What you missed at the US Open while you were glued to Serena Williams

The Serena Williams Show’s over, it’s very likely that he’ll do well in competitive tennis. Even if Williams keeps saying “you never know,” current coach Eric Hechtman and longtime coach Rick Mache have their doubts.

“So far, I guess we could say it’s over, but as she puts it, the door hasn’t been shut and locked, has it?” Hechtman said Saturday. “I would say there is an open crack.”

“Just my hunch, but I think she and Venus will continue to play doubles,” said Mackey, whose academy in Florida was the old rule for sisters in their youth. “They have two of the best serve in the world and two of the best returns in the world, and in doubles you just have to cover half the field. When the Williams sisters play together, it’s the greatest show on earth. Anything is possible.”

The Williams family is already full of surprises and they enjoy their pop. But what’s 100 per cent clear is that they are out of the US Open and that Serena’s farewell epic at the height of primetime It wouldn’t be the huge story blocking all the light in the press room (or at least the American press room).

“It’s all starring, in my opinion,” said top seed Daniil Medvedev. Defending the men’s US Open champion.

But there was a big Grand Slam tournament going on for nearly a week in New York. Let’s catch up on what you missed:

Last year’s stories are not this year’s stories

In 2021, two multicultural teens are making just about anything that seems possible in tennis (and beyond). Leila Fernandez, a 19-year-old unranked Canadian with roots in the Philippines and Ecuador, was knocked out of favorite after candidate to reach the women’s final. Emma Raducano, an 18-year-old British-born in Canada with roots in China and Romania, defeated Fernandes in that final, becoming the first qualifier in the game’s long history to win a singles Grand Slam title.

But midnight struck early this year, and the wagon turned into a squash in the first round for Radocano, who He lost to France’s Alize CornetIn the second round, Fernandez lost to Russian Lyudmila Samsonova.

There was no shame in either defeat. Cornet is playing the best tennis of her career at the age of 32, beating 1st seed Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon. Samsonova won two hard court titles that led to the US Open.

But the early output certainly underscores just how crazy and brutal last year’s World Open was. truly.

Some players retire and close the door

While Serena was pulling on her sneakers and talking about “Evolving away from tennis,” some of her lesser-known peers had no problem pronouncing the “R,” including two longtime American pros, Christina McHale and Sam Querrey.

McHale, the 30-year-old from New Jersey, announced her retirement discreetly after losing in the first round of the playoffs. She became a professional at age 17 and quickly made it to the third round of all four majors, peaking at number 24 in the world in 2012.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream for all these years,” she said on her Instagram account.

Querrey, a 34-year-old Californian with a relaxed style and power game best suited for fast courts, won 10 singles tour titles and peaked at number 11 in the singles rankings in 2018, after a year of leading the big. Serves in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. The All England Club was where Querrey claimed his biggest victory: upsetting top seed Novak Djokovic, who has claimed all four major singles titles, in the third round in 2016.

German Andrea Petkovic, also 34, had some big wins of her own and broke into the top ten in 2011 after reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and US Open. She came back from a severe knee injury early in her career and became a tough starting player. She was a good player but probably the best word maker: writing articles And giving interviews full of wisdom and intelligence in German and English, as she did again at the US Open after losing in the first round to Belinda Bencic.

“I think I brought everything for the game that I had to give,” she said. “Obviously not quite as much as Serena, but in my own little world, I feel like I’ve brought everything to him, and my novel is done.”

She might play a European final to give her European friends and family a chance to help her say goodbye, but she looked like a former player already this week with a beer in hand on the beach.

“First day of retirement” wrote on Instagram. “Enjoy my six pack while it lasts.”

And perhaps there are some advantages to retiring in America after all, despite Europe’s larger social safety net.

“Every American I met and told them I was going to retire, their first reaction was ‘Congratulations,’” ​​Petkowitz said. “Every European I told him about this, they were, ‘Oh my God, what are you going to do now?’ I have to say in the last few days that I’ve embraced the American way of looking at It’s a little more.”

Other American women are still in contention

There won’t be a singles title for 24 at the Grand Slam for Williams, but there could be a first for Jessica Pegula, Coco Guff and Daniel Collins, all of whom made it safely to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament on their home soil.

Pegula, ranked No. 8, Gauff, ranked No. 12, and Collins, ranked No. 19, are the three highest-ranked Americans in the world. Pegula and Gauff are also relatively new doubles partners who reached the French Open final together in June. They weren’t so lucky in New York, where they were upset in the first round, but 18-year-old Gauff, who works with new coaching consultant Diego Moyano, and 28-year-old Pegula, who is still with coach David Witt, carried on. Advance in singles.

So too is Alison Riske Amritraj, 32, with a lively personality and a steady hitter, who is back in the last 16 at the US Open for the first time since 2013.

She has a tough job on Sunday, though, as she tries to stop Caroline Garcia’s return from France. Garcia, once a top five, has been on the rise since June and became the first qualifier to win the WTA 1000 when she won the West and South Open titles last month.

traditional for her Airplane-inspired celebration Weapons wide spread – it’s becoming all too familiar, and despite Riske-Amritraj’s win over Garcia on grass in Nottingham in June, Garcia is in full swing now.

Wimbledon was a different world

In the last major tournament, Wimbledon Russians and Belarusians were barred from participating due to the invasion of Ukraine. The US Open did not follow suit, to the chagrin of some Ukrainian players.

Almost a week into this major, there are no Ukrainians left in the singles, but Russians and Belarusians make up almost a quarter of the remaining singles players.

Ilya Ivashka of Belarus, Medvedev, Andrei Rublev and Karen Khachanov, all of Russia, in the men’s round of 16.

Belarus Victoria Azarenka, Arina Sabalenka, Samsonova and Russia Veronika Kudermtova qualified for the women’s round of 16.

One more difference from Wimbledon: men’s singles champion Novak Djokovic there was not allowed to play in New York.

The men’s tournament is a huge success

On the same night Serena waved goodbye At Arthur Ashe Stadium after thanking the family and fans, Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios had a fourth-round duel on Sunday night that was usually the talk of the tournament.

Medvedev beat Kyrgios at this year’s Australian Open, but lost three of their other matches, including losing the round of 32 at the National Bank Open in Montreal last month.

It’s a box office match and a contrast of tactics: Kyrgios’ attack and volley, illegible serve versus Medvedev’s 6-foot-6 defense and his ability to avoid fouls and absorb speed deep into the field (the Russian could also serve a great deal himself).

But Kyrgios, riding high after him The first Wimbledon final in JulyHe plays the best and most consistent tennis player of his exciting career, even if he was just fined $7,500 for spitting and swearing at his support team during the win over Benjamin Ponzi on Wednesday. Medvedev has had an uneasy season, filled with forced breaks (hernia surgery, Wimbledon ban) and defeats, even on his favorite hard courts.

But on the court, they both remain fickle, outgoing and ridiculously talented. In this case, the court is Ash’s court. It must be a good idea. It could be a wonderful one.