Serena gets seeding boost

Serena Williams, in her first U.S. Open since 2016, got a boost from the USTA in her home grand slam.

The U.S. Open seeds were announced Tuesday, and instead of following the rankings to the letter, Williams was lifted to 17th seed. Williams, who missed last year’s Open as she gave birth to her first child, is ranked 26th in the world.

“After balancing a variety of factors, including her return to competition following the birth of her daughter, her recent hard-court performance this summer and recognition of her achievements at the U.S. Open, the USTA has moved Serena Williams’ seeding nine spots, from 26 to 17,” USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said. “We feel this is the appropriate decision, one that recognizes Serena and is fair to the remaining seeded players.”

As such, Williams, 36, still is on course to face a top-16 seed in the third round in her first Open as a mother. Williams, seeking to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, comes into the Open after a frosty -tuneup season. She still is a slight betting favorite at Westgate’s Sportsbook in Las Vegas at 5-1.

Three weeks ago, she suffered her most lopsided defeat, 6-1, 6-0, to Johanna Konta in the first round — though she has said her focus was elsewhere after learning just before the match that her half-sister’s killer had been released from prison — then withdrew from a tournament in Montreal. She lost last week in Cincinnati in a secondround three-setter to Petra Kvitova. Though Williams hasn’t won a title since her late-December return, she made the Wimbledon finals, losing to 2016 Open finalist Angelique Kerber.