INSIDER
COVID case at Australian Open hotel cancels play at tuneups
Read full article: COVID case at Australian Open hotel cancels play at tuneupsAn Australian Open courtesy car waits outside the Grand Hyatt hotel in central Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. All competition at six Australian Open tuneup events scheduled for Thursday was called off after a worker at one of the tournaments' Melbourne quarantine hotels tested positive for COVID-19. The Australian Open is scheduled to begin Monday. Williams won her last major title at the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant with her daughter, Olympia. On the bottom half of the draw, defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin rallied from a set and a break down to fend off Jessica Pegula 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
'Bad timing and bad luck': Injured Serena out of French Open
Read full article: 'Bad timing and bad luck': Injured Serena out of French OpenโIf it was my knee, that would be more really devastating for me. I feel like my body is actually doing really, really well,โ said Williams, who turned 39 on Saturday. Williams took a long pause, clutched at that leg and then took a medical timeout so a trainer could wrap it. I was able to get it somewhat better, but just looking long-term in this tournament, will I be able to get through enough matches? And so, for me, I donโt think I could,โ Williams said Wednesday.
The Latest: Gauff undone by 19 double-faults in French loss
Read full article: The Latest: Gauff undone by 19 double-faults in French loss(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS โ The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___9:35 p.m.American teenager Coco Gauffโs French Open debut has ended in the second round after she double-faulted 19 times in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 loss to 159th-ranked qualifier Martina Trevisan. Stefano Travaglia beat the Japanese player 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open after nearly four hours. 2-seeded Spaniard is looking to win his record-extending 13th French Open title and equal Roger Federerโs menโs record of 20 major titles overall. ___2:55 p.m.U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is out of the French Open in the second round. They said it was "a fighter plane which has broken the sound barrier.โ___12 p.m.Serena Williams is out of the French Open.
Serena Williams pulls out of French Open with hurt Achilles
Read full article: Serena Williams pulls out of French Open with hurt AchillesSerena Williams of the U.S., center, leaves after a video link press conference in which she announced her withdrawal from the tournament because of an Achilles injury prior to her second round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS โ Saying she is โstruggling to walk,โ Serena Williams ended her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam title and withdrew from the French Open before her second-round match Wednesday because of an injured Achilles heel. Williams said it is โmore than likelyโ she will not play another tournament in 2020. "And struggling to walk, so thatโs kind of a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover.โ___AP Sports Writer Pugmire reported from Paris; AP Tennis Writer Fendrich reported from Washington. ___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Serena Williams into US Open semifinals, closer to 24th Slam
Read full article: Serena Williams into US Open semifinals, closer to 24th SlamSerena Williams, of the United States, reacts during a match against Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in New York. Two more victories for Williams would allow her to claim a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Williams last lost before the semifinals in New York all the way back in 2007, when Justine Henin eliminated her in the quarterfinals. Another 15 strokes followed, with Williams hitting a forehand passing shot that Pironkova volleyed into the tape of the net. That afforded Williams a third break point, which was converted for a 1-0 lead when Pironkova sent a forehand long.
'It's how you finish': Serena Williams into Open semifinals
Read full article: 'It's how you finish': Serena Williams into Open semifinalsSerena Williams, of the United States, reacts during a match against Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in New York. Williams last lost before the semifinals in New York in 2007, when Justine Henin eliminated her in the quarterfinals. Another 15 strokes followed, with Williams smacking a forehand passing shot that Pironkova volleyed into the net tape. A couple of times, Pironkova drew Williams forward with a drop shot, then took the point with a perfectly arced lob. But after compiling only five unforced errors in the first set, Pironkova had 21 over the last two.
The Latest: Williams drops 1st set of US Open quarterfinal
Read full article: The Latest: Williams drops 1st set of US Open quarterfinalSerena Williams, of the United States, serves to Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):1:05 p.m.Serena Williams has dropped the first set of her U.S. Open quarterfinal against unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova by a 6-4 score. She broke Williams to lead 3-2, then failed to convert two set points while Williams served at 5-3. But Pironkova served it out in the next game. ___12:15 p.m.Serena Williams is about to start her U.S. Open quarterfinal against unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova.
The Latest: Azarenka set for US Open showdown with Williams
Read full article: The Latest: Azarenka set for US Open showdown with Williams(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):8:35 p.m.Victoria Azarenka is headed to another U.S. Open showdown against Serena Williams with a shot at the final on the line. A year after losing to Rafael Nadal in a nearly five-hour U.S. Open final, Medvedev will face No. ___ 1:45 p.m.Serena Williams has pushed her U.S. Open quarterfinal against Tsvetana Pironkova to a third set. ___1:05 p.m.Serena Williams has dropped the first set of her U.S. Open quarterfinal against unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova by a 6-4 score. She broke Williams to lead 3-2, then failed to convert two set points while Williams served at 5-3.
The Latest: Serena Williams in 4th-round action at US Open
Read full article: The Latest: Serena Williams in 4th-round action at US OpenNEW YORK The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times EDT):12:05 p.m.Serena Williams and Maria Sakkari are on court in Arthur Ashe Stadium to warm up for their fourth-round meeting at the U.S. Open. It is a rematch of a contest Sakkari won less than two weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open, a hard-court tournament played this year at Flushing Meadows. Williams owns six U.S. Open titles and 23 Grand Slam singles championships in all. Sakkari, a 25-year-old from Greece, is trying to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The winner will face Alize Cornet or Tsvetana Pironkova next.
Down but not out, Serena Williams yells herself to Open win
Read full article: Down but not out, Serena Williams yells herself to Open winSerena Williams, of the United States, reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari, of Greece, during the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK Theres no crowd at the U.S. Open this year to pull for Serena Williams and try to push her to victory. Shouting at herself point after point, Williams came back from a third-set deficit against a woman she lost to less than two weeks ago, and took another step closer to Grand Slam title No. When the match ended, Williams turned and yelled toward her husband, who stood at his front-row seat and yelled right back. She sent a backhand return long to give Sakkari her fifth set point, then pushed a forehand out.
Thiem OK with how many of Big 3 are in US Open (hint: zero)
Read full article: Thiem OK with how many of Big 3 are in US Open (hint: zero)Dominic Thiem, of Austria, returns a shot to Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in New York. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. He is 0-3, losing twice to Nadal at the French Open and to Djokovic at the Australian Open this February. Thats all of his $250,000 prize money for reaching the fourth round, plus $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and an additional $7,500 for skipping his post-match news conference. On Monday, she extended her stay in her comeback event, beating Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the fourth round.
Balancing motherhood and tennis, Pironkova scores Open upset
Read full article: Balancing motherhood and tennis, Pironkova scores Open upsetSofia Kenin, of the United States, serves to Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, during the second round of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK Tsvetana Pironkova smacked an ace on match point, part of the balancing act she made look easy from start to finish Thursday. If you make a good schedule and have the right motivation, you can combine the two things, motherhood and being a professional tennis player, Pironkova said. It takes a lot of work but, you know, everything takes work.A 32-year-old Bulgarian, Pironkova gave birth to Alexander in April 2018. She is playing in her 12th Open but her first since 2016, and its her first tournament since Wimbledon in 2017.