Williams ready to take spotlight

NEW YORK: Sloane Stephens will be defending her title at the US Open but all eyes will be on Serena Williams over the coming two weeks as the sixtime champion attempts to win her first grand slam title since becoming a mother.

The tournament will be the third grand slam since Williams returned to competition after giving birth last September and, while she has yet to lift a title in 2018, the former world No 1 has such a formidable record at the tournament she can never be counted out.

Williams was cruising along at the French Open until a pectoral injury forced her to withdraw before her last16 match, and she finished runnerup at Wimbledon, where she showed she has lost none of her fighting spirit.

However, the 36yearold has not had a smooth buildup to the US Open following early exits at San Jose and Cincinnati.

Chrissie Evert, an 18time grand slam champion, said Williams was fighting to get back to her best and would be in with a chance in the tournament which starts today.

‘‘She needs to put in a little more training, get a little quicker around the court, get a few good matches under her belt. If she gets into the second week of the US Open with those matches under her belt she is going to be a favourite for sure,’’ Evert, now an ESPN tennis analyst, said.

Should Williams prevail, she would equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, although not all of Australian Court’s were claimed during the professional era.

A win in two weeks would also put Williams, who has been seeded 17th, nine spots above her world ranking, in the company of Court, Evonne Goolagong and

Kim Clijsters as the only mothers to win grand slam titles in the professional era.

Among the other top contenders are inform world No 1 Simona Halep, Stephens and Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.

Halep has been playing with confidence since winning the French Open and her preparations for the US Open include a win at Montreal before reaching the Cincinnati final, although she pulled out from Connecticut to rest an Achilles injury.

‘‘She’s confident; you can see it. She gets herself out of holes,’’ Evert said of the Romanian.

‘‘The last couple of weeks she was down in matches and she pulled these matches out.

‘‘That’s Serenalike and she’s starting to do it now because she has that belief in herself.’’

Reigning champion Stephens, who lost to Halep in the final at Roland Garros, is a careerhigh third in the world rankings and, while the 25yearold has worked hard to shed her reputation as a nervous player, she will face the pressure of trying to defend a grand slam title for the first time.

‘‘I have faith in her ability and I have faith in how mentally tough she’s gotten,’’ Evert said.

‘‘It just is going to be if she can get the crowd on her side and be inspired.’’ — Reuters