In 1998, they were teenagers with cornrows and coloured beads in their hair sharing in an awkward second round encounter that 17-year-old Venus won in two sets.

Venus hugged her sister, younger by a year, at the net and apologised for having to “take (her) out”.

On Saturday, 35-year-old Serena will bid for a record 23rd grand slam title in the professional era while Venus will strive for her eighth, and first in almost nine years.

Serena drew level with Germany’s Steffi Graff on 22 when she claimed her seventh Wimbledon title last year but her crowning moment was delayed when, as top seed, she was upset in the U.S. Open semi-finals by Czech Karolina Pliskova.

Serena no longer cares to talk about the record and stiffened when asked about it after her semi-final victory over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, as if the weight of such an achievement might prove too heavy.

But a seventh title at Melbourne Park would add further credit to Serena’s claim as the greatest of all time, despite being one short of Australia’s Margaret Court, whose 24 major titles were split between the amateur and professional eras.

For 13th seed Venus, her first grand slam final in eight years is already a stunning victory of perseverance in the face of her struggles to manage Sjogren’s syndrome, an auto-immune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

Both players stormed into the semi-finals without a set dropped.

However, where Serena romped into the final with a 50-minute demolition of Lucic-Baroni, Venus needed to summon her peerless experience to fend off feisty fellow American Coco Vandeweghe in three sets.

Saturday’s final will be the Williams sisters ninth at a grand slam and their first since Wimbledon in 2009, where Serena won in two sets.

RIVALRY SHAPED GAME

As tempting as it may be, to see the Melbourne Park decider as a last flickering of a rivalry that shaped the women’s game for a decade may be premature.

Eras have come and gone but Serena has never left the stage, winning nine grand slam titles since turning 30.

Venus spent four years in the wilderness from 2011-14, a period in which she was unable to surpass a fourth round at any of the majors.

But since a drought-breaking quarter-final at the 2015 Australian Open, Venus has risen again.

It took her sister to end her run at Wimbledon in the fourth round that year and again at the U.S. Open in the quarter-finals a few months later.

Her semi-final run at Wimbledon last year was further evidence that Venus still has the hunger and the game to trouble the best.

“I think people realise this is an amazing job, so it’s best to keep it,” she said of her longevity.

Whether she can still beat the best will be decided on Saturday, where she will bid for her first Australian Open title, 14 years after her only other final at Melbourne Park ended in a three-set loss to her sister.

Serena, who holds a 16-11 winning record over Venus over their careers and leads 6-2 in the grand slam finals, is favourite to win but knows better than to underestimate her sister’s competitive spirit.

“She’s my toughest opponent — nobody has ever beaten me as much as Venus has,” she said.

“This is a story. This is something that I couldn’t write a better ending. This is a great opportunity for us to start our new beginning.”

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams ended the fairytale run of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Australian Open on Thursday with a crushing 6-2 6-1 win that set up a final against her sister Venus.

The world number two was back to her ruthless best at Rod Laver Arena, charging out of the blocks to give the 79th-ranked Croatian no time to settle and roaring to victory in 50 minutes.

Serena, a six-times Melbourne Park champion, wrapped up the match when Lucic-Baroni slammed a shot into the net, the American reaching her 29th grand slam final where she will bid for a 23rd major title.

The Williams sisters will contest their first grand slam final since Wimbledon in 2009, which Serena won in two sets.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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Serena Williams avoided disaster in her 7-5, 6-4 victory over Barbora Strycova on Monday, advancing to the Australian Open quarter-finals at the start of the tournament’s second week.

The six-time champion was broken while trying to close out victory leading 5-3 in the second set but then worked her way back to victory, with Czech Strycova clipping the top of the net with a volley.

After the match, Williams admitted that not everything had gone to plan out on court.

“It was really good for me to win on probably not my best day, which is always good, because sometimes you rely on one shot and if it goes off, and then, like, what happens now?”

“It was good to almost lose that so I know my game is going pretty well.”

Williams called Strycova “a really smart player, who can do it all.”

The 35-year-old had previously not defeated Strycova in three matches at the majors.

“She’s hard to read, she’s scrappy, gets a lot of balls back. She definitely plays a different game than the other three players I played before. It definitely gave me a different look, it was interesting.”

Williams won the last of her 22 grand slam singles titles last year at Wimbledon, but bowed out of the US Open in the semi-final.

The American could claim back the world number one ranking from Germany’s Angelique Kerber – who was knocked out of the tournament by American Coco Vandeweghe on Sunday – if she claims the title this weekend.

Williams next faces in-form British ninth seed Johanna Konta, who won her 19th set in a row as she defeated Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, 6-1, 6-4 on Monday.

“I don’t think Serena Williams needs an introduction with everything that she’s achieved in this sport and continues to do so,” Konta said post-match.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge, looking forward to being on court and competing against her.”

Also on Monday, veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who first played a match at the event 19 years ago, rolled back the years with a win into the last eight as she beat American youngster Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-2.

Source: NAN

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By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer dug himself out of a late slump to fend off American qualifier Noah Rubin 7-5 6-3 7-6(3) on Wednesday and draw vital confidence for a tough third round clash against 10th seed Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open.

The 17-times grand slam champion, still finding his feet after a six-month break, had to save two set points and rally from 5-2 down in the third before closing out a galvanising win on a breezy afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.

Rubin, a 20-year-old baseline hustler with a big serve and powerful forehand, played above his 200th ranking and Federer doffed his cap to the Long Island native.

But the Swiss master said he would need to play better against big-hitting Berdych, despite winning their last five meetings, including a comfortable quarter-final victory at Melbourne Park last year.

“He’s caused difficulties for me in the past on faster courts: Cincinnati, New York, Wimbledon, Olympics in Athens,” said Federer, whose 17th seeding ensured a demanding path to the second week.

“I know what he’s got. I don’t need to tell you where he’s beaten me.”

Federer needed time to unpick Rubin, who showed few nerves in his first match against the Swiss, but by the second set the Swiss master was cruising like a luxury car.

He served out the set to love, wrapping it up with a deft half-volley from the baseline that curled sumptuously away from Rubin as he darted across the court.

Yet barely 20 minutes later, Federer found himself 5-2 down, defending set points on serve.

The usually unflappable Swiss made a rare show of frustration, berating himself loudly as his backhand went awry.

But he saved both set points and hung tough in the next game to prise two break points from his opponent.

“Come on Rog, get up!” yelled a man in the crowd.

Federer obliged him on the second break point, hammering at Rubin’s weaker backhand and the American buckled with a harried shot into the net.

Federer roared back to take Rubin into the tiebreak and raced to three match points at 6-3.

He needed only one to close it out, crushing a forehand cross-court that Rubin could only parry high and wide.

Coming back from a knee injury, Federer conceded before the tournament that he had no idea whether he was ready to withstand the long four and five-set matches of a grand slam.

He was understandably thrilled to escape with only three sets before the Berdych battle.

“If I could have signed (a contract) to be in the third round, feeling this way, weeks or days or a month ago, I would have taken it,” said Federer.

“I’m still hoping to feel better and better and better as

we go along.

“I’m getting tons of information out of these last few days now, which is big hopefully for the third round.”

(Editing by Peter Rutherford and Pritha Sarkar)

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“I really abhorred the conditions. It was way too much for me. This is almost not a great opportunity to assess your game,” she said.

“I’m trying to think of a word that’s not obscene but that’s pretty much how I played,” added the American.

The New Zealand press were critical of Williams’ comments, with Fairfax Media saying the appearance of the tennis great was “a let-down from lots of perspectives”.

“She avoided sponsorship and media opportunities throughout her time in Auckland and you’d have to say Maria Sharapova gave the tournament more bang for its buck when she came in 2011,” wrote Fairfax tennis writer David Long.

In the New Zealand Herald, Michael Burgess said Williams “was far from a role model” with her reaction the loss in which she made, by one count, a staggering 88 unforced errors.

– ‘Fair bit of damage’ –

“In just her second — and final — interview at the tournament Williams spent most of the three minutes and thirty seconds trying to attack the credibility of the event,” Burgess said in a column headlined “Williams failed to deliver”.

“She gave almost no credit to her opponent, and the focus on the conditions overshadowed Brengle’s tenacious play.”

Tournament director Karl Budge admitted Williams’ outburst could affect player interest for next year, but said he still wanted her back.

“It does do a fair bit of damage but probably more for next year,” Budge told reporters.

“It’s around how that message is delivered in the dressing room and we don’t want to get a reputation as a windy tournament.”

Budge said he had not spoken to Williams following her defeat but would meet her team at the Australian Open to discuss a possible return to Auckland.

“I’ll sit down and have that conversation in Melbourne. We’ll go away and chat to her team,” he said.

“I hope she appreciates what we did for her and we’ll have a conversation in Melbourne and go from there.”

The Auckland Classic not only lost top seed Serena Williams but also her sister Venus, the second seed, who pulled out after her first round match complaining of a sore right arm.

But Budge was complimentary about how Venus Williams handled herself.

“She was very apologetic. She’s all class, Venus,” he said.

“While we’re very disappointed she’s had to withdraw with injury, I think if there’s anyone that probably has a little bit of leeway it’s probably Venus Williams.”

Source: AFP 

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Rafael Nadal ended an injury-plagued 2016 on a high by lifting the Mubadala World Tennis Championship title for a fourth time on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Spaniard defeated 11th-ranked Belgian David Goffin 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) after world number one Andy Murray earlier ousted Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) to take third place.

“I’m very happy to return to competition again. These three days have been good for me. These three days, playing at this level, are going to stand me in good stead for the rest of the season,” said Nadal.

Nadal’s 2016 campaign had been ruined by a wrist injury that forced him out of Roland Garros after the second round and saw him miss Wimbledon.

But he looked in form throughout the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, beating Czech Tomas Berdych in the quarter-final and Raonic in the semi-finals.

“He put a lot of pressure on me,” said Goffin of his first clash against the Spaniard.

“You can feel how strong he is when he is in front of you. Mentally he is very impressive and he looks really strong to start the new season.”

Nadal will now head to Australia for the Brisbane International, with Goffin travelling to Doha for the Qatar Open.

Wimbledon and Olympic champion Murray, who was knighted in the New Year Honours list, lost to Goffin in Friday’s semi-final, his first defeat in the Belgian in six meetings.

“It was good to finish the year with a win,” said the 29-year-old Scot. “I still feel like Andy Murray – that feels more normal – but I am happy with the knighthood and it is a nice way to start the new year.”

Murray’s next stop is neighbouring Qatar for the opening week of the ATP season and two weeks out from the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2017.

In the match for fifth-place in the six-man field, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Czech Thomas Berdych 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 10-3.

Source: AFP

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By Julien Pretot

PARIS (Reuters) – After all the battles and hard graft chasing the world number one spot, Briton Andy Murray arrived there without hitting a ball on Saturday as Milos Raonic pulled out of their Paris Masters semi-final due to a leg injury.

The triple grand slam winner, who will take over from Serb Novak Djokovic at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday, still went out on centre court for a practice session in front of a bemused crowd.

“I never thought I’d be No. 1 in the world and never, never imagined that was something that was going to happen,” Murray told a news conference.

Fourth seeded Canadian Raonic explained his injury.

“Yesterday at I believe 4-2 in the first set I started feeling some pain in my leg,” he said, referring to his match against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“I didn’t think too much of it at that point. I had an MRI half an hour ago…they found that I have a grade one tear in the right quadriceps.”

Raonic is now doubtful for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals to be held in London from Nov. 13-20.

“I still have the possibility of making it but I was told five to 10 days so I’m on the borderline,” he said.

Murray is the first Briton to get to number one and, at 29 years and 174 days, he will be the oldest player to reach the summit for the first time since Australian John Newcombe in 1974.

Djokovic, number one for 122 weeks since July 2014, was knocked out in the quarter-finals by ninth seed Marin Cilic on Friday.

Croat Cilic lost 6-4 6-3 to American John Isner in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Isner broke in the ninth game of the first set and served three aces in a row as he saved a break point in the second to down Cilic, who appeared to lack focus a day after eliminating Djokovic.

Isner became the player to serve the most aces this year – 1,133 – as he claimed his first victory over Cilic in seven matches.

“I took the court today with a lot of confidence. It’s the first time all year coming into a match I’d won four matches in a row,” Isner told a news conference.

“So I knew I was playing well. I knew I was playing the right way, and really, from the get-go, I was serving extremely well. That took a lot of pressure off me.

“I was just taking my cuts from the back of the court. Returning pretty well, returning aggressively. I certainly put it all together today. It was the best match I have played all year.”

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

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(Reuters) – Tennis ‘bad boy’ Nick Kyrgios has been banned for eight tournament weeks for his conduct at the Shanghai Masters last week, the governing body for men’s tennis (ATP) said on Monday.

“The suspension will be reduced to three tournament weeks upon agreement that the player enters a plan of care under the direction of a sports psychologist…” the ATP said in a statement.

The volatile 21-year-old has also been slapped with an additional $25,000 fine for “conduct contrary to the integrity of the game”, which can keep him out of action until mid-January.

Tennis Australia (TA) said Kyrgios, who issued a statement on Monday to apologise for his behaviour, has agreed to seek professional help, which could see him return to court on Nov. 7.

“Nick understands the gravity of his actions, has shown remorse and expressed a willingness to improve,” TA said in a statement.

“We have always offered assistance and advice to Nick and his team and will continue to do so.”

The talented-yet-temperamental Australian was beaten 6-3 6-1 by Mischa Zverev in a second-round match in Shanghai in which Kyrgios put in a series of half-hearted serves and appeared to be walking off court before the unseeded German had returned the ball to him.

Kyrgios also clashed with a spectator before being booed off the court. He was fined $16,500 by the ATP on Thursday.

ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode described Kyrgios as a “phenomenal talent” and hoped the Australian would use his time away from the game constructively.

“Nick’s conduct in Shanghai was unacceptable, disrespectful to the sport, and its fans,” Kermode said.

“We take these matters very seriously, and he has since apologised for his actions.”

In his statement, Kyrgios promised to behave better when he eventually returns to the court.

“Following the ATP’s decision today I would like to take this opportunity to apologise again for the circumstances in Shanghai,” he said.

“I do understand and respect the decision by the ATP and I will use this time off to improve on and off the court. I am truly sorry and look forward to returning in 2017.”

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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(Reuters) – Serena Williams has withdrawn from the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore later this month citing a persistent shoulder injury, the world number two said on Monday.

The 22-times grand slam singles champion has played only eight tournaments this year and lost her top rankings to German Angelique Kerber.

“It’s been a really tough year for me, dealing with these shoulder injuries. My doctor insists that I stay home and heal it. I only have wonderful memories of playing in Singapore and I will really miss my fans,” the 35-year-old said in a video on the WTA website.

Williams, who also missed Wuhan Open and China Open and a tournament in Cincinnati this year, added that she will be “off

court for the next several weeks”.

The American arrived at the year’s U.S Open with concerns around a sore shoulder from the Rio Olympics in August and was beaten by Czech 10th seed Karolina Pliskova in the semi-final at the Flushing Meadows.

Williams, who had also pulled out of last year’s WTA Finals, has won two titles this year, in Rome and at Wimbledon, where she matched Steffi Graf’s professional era record of 22 grand slam singles titles.

Kerber, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys and Dominika Cibulkova have already qualified for the WTA Finals starting on Sunday.

(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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GENEVA (Reuters) – Maria Sharapova has been cleared to return to tennis next April after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the former world number one’s two-year drugs ban by nine months on Tuesday.

Sharapova, who will now be clear to return from April 26 and can play in three of the year’s four grand slams, said she could not wait to get back on court.

The 29-year-old Russian, whose case polarised opinion and lost her sponsorship, was handed the original ban – backdated to start on Jan. 26, 2016 – by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) following a positive test for the drug meldonium.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of banned substances at the start of the year after mounting evidence that it boosted blood flow and enhanced athletic performance.

The arbitration panel reduced the ban to 15 months and found that she “bore some degree of fault” through relying on her agent Max Eisenbud to check the prohibited list for changes and failing to ensure he had done so.

In a statement hailing one of the happiest days of her career, and criticising the ITF at the same time, Sharapova said she had learned a lesson and hoped the authorities had too.

“In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back,” the five-times grand slam champion wrote on her facebook page.

“Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court.”

Sharapova, who earned $29.7 million last year as the world’s highest paid female athlete, had called the ITF’s original ruling “unfairly harsh” as an independent tribunal had found that she had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules.

The player admitted taking meldonium during the season’s opening grand slam in Melbourne but said she had been unaware that it had been banned by WADA.

‘UNDER THE BUS’

“I have learned from this, and I hope the ITF has as well,” said Sharapova, adding that she had always taken responsibility for not knowing the over-the-counter supplement she had taken for 10 years was no longer allowed.

She said other federations had been much better at notifying their athletes of the rule change, especially in Eastern Europe where meldonium, or mildronate, was taken by millions of people.

“Now that this process is over, I hope the ITF and other relevant tennis anti-doping authorities will study what these other Federations did, so that no other tennis player will have to go through what I went through,” she added.

American Pam Shriver, a former grand slam doubles champion, said on Twitter that Sharapova’s statement “throws the ITF under the bus”.

Steve Simon, chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said; “The TADP (tennis anti-doping programme) has a comprehensive and fair process in place and we support the final result.

“We are pleased that the process is now at completion and we can look forward to seeing Maria back on court in 2017.”

Shamil Tarpishev, president of the Russian tennis federation, welcomed the reduced ban.

“It’s good, they reduced the ban”, he told Russia’s TASS news agency. “We want her to play for the national team and win the next Olympics for us.”

Sponsor Head, who stuck with Sharapova when other sponsors either terminated or suspended their agreements, said justice had been served and that it was “wholly unfair” that the ban had been imposed in the first place.

(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)

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By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Third seed Stan Wawrinka rose to the occasion once again to beat top-seeded defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-7(1) 6-4 7-5 6-3 and win the U.S. Open on Sunday for the third grand slam title of his career.

The 31-year-old Swiss, who defeated Djokovic on his way to winning the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open, denied the world number one a third grand slam title this year following the Serb’s wins in Australia and France.

Wawrinka, who does his best work with titles on the line, set up his championship point with an easy volley after sending a fatigued Djokovic deep into the backhand corner.

A Djokovic backhand that sailed long ended the nearly four-hour slugfest at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“This is amazing,” Wawrinka said at the trophy ceremony. “I came here without the goal to win it, but every time I step on the court I tried my best to win every match.

“I think I played quite a lot of tennis these two weeks, I am completely empty. I had to bring everything I had today against Novak. It was so much emotion.”

It was another Flushing Meadows disappointment for Djokovic, who in seven trips to the U.S. Open final has twice won the title and finished runner-up five times.

“He is a great champion and deserves to win this title,” the 12-times slam winning Serb said in congratulating Wawrinka.

“We played almost four hours and we both felt it. We both felt the demanding match we played today physically but he came out on top. In the decisive moments he was a better player, he was tougher mentally.”

Djokovic who won the first set tiebreak 7-1 by running off the last five points, saluted Wawrinka as a “big match” player. The Swiss has won three of their seven grand slam encounters.

“He loves to play in the big matches,” Djokovic said. “He comes up with his best game. He’s so solid from both corners. He’s got a good slice and amazing one-handed backhand, all corners. Big serve. Moves well. He’s a very complete player.”

It was a gruelling, groundstroke battle that featured captivating rallies and brilliant shot-making from the familiar foes.

Wawrinka trailed Djokovic 19-4 in their career meetings, but the hard-working Swiss saves his best for the big stage and he came through with a superlative performance that extended his remarkable streak to 11 straight wins in tournament finals.

As the match wore on, Wawrinka proved stronger and appeared to have Djokovic on the ropes early in the fourth set, the Serbian breathing heavily after some rallies and clutching at his leg in discomfort after being broken to trail 0-2.

Djokovic was granted a medical timeout after holding serve for 1-3.

Djokovic, who had injury questions entering the slam and benefitted from an easy ride that included a walkover and two retirements, took off both shoes and had some toes taped.

The six-minute interruption did little to stem the victory charge by Wawrinka, who built his winning edge by being better on the most important points.

The Swiss led Djokovic by the narrowest of margins, 144 to 143 in total points.

Wawrinka cashed in on six of 10 break point opportunities, and frustrated Djokovic by saving 14 of 17 break points against him to become the oldest U.S. Open winner since Australian Ken Rosewall (35) in 1970.

The victory was worth $3.5 million for Wawrinka, who is only missing a Wimbledon victory to complete the coveted career grand slam.

He is a perfect three-for-three in grand slam finals.

(Additional reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Andrew Both)

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Czech 10th seed Karolina Pliskova outplayed Serena Williams to reach the US Open final and end the American’s reign as world number one.

Williams, 34, double-faulted on match point to lose 6-2 7-6 (7-5), and Pliskova will face German second seed Angelique Kerber in the final.

The result guarantees that Kerber will overtake Williams at the top of the rankings after the US Open.

Williams had also hoped to win an Open-era record 23rd major singles title.

She remains tied with Steffi Graf for both Grand Slam titles, and the WTA record of 186 successive weeks as world number one.

“Karolina played great today,” said Williams, who revealed she had been hampered by a sore left knee since earlier in the tournament

“I think if she had played any less then maybe I would have had a chance. So I think I wasn’t at 100%, but I also think she played well. She deserved to win today.”

Australian Open champion Kerber beat Denmark’s Carolina Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 to reach her first US Open final.

“It’s just incredible, it’s a great day,” said Kerber. “To be here in the final for the first time means a lot and to be number one in the world – it sounds amazing.”

Pliskova wins battle of big serves

Pliskova went into the match on a 10-match winning streak, and with the most aces on the WTA Tour this year, and it was that shot which carried the Czech to victory.

It took Williams 50 minutes to earn her first break point as the Czech nullified her returns, while attacking the American’s second serve.

That brought Pliskova two breaks as she raced through the first set in just 26 minutes, and the home crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium urged on Williams as the six-time champion fell behind midway through the second set.

Williams sparked into life, finally breaking Pliskova’s serve – to love – but the anticipated comeback was cut short in the tie-break.

There were a few signs of nerves as Pliskova let a 3-0 lead slip but from 5-4 in front, Williams produced a forehand wide, a backhand long and a double fault to end with 31 unforced errors.

“I don’t believe it,” said Pliskova, who had never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam in 17 prior attempts.

“I knew I had the chance to beat anyone if I played my game. I am excited to be in the final and to beat Serena as she is such a great champion.

“Even when she was down a set and break she was still fighting. I had to fight hard to win.”

Pliskova saved a match point against Venus Williams in round four and becomes only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters in the same Grand Slam tournament.

Analysis

Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent: “This was a nerveless and brilliant all-round performance by Pliskova, who – despite her success on tour – had not made it past the third round of a Grand Slam before this US Open.

“She has a big serve, and she used it, but also returned superbly throughout.

“The confidence gained from saving a match point to beat Venus Williams on the same court, in front of a similarly partisan crowd, in the fourth round helped Pliskova enormously.

“If she wins the final, there will have been four different Grand Slam champions in the women’s singles in 2016.”

Kerber follows in Graf’s footsteps

Kerber, 28, was asked about her new-found number one status as she headed to court for the second semi-final, but said: “I’m just thinking about this match.”

That appeared the case as she raced into a 4-0 lead after just 16 minutes, her aggression from the baseline too much for Wozniacki, a former world number one now down at 74th in the rankings.

The Dane, 26, grabbed a foothold in the contest and there appeared to be a real edge between the two players, with Kerber complaining at length to the umpire about the noise emanating from Wozniacki’s player box.

Wozniacki saved two set points with backhand winners, but Kerber then served it out and powered into a 5-1 lead in the second that all but secured victory.

There was a final flurry of resistance from Wozniacki, who strung together nine points in a row to cut the deficit, before Kerber closed it out to become the 22nd WTA number one – and Germany’s second following Steffi Graf.

“For me, it’s just amazing to be, after Steffi, the next number one player in Germany,” said Kerber. “Steffi’s a great player and a great person, and I think she’s proud of me, to be the next one after her.”

 – BBC

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By Steve Keating

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Serena Williams stormed into the U.S. Open quarter-finals in record-smashing style on Monday by easing past Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-2 6-3 to claim her record 308th grand slam match win.

The world number one needed just 68 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium court to overwhelm the 52nd-ranked Shvedova and surpass Roger Federer on the all-time list of matches won at tennis’s four blue riband events.

“Oh wow, it is really exciting, this is where it all started so it is always so magical out here for me but 308 sounds pretty good,” Williams said after moving a step closer to a record seventh U.S. Open title.

“I just think winning 308 matches in general is pretty awesome. For that to be in a grand slam is pretty cool.

“It’s a huge number. I think it’s very significant actually. I think it’s something that just really talks about the length of my career, in particular.

“I’ve been playing for a really long time.”

It has been another dominating run into the last eight for the 34-year-old American, who has yet to be broken and has faced just one break point in four matches while never spending more than 68 minutes on court.

Shvedova did not put Williams under any stress and failed to even register one break chance the entire match against the 22-times grand slam winner.

“I just feel like I’m going out there doing what I need to do,” said Williams. “I’m not overplaying, I’m not underplaying. I’m just trying to play my way into this tournament.”

Next up for Williams is Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep, who beat 11th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 7-5.

There are more major milestones to be had if Williams can reach the winner’s circle again on Sept. 10.

A seventh U.S. Open title would break the professional era record for career grand slam titles that Williams currently shares with Steffi Graf and leave her one behind all-time record holder Margaret Court.

“Everyone I play, they play a step up and above their ranking,” said Williams. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m able to hang.

“Everyone I’m playing is playing like they’re number one. To me it doesn’t really matter who I play because I have to expect they’re going to play the match of their life.”

(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes and Frank Pingue)

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By Steve Keating

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Another win, another milestone for Serena Williams who rolled into the U.S. Open last 16 on Saturday by crushing Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-2 6-1 to collect grand slam victory number 307 – the most by a woman in the Open era.

As in the majority of her victories at the majors, Williams operated with ruthless efficiency but displayed little fire as she coolly dispatched the 47th-ranked Swede in exactly one hour.

The win moved the 34-year-old American past Martina Navratilova and level with Roger Federer for most grand slam victories by a man or woman.

“Wow. That’s pretty awesome and honestly what a better place to do it than here, where it all started,” Williams told an adoring Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.

“It is actually a really good feeling. To be up there with both men and women is something that’s super rare.”

It was at Flushing Meadows where Williams won her first grand slam in 1999 and 17 years later it is where she could achieve two more career landmarks if she can reach the winner’s circle again on Sept. 10.

A record seventh U.S. Open title would give Williams 23 career grand slams, moving her past Steffi Graf again for the most in the Open Era, and just one shy of Margaret Court who tops the all-time list with 24.

“Each number I’m definitely proud of,” said Williams. “I was really excited to 307. I was really excited to do that.”

Williams will go for win number 308 on Monday when she meets Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova, a 6-2 7-5 winner over China’s Zhang Shuai, in round four.

Williams arrived at Flushing Meadows last year on the cusp of claiming a calendar slam and the weight of expectation was crushing, the pressure mounting with each match until a shock loss to Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals.

This year Williams has been unusually low key, making her way into the fourth round with minimum fuss having yet to drop a set, conserving energy for the second week where the real tournament begins for the world number one.

For her first day match on Arthur Ashe, Williams switched from evening black to afternoon white but the change in attire did nothing to change the outcome.

Larsson fell behind quickly as Williams broke her at the first opportunity and again to close out the first set.

The Swede began better in the second set, holding serve to level at 1-1 but Williams was in no mood to mess around as she swept the next five games.

“I feel like I have been doing pretty good,” said Williams. “I have been being moving a lot. So far, so good.”

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

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By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) – At last year’s U.S. Open, Serena Williams was trying to rewrite the record book and fell short, but starting on Monday at Flushing Meadows winning is getting personal.

Williams’ 184-week reign as world number one is under attack, and the American will be loathe to relinquish it, according to no less an authority than ESPN commentator Chris Evert, who held the lofty perch for a total of 260 weeks.

“Serena being number two in the world doesn’t sort of sit well with her,” Evert said in a conference call this week ahead of the U.S. Open.

“I think she’ll be eager to go … and I think she’s going to win it again.”

The championship has a ring of familiarity with six-time U.S. Open winner Williams and defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic as top seeds, but there is a twist in the 2016 proceedings.

Rain will not threaten to bring the championship to a grinding halt, as a $150 million retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium guarantees centre court matches at least.

Williams and Djokovic are favourites in the year’s last grand slam, both more or less at even money, though their fitness is in question and both face top challengers emboldened by recent success.

Williams must contend with Germany’s Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open winner who would have become world number one had she not lost the final at last week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Djokovic, who has been bothered by a wrist injury, is being chased by number two Andy Murray, fresh off a 22-match win streak that carried him to his second Wimbledon title, the successful defence of his Olympic singles crown, and the Cincinnati final.

UPS AND DOWNS

The season has already produced momentous achievements, with Williams matching Steffi Graf for most slams in the Open era with her 22nd, won at Wimbledon over Kerber.

Djokovic completed a career grand slam by winning the French Open for a 12th slam title that also enabled him to hold all four slams at once.

Yet both have had recent stumbles.

Williams lost in the third round of Olympic singles in Rio and then withdrew from the Cincinnati event because of her shoulder.

Djokovic was a first-round casualty in Rio, falling to 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who appears to be reestablishing himself after a long recovery from a wrist injury.

The Serbian was also a third-round loser at Wimbledon to American Sam Querrey.

Williams suffered perhaps her most stinging defeat at last year’s Open, losing to unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals, needing to win the title to complete a rare calendar year Grand Slam.

Danger also lurks elsewhere in both draws.

Rafa Nadal, a 14-times slam winner, showed winning form in Rio, reaching the singles semi-finals and claiming gold in doubles after a long injury layoff.

Del Potro, who made it all the way to the Olympic final before falling to Murray, is a potential first-round nightmare for seeded players as a wildcard entry to the Open.

Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open winner, has regained his confidence after ending Murray’s winning streak in the Cincinnati final.

On the women’s side, other contenders include French Open winner Garbine Muguruza and this summer’s in-form Simona Halep.

But there will be no defending champion, after surprise 2015 winner Flavia Pennetta of Italy retired shortly afterwards.

FEDERER’S PICK

Roger Federer, winner of a record 17 grand slam titles, is missing the U.S. Open as he recovers from injury, but was not shy about handicapping it.

“Yes there were surprise losses, at Wimbledon and the Olympics, but I still say that Novak is the favorite,” five-time Open winner Federer said at a New York news conference promoting next year’s Laver Cup.

“He has a great record against Andy, has been unbelievable at the U.S. Open as well and when it comes to the hard court, he is usually very tough to beat.”

Victory at the Open would ensure Williams of breaking Graf’s record 186-week continuous reign at number one and would snap another tie with Graf, giving Williams 23 grand slam singles titles — most of any player in the Open Era.

Mary Joe Fernandez, an ESPN commentator and U.S. Fed Cup captain who also coached the U.S. team at the Rio Games, agreed the ranking means a lot to Williams.

“The No. 1 ranking is important to her, and she’d like to not just tie Steffi Graf for number one at consecutive weeks, but she’d like to break it,” said Fernandez. “I think it’s great that it’s in her hands.”

(Editing by Andrew Both)

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Defending champion Serena Williams is out of the Olympics after losing to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the third round of the women’s singles.

Williams lost 6-4 6-3 to Svitolina, ranked 20th in the world.

The world number one’s struggles were highlighted by five double faults in the seventh game of the second set.

“It didn’t work out the way I wanted it to but at least I was able to make it to Rio – that was one of my goals,” Williams said.

“The better player today won but I know next time is going to be a really good match and I look forward to it.”

Williams and sister Venus were knocked out of the women’s doubles on Sunday by Czech Republic pair Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.

Svitolina, who will face the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals, said: “It’s an unreal feeling for me. This is just a perfect moment.”

Williams follows men’s top seed Novak Djokovic inexiting the Olympics after he was defeated in both singles and doubles.

The 34-year-old’s exit means Angelique Kerber and Madison Keys are the only top-eight seeds remaining of what had appeared a very strong field.

Kerber faces Britain’s Johanna Konta in the quarter-finals after both won their matches earlier on Tuesday.

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[BBC Sports]  Defending champion Serena Williams says elder sister Venus is “super inspiring for me” as they attempt to set up a fifth all-Williams Wimbledon final.

Serena plays unseeded Russian Elena Vesnina, 29, in Thursday’s first semi-final on Centre Court at 13:00 BST.

Eighth seed Venus, 36, faces Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber,28.

“With everything she’s been through, I think it’s built a ton of character in her, and in me by just being around her,” said 34-year-old Serena.

“She has a lot of perseverance, she’s a real fighter.”

Six-time champion Serena has won three of the four all-Williams’ finals, with the last coming in 2009.

‘We don’t talk about playing each other’

Five-time champion Venus, who last won the title in 2008, is appearing in her first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2010 US Open.

She is the oldest major semi-finalist since Martina Navratilova was runner-up at Wimbledon in 1994.

Venus, who slipped outside the world’s top 100 in 2011 after being diagnosed with the immune system disorder Sjogren’s syndrome, says the American sisters have not discussed the prospect of facing each other in Saturday’s final despite playing doubles together.

“We get out there and we’re focused on that moment because we have to be. So the talk about what could happen is not as important as what’s happening in that round,” she said.

“Of course, this is great for both of us. But when you’re a player, you’re so focused on the next match, and that’s what we’re both focused on.”

Kerber targeting second Slam final of year

German Kerber, the fourth seed, has moved impressively through the draw without dropping a set.

She defeated Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January for her first Slam title, but lost in the first round of the French Open.

After beating Simona Halep in the quarter-finals, Kerber said: “I’m playing really good tennis right now… I think I’m playing like in Australia. I know I can win such tournaments.

“When I came onto the tour the two Williams sisters were always the top favourites but in the meantime I have won against them both and so the respect is there. So my perception of them both has changed over the years.”

“We’ve had a lot of great matches, she and I,” Venus Williams said of Kerber, who has won three of their five previous matches.

“We haven’t played in a while and clearly she’s had a great year with a great result in a Slam, but I’d love to be walking towards the final.”

Vesnina hoping ‘Lendl effect’ can inspire upset

It would be one of the biggest shocks of modern times if world number 50 and doubles specialist Vesnina could defeat Serena Williams and reach her first Grand Slam final.

After reaching the last four, the Russian joked that she was being inspired by ‘the Lendl effect’, a hashtag that sprung up after Andy Murray reunited with coach Ivan Lendl last month.

“Bruno Soares, my mixed doubles partner, he tweeted three weeks ago at the Queen’s tournament, there is, with a hashtag, a Lendl effect, because he’s playing with Jamie Murray, who is brother of Andy Murray, who won Queen’s.

“There’s definitely a Lendl effect. I tweeted them back, ‘I’m your partner in mixed doubles’. He said, ‘You will see, you will get it’. And now I am in semi-final of Wimbledon. There is something in it.”

Serena Williams, who has beaten Vesnina in all four previous meetings, said: “She has a really good grass court game. She has a really good serve. I notice that she always works on things and she always improves her game.

“She’s also very aggressive, she comes to the net. I know her game really, really well. It’s good to play someone’s game that you know.”

Nine-time singles champion Martina Navratilova told BBC Sport: “It’s hard to go against the Williams sisters both reaching the final because they have been there so many times.

“Serena seems to get better and better as a tournament goes on and you cannot go against her.

“Vesnina is the surprise package. It has been an amazing effort from her to come out of nowhere. She could play the match of her life and go through.

“For Venus, a lot of balls will be coming back from Kerber, who is playing her best tennis since the Australian Open.

“Mentally, she can handle winning Wimbledon – she’s done it [won a Slam] by beating Serena Williams in Melbourne. That hurdle has been cleared.

“It comes down to whether her game is good enough. She needs to play brave tennis. But I’d say maybe a slight edge to Venus.”

Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 champion, said about Serena: “Something she does so much better now than she used to do is learn from the losses. Now I think she takes the time to think about ‘what I didn’t do right, what do I need to make better’. She really wants it.

“She’s mastered the two biggest shots in tennis – the serve and return – and no one else can really do that in women’s tennis.”

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