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US Open dream over as Serena bows out

NEW YORK: Serena Williams bowed out of the US Open and headed into retirement on Friday after a battling loss to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.

On another night of searing emotion in the Billie Jean King Tennis Center’s main Arthur Ashe Stadium, 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams finally met her match in Tomljanovic, losing 7-5, 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 in an attritional slug-fest lasting more than three hours.

The defeat was almost certainly Williams’ last ever appearance in a Grand Slam singles event, the final act of a 27-year professional career that saw the 40-year-old American become a sporting and cultural icon who many believe is the greatest women’s tennis player in history.

“It’s been a fun ride,” a clearly emotional Williams said in an on-court interview following her loss.

“It’s been the most incredible ride and the journey I’ve ever been on, I mean, in my life.

“I’m just so grateful to every single person that’s ever said, ‘Go, Serena,’ in their life. You got me here.”

Although Williams has not definitively announced her retirement, she said in a Vogue magazine essay last month that she would “evolve” away from tennis after the US Open.

Williams said Friday that she was excited by the prospect of her life after tennis.

“I’m ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena,” she said.

“Technically in the world, I’m still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I’m still walking.”

Golf superstar Tiger Woods and former US first lady Michelle Obama were among a legion of admirers who paid tribute to Williams following her US Open exit.

“[Serena Williams] you’re literally the greatest on and off the court,” tweeted Woods.

“Thank you for inspiring all of us to pursue our dreams.”

Obama meanwhile saluted Williams’ rise from the gritty Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton to the pinnacle of her sport.

“Congrats on amazing career, [Serena Williams]! How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time,” tweeted Obama.

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Nadal survives self-inflicted injury as Serena loses in doubles at US Open

NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal overcame a freak injury scare when he accidentally hit himself with his own racquet to reach the US Open third round on Thursday as Serena Williams saw one chapter of her epic tennis journey close.

Nadal defeated Italy’s Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 but only after suffering a bizarre self-inflicted injury when leading 3-0 in the fourth set.

The four-time champion, and holder of a men’s record 22 Grand Slam titles, was hurt when his racquet bounced back off the court as he stretched for a ball and hit him squarely on the nose.

The 36-year-old Australian and French Open champion dropped his racquet to the Arthur Ashe Stadium floor and sprinted to the sidelines where he lay on his back with his nose bloodied.

He required a medical timeout to have the wound tended before resuming with a bandage across the bridge of his nose.

“I was a little bit dizzy and it was a little bit painful,” said Nadal, who said he had suffered a similar injury in the past caused by a golf club.

Nadal said that despite being a set and 4-2 down, he was happy to have recovered after coming into the tournament still worried by the abdominal injury he suffered at Wimbledon.

“I had to play better. It was one of the worst starts ever for me,” he said.

“It has been tough in the last month so I knew these kind of things can happen.”

For the first time since 2018, Serena and Venus Williams revived a partnership which has brought them 14 doubles titles at the majors.

However, their hopes of collecting a third crown in New York were dashed in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 defeat to Czech pairing Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.

The loss leaves 40-year-old Serena free to focus on what is widely expected to be the final singles campaign of her landmark 27-year career before retirement.

On Friday, the 23-time Slam singles winner will face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic for a place in the fourth round.

Serena and her 42-year-old sister went down fighting, clawing back from 1-4 down in the second set before the Czech pair steadied the ship.

Serena Williams powers into US Open third round

NEW YORK: Serena Williams roared into the third round of the US Open on Wednesday, overpowering second seed Anett Kontaveit with a battling performance to extend her Grand Slam singles career in dramatic fashion.

The 40-year-old tennis icon — who has signalled she plans to retire after the tournament — drew on all her reserves of resilience and sheer fighting spirit to take down Kontaveit with a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-2 at an electric Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Kontaveit appeared to have gained the upper hand over the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion after levelling the match at 1-1 with a dominant second-set display.

But Williams showed her champion’s mentality to yank back momentum in the decider, breaking Kontaveit twice before closing out victory to leave a sell-out crowd featuring the likes of golf superstar Tiger Woods on its feet.

“You know this is what I do best,” a delighted Williams said after her win.

“I love a challenge and love rising to the challenge. I haven’t played many matches but I’ve been practising really well and in my last few matches it just wasn’t coming together…But the last couple of matches here in New York it’s really come together.”

Williams admitted she had feared the worst after she was unable to respond as Kontaveit upped her game to take the second set.

“I thought ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve got to give my best effort because this could be it,” Williams said. “I just wanted to keep trying and see what I could do and do my best.”

Williams, who won the first of her Grand Slam singles titles as a 17-year-old at the US Open in 1999, said she was now playing with no pressure with the finish line of her remarkable career in sight.

“I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to win. I have absolutely nothing to lose,” she said.

Williams will return to Arthur Ashe on Thursday to take part in the women’s doubles, where she will reunite with elder sister Venus for the first time since 2018.

Kontaveit meanwhile admitted she had been rattled by a ferociously partisan New York crowd.

“I expected it but it was really hard,” Kontaveit said. “I knew it was coming. It was something I’d never experienced before.”

Serena’s victory once again stole the show on day three of the tournament.

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Aisam, Nedovyesov claim convincing first round win in US Open doubles

NEW YORK: Pakistan star Tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq and his Kazakhstan partner Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Friday sealed a resounding first-round victory 6-1, 7-5 in the Men’s doubles of the US Open 2022.

The Pak-Kazakh duo of Aisam and Nedovyesov displayed sheer dominance on their Argentine team consisting of Sebastian Baez and his compatriot partner Tomas Martin Echeverri.

In the first set of the match, Aisam and his compatriot pounded their Argentine opponents and pulled ahead with an early 1-0 lead by claiming the first set 6-1.

Baez and Echeverri ante their level up in the second set and gave tough competition to their opponents, who, however, held their nerves calm to edge past the formers in a tense second 7-5 and ran away with the victory.

Aisam and Nedovyesov will now take on Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo in the second round of the Grand Slam on Friday.

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Champion Raducanu out of US Open as Nadal survives scare

NEW YORK: Emma Raducanu became only the third defending champion to exit the US Open in the first round on Tuesday while four-time winner Rafael Nadal overcame an early scare against a player ranked 198 in the world.

Raducanu, 19, slumped to a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to veteran French player Alize Cornet who is competing in a record 63rd consecutive Grand Slam.

Nadal saw off Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to register his 65th career win in New York.

Also going through to a politically-charged clash were three-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.

Raducanu has struggled in the spotlight of being a Grand Slam winner, failing to get beyond the second round of any of the previous three majors in 2022.

“In a way, I’m happy because it’s a clean slate. The target will be off my back,” said the teenager.

World number three Nadal, who is chasing a 23rd Grand Slam title and third of 2022, arrived at the tournament having played just one match since an abdominal injury forced him to forfeit his Wimbledon semi-final.

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Unvaccinated Djokovic to miss US Open

PARIS: Former men’s world number one Novak Djokovic said he will not play in the US Open which begins on Monday as Covid protocols mean he cannot travel to the United States.

It is the second Grand Slam the 35-year-old Serb will miss due to not being vaccinated as he was deported prior to the Australian Open earlier this year.

“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open,” tweeted Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion.

Djokovic’s announcement, which was widely anticipated, came hours before the draw for the final slam of the season — organisers announced he would be replaced by a lucky loser from qualifying.

Stacey Allaster, US Open Tournament Director, regretted his absence.

“Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government’s vaccination policy for non-U.S.citizens,” she said in a statement.

“We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open.”

Tennis legend John McEnroe has blasted the Djokovic ban as a “joke”

“At this point, in the pandemic, we’re two and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke,” said McEnroe.

Ironically, during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Djokovic was allowed to compete at New York where he was champion in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

He has not played since securing a seventh Wimbledon title last month which took him to 21 Grand Slam victories, one short of Rafael Nadal’s record of 22.

Only last month, Djokovic said he was “preparing to play” in the US Open where a traumatic defeat in last year’s final at the hands of Daniil Medvedev dashed his hopes of a Grand Slam sweep of the four majors.

Djokovic signed off his tweet saying he hoped to be back soon.

“Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again.

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England’s Fitzpatrick wins US Open with sensational finish

MASSACHUSETTS: England’s Matt Fitzpatrick captured his first major title on Sunday by winning the US Open in dramatic fashion, making spectacular shots as rivals crumbled under final-round pressure.

After a thrilling three-man fight down the back nine at The Country Club, Fitzpatrick fired a two-under-par 68 to finish on six-under-par 274 and defeat Americans Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris by one stroke.

“I’m going to say it because I won but I hit some unbelievable shots coming down the stretch and that’s what I work for,” Fitzpatrick said.

With perseverance, Fitzpatrick delivered his first professional US victory for a long-sought major trophy.

“It’s what you grow up dreaming of,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s something I’ve worked so hard for such a long time. There was a big monkey on my back trying to win over here and everyone, all they ever talked about was that. To do it as a major for my first win -– there’s nothing better.”

World number 18 Fitzpatrick, who won the 2013 US Amateur at The Country Club, matched Jack Nicklaus as the only US Open and US Amateur winners on the same course, the US legend doing the double at Pebble Beach.

“It means the world,” Fitzpatrick said of the achievement.

The 27-year-old from Sheffield, who shared fifth last month at the PGA Championship for his best prior major result, sank a stunning 48-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole to grab a share of the lead.

At the 15th, Fitzpatrick blasted out of the right rough to just inside 19 feet and rolled in a tension-packed putt to reach 6-under and lead by two thanks to a Zalatoris bogey.

“Got a couple of nice breaks on 15 and took advantage of it and that’s what it took in the end,” Fitzpatrick said.

After birdies by top-ranked Masters champion Scheffler at 17 and Zalatoris on 16, Fitzpatrick clung to a one-stroke lead at the 18th tee.

The Englishman sent his tee shot into a left fairway bunker but blasted a magnificent approach to 18 feet and two put for par.

“I hit a 3-wood into the bunker and if there was one shot I’ve struggled with this year that I do not want it’s a fairway bunker shot,” said Fitzpatrick.

“I guess ability just took over. It’s one of the best shots I’ve hit of all time. When I saw it leave the sand and felt the strike I couldn’t have been happier.”

Zalatoris had a 14-foot birdie putt to force a playoff but when he missed, the record $3.15 million top prize went to Fitzpatrick.

“Matt’s shot on 18 is going to be shown probably for the rest of US Open history,” Zalatoris said.

“I walked by it and thought that going for it was going to be ballsy, but the fact that he pulled it off and even had a birdie look was just incredible. So hats off to him.”

Fitzpatrick has had a workout program to boost his driving distance for the past two years, boosting his shotmaking courage.

“I absolutely backed myself 110%,” he said. “I feel like I can compete against anyone out here, particularly over the last two years as I’ve got longer. Hopefully, this is the first step in getting even better.”

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, fired the best round of the week, a bogey-free 65, to finish fourth on three-under 277.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa shared fifth on 278 while second-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm, the defending champion, shared 12th on 281 after a closing 74.

Scheffler fired a final-round 67 while Zalatoris, now a three-time runner-up in nine major starts, and third-ranked McIlroy each closed on 69, and seventh-ranked Morikawa, the reigning British Open champion, shot 66.

“Tip of the hat to Fitzy,” Scheffler said. “He’s hitting the ball really well and has been knocking on the door for a long time. He definitely deserves this win.”

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