U.S. Open to allow Russian tennis players

The U.S. Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to play despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.

U.S. Tennis Assn. Chief Executive and Executive Director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the U.S. Open, said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of “concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments.”

Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag — an arrangement that’s been used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended June 5.

The U.S. Open starts Aug. 29 in New York.

Serena Williams is going to play at Wimbledon, after all. The All England Club announced that Williams was awarded a wild-card entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away . ... Casper Ruud endured a tough transition from clay to the grass courts, with the top seed losing his opening-round match at the Queen’s Club in straight sets to an opponent ranked No. 180 . ... Ons Jabeur started her grass-court season with a win as she cruised past Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-3 at the Berlin Open.