U.S. Open: Can Serena Williams win that 24th Grand Slam title?
Serena Williams gestures as she leaves the court after beating Barbora Strycova during their Wimbledon women's singles semifinal on July 11. Credit: AFP/Getty Images/DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS
When we last left Serena Williams at the U.S. Open she was involved in a raucous argument with the chair umpire that led to code violations and ultimately to her loss to Naomi Osaka in the final. Since then she has failed to win a tournament (lost to Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final), pulled out of others with injuries (including last week at Cincinnati with a bad back) and thus is a question mark at this U.S. Open. She is still in hot pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title. With a day off between matches at this Slam, the soon-to-be 37-year-old might get sufficient rest to make another run. And, as always, she remains the player to watch. Other centers of attention:
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys during the U.S. Open women's semifinals rat the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 6, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
So, when we last left Osaka at the U.S. Open, she was in tears after her championship victory over Williams in the stormy final. And when Osaka last left the competitive court, last week in Cincinnati, it was with a bum left knee that forced her to retire in the third set of her quarterfinal match against Sofia Kenin. Osaka is the No. 1 player in the world right now despite only one win this season. But that was a big one, the Australian Open, with a victory over Petra Kvitova in the final.
Simona Halep
Simona Halep celebrates after defeating Serena Williams during the Wimbledon women's singles final on July 13. Credit: AFP/Getty Images/GLYN KIRK
The 2018 French Open champion's victory in the final at Wimbledon in July was a stunner, given that she handily defeated Williams 6-2, 6-2. That is her only victory this season but she has gone deep in a number of events while fighting a persistent Achilles heel problem. Her best finish in the Open was a semifinal loss in 2015. As the No. 1 seed she was bounced in the first round of the Open by Kaia Kanepi last year. Maybe she’s due.
Ashleigh Barty
Ashleigh Barty returns a shot to Svetlana Kuznetsova during the Western and Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on Aug. 17, 2019, in Mason, Ohio Credit: Getty Images/Rob Carr
This has been a breakthrough year for the 23-year-old Australian who currently is the No. 2 player in the world. She fought through a tough draw to win the Miami Open in March, and in June won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open. She won a grass court event in Birmingham, England leading up to Wimbledon, where she then lost to American Alison Riske in the Round of 16. She lost in the semifinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova last week at Cincinnati, but it’s been a fairly quiet summer and she should be well rested for the Open.
Madison Keys
Madison Keys returns to Naomi Osaka during the a U.S. Open women's semifinal at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 6, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The tennis world has been waiting for this 24-year-old to grab a Grand Slam victory. In the only final she has reached, she was beaten by friend and fellow American Sloane Stephens in the 2017 Open. Now she is coming off an impressive run to the championship at Cincinnati last week, beating in succession Garbine Muguruza, Daria Kasatkina, Halep, Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin and Kuznetsova. She also won at Charleston in April. Confidence has been an issue, but Keys should be in high gear for this Open.
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