Serena, still recovering, withdraws from U.S. Open
Serena Williams withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday, extending her latest break from tennis, the sport she once dominated.
“After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,” she wrote on Instagram. “New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play — I’ll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll see you soon.”
Williams, who is ranked 22nd on the WTA Tour at age 39, has not played on tour since retiring in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon on June 29 because of an injured right hamstring. She was in tears as she shook the hand of her opponent, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, and she stumbled as she exited Centre Court, receiving assistance to reach the clubhouse.
She skipped last week’s Western & Southern Open near Cincinnati to allow herself more time to recover and said in a statement that she planned “to be back on the court very soon.”
However, she could not recover in time to play at the U.S. Open, where she has won six singles titles, including her first Grand Slam singles title in 1999 as a teenager. The 2021 tournament begins Monday.
Serena’s sister Venus also pulled out of this year’s U.S. Open, citing a leg injury in a post on Twitter. Fifth-ranked Sofia Kenin pulled out as well because she recently tested positive for COVID-19, even though she said she has received a vaccine.
Siniakova prevails: Olympic doubles champion Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic cruised into the quarterfinals at Tennis in the Land with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Nagi Hanatani of Japan in Cleveland.
Siniakova, ranked 53rd, surrendered only four points in her six service games and limited Hanatani to 14 total points in the 45-minute match.
Tiafoe triumphs: Frances Tiafoe followed his victory over three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray by beating Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 7-6 (2) in the third round of the Winston-Salem Open.
The 23-year-old American won the first set by breaking Monteiro in the 12th game. Tiafoe nearly did it again in the second by winning the first two points on Monteiro’s serve, only to have Monteiro respond with back-to-back aces to ultimately force the tiebreak. Once there, Tiafoe jumped to 2-0 and 5-1 leads to take control on the way to winning a match after holding serve throughout.