Serena Williams can call it “evolving” or “retiring” or whatever she wants. And she can be coy about whether or not this U.S. Open will actually mark the end of her playing days. Those 23 Grand Slam titles earned that right. If she keeps playing like this, who knows how long this farewell will last? No matter what happens once her trip to Flushing Meadows is over, here is what is important to know after Wednesday night: The 40-year-old Williams is still around, she’s still capable of terrific tennis, she's still winning — and, like the adoring spectators whose roars filled Arthur Ashe Stadium again — she's ready for more. Williams eliminated No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 in the U.S. Open’s second round to ensure that she will play at least one more singles match at what she’s hinted will be the last tournament of her illustrious career. “There’s still a little left in me,” Williams said with a smile during her on-court interview, then acknowledged during her post-match news conference: ”These moments are clearly fleeting." After beating 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic in straight sets Monday, then collecting her 23rd victory in her past 25 matches against someone ranked Nos. 1 or 2 against Kontaveit on Wednesday, the six-time champion at Flushing Meadows will play Friday for a spot in the fourth round. Her opponent will be Ajla Tomljanovic, a 29-year-old Australian who is ranked 46th. They've never met, but Tomljanovic, who said she considers herself a Williams fan, figures she knows what to anticipate from the American — and from those in the seats. “I was playing on Court 7 both of my matches so far at the same time as her, and I could hear the crowd. I’m like, ‘Court 7 isn’t that close.’ I kept thinking, ‘Oh, my God, that’s annoying me and I’m not even playing against her.’ I don’t know how I’m going to do it,” Tomljanovic said. “What I’m going to focus on is to keep the scoreline close, because I think she gets dangerous if she gets up. She’s the best when she gets ahead.” On Wednesday, Williams hit serves at up to 119 mph, stayed with Kontaveit during lengthy exchanges of big swings from the baselines and conjured up some of her trademark brilliance when it was needed most. After pulling out a tight first set, then faltering in the second, Williams headed to the locker room for a bathroom break before the third. Something had to give, someone had to blink. When they resumed, it was Williams who lifted her level and emerged as the better player. Just as she’s done so many times, on so many stages, with so much at stake. “I'm just Serena. After I lost the second set, I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I better give my best effort because this could be it,’” Williams said, surely echoing the thoughts of everyone paying any attention. “I never get to play like this — since ’98, really," she said. "Literally, I’ve had an ‘X’ on my back since ’99,” the year she claimed her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open at age 17. Whatever rust accumulated when Williams missed about a year of action before returning to the tour in late June appears to have vanished. She was 1-3 in 2022 entering the U.S. Open. “Now it’s kind of coming together,” Williams said. “I mean, it had to come together today.” Williams has doubles to play, too. She and her sister, Venus, have won 14 major championships as a team and will begin that event Thursday night. Kontaveit, a 26-year-old from Estonia, is a powerful hitter in her own right, the sort that spread across women’s tennis over the past two decades after a pair of siblings from Compton, California, changed the game. But there's a caveat attached to Kontaveit's ranking: She has never won so much as one quarterfinal match at any Grand Slam tournament in 30 career appearances. Read:Serena Williams not done yet; wins 1st match at US Open So maybe that's why, much like with Kovinic 48 hours earlier, Williams’ opponent was introduced just by her name, and Kontaveit walked out to a smattering of applause. Williams, in contrast, got the full treatment: highlight video, a listing of her many accolades and a loud greeting from folks part of the largest U.S. Open attendance ever at a night session, 29,959, eclipsing the record set Monday. “It was her moment,” Kontaveit said. “Of course, this is totally about her." As strident a competitor as tennis, or any sport, has seen, as rightly self-confident in her abilities as any athlete, Williams was not about to think of this whole exercise as merely a celebration of her career. She came to New York wanting to win, of course. Wearing the same glittery crystal-encrusted top and diamond-accented sneakers — replete with solid gold shoelace tags and the word “Queen” on the right one, “Mama” on the left — that she sported Monday, Williams was ready for prime time. The match began with Kontaveit grabbing the first five points, Williams the next five. And on they went, back and forth. Kontaveit’s mistakes were cheered — even faults, drawing an admonishment for the crowd from chair umpire Alison Hughes about making noise between serves. Early in the third set, Kontaveit hit a cross-court forehand that caught the outermost edge of a sideline. A video on the stadium screens showed just how close it was, confirming that the ball did, indeed, land in. That brought out boos from the stands. Williams raised her arm and wagged a finger, telling her backers not to cause a fuss. If anything, Kontaveit received more acknowledgment from the player trying to defeat her than anyone else, as Williams would respond to great shots with a nod or a racket clap. “They were not rooting against me. They just wanted Serena to win so bad,” Kontaveit said, calling the treatment she received “fair," even if it was “something I never experienced before.” Williams broke for a 5-4 edge when Kontaveit pushed a backhand long, spurring yelling spectators to rise to their feet — and Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, jumped right in, too, waving his arms in her direction, a few rows in front of where Venus and Tiger Woods were two seats apart. But with a chance to serve out that set, Williams briefly lost her way. A double-fault made it 5-all. Eventually they went to a tiebreaker, and at 3-3, a chant of “Let’s go, Serena!” broke out, accompanied by rhythmic clapping. Soon, Williams delivered a 101 mph service winner and a 91 mph ace to seal that set. To Kontaveit’s credit, she did not fold, did not let the disappointment linger. Instead, she raced to a 3-0 edge in the second with 10 winners and zero unforced errors. In the third, it was Williams who gained the upper hand, and it seemed every point she won elicited an enthusiastic response. After a swinging forehand volley winner put Williams a game from victory, she raised both arms, then clenched her left fist. One game, and five minutes later, it was over — and her stay at the U.S. Open could proceed. Asked whether she's a title contender, Williams answered: “I can not think that far. I'm having fun and I'm enjoying it.”

They came from far and wide for Serena — no last name required, befitting someone as much an icon as superstar athlete — to see her practice and play and, it turned out, win a match at the U.S. Open on Monday night, turning out in record numbers to fill Arthur Ashe Stadium and shout and applaud and pump their fists right along with her. Serena Williams is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Nor, clearly, are her fans. And she heard them, loud and clear. In her first match at what is expected to be the last U.S. Open — and last tournament — of her remarkable playing career, even if she insists that she won’t quite say so, Williams overcame a shaky start to overpower Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 amid an atmosphere more akin to a festival than a farewell. What memory will stick with her the most from the evening? Also read: Serena's Choice: Williams' tough call resonates with women “When I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling,” said the owner of six U.S. Open championships and 23 Grand Slam titles overall, numbers unsurpassed by any other player in the sport’s professional era. “It’s a feeling I’ll never forget,” she added. “Yeah, that meant a lot to me.” This opening outing against Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro ranked 80th, became an event with a capital “E.” Spike Lee participated in the pre-match coin toss. Former President Bill Clinton was in the stands. So were Mike Tyson and Martina Navratilova, sitting next to each other. And sitting with Dad and Grandma was Williams’ daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wearing white beads in her hair just like Mom did while winning the U.S. Open for the first time at age 17 back in 1999. Williams is now 40, and told the world three weeks ago via an essay for Vogue that she was ready to concentrate on having a second child and her venture capital firm. Asked after her victory Monday whether this will definitively be her final tournament, Williams replied with a knowing smile: “Yeah, I’ve been pretty vague about it, right?” Then she added: “I’m going to stay vague, because you never know.” The night session drew 29,000 folks, a high for the tournament — more than 23,000 were in Ashe; thousands more watched on a video screen outside the arena — and the place was as loud as ever. Certainly louder than any other first-round match in memory. Both players called the decibel level “crazy.” Kovinic said she couldn’t hear the ball come off Williams’ racket strings — or even her own. Early, Williams was not at her best. Maybe it was the significance of the moment. There were double-faults. Other missed strokes, missed opportunities. She went up 2-0, but then quickly trailed 3-2. Then, suddenly, Williams, looked a lot like the champion she’s been for decades and less like the player who came into this match with a 1-3 record since returning to action in late June after nearly a year off the tour. “At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me, I feel,” Williams said. “It’s good that I was able to get this under my belt. ... I’m just not even thinking about that. I’m just thinking about just this moment. I think it’s good for me just to live in the moment now.” She rolled through the end of that opening set, capping it with a service winner she reacted to with clenched fists and her trademark cry of “Come on!” That was met with thunderous cheers and applause — as was the ending of the 1-hour, 40-minute contest, as if another trophy had been earned. Instead, there is plenty more work to be done. Williams will play in the second round of singles on Wednesday against No. 2 seed Anett Kontveit of Estonia. And there’s also doubles, too: Williams and her sister, Venus, are entered together in that competition, with their initial match slated for Wednesday or Thursday. “Just keep supporting me,” Williams told the spectators, “as long as I’m here.” They surely will. They were there to honor her and show appreciation for what she’s done on the court and off. After watching the victory over Kovinic, spectators held up blue, white or red placards that were distributed at their seats to spell out “We (Heart) Serena.” After Kovinic was introduced simply by name, making clear to even her what an afterthought she was on this muggy evening, Williams’ entrance was preceded by a tribute video narrated by Queen Latifah, who called the American the “Queen of Queens.” The arena announcer called Williams “the greatest of all time,” and intoned: “This U.S. Open marks the final chapter of her storied tennis history.” She means a lot to a lot of people. As a tennis player. As a woman. As an African American. As a mother. As a businesswoman. “When she started out, female athletes weren’t getting recognized. She’s done so much,” said Quintella Thorn, a 68-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, making her eighth trip to the U.S. Open. “And now, she’s ...” “Evolving,” chimed in Thorn’s friend, Cora Monroe, 72, of Shreveport, Louisiana, using the word Williams says she prefers to “retirement.” Also read: Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams part of bid to buy Chelsea Which is why Monday mattered more than the usual Day 1 at a major tournament. And why the daily program did not make mention of any other of the dozens of athletes in action, showing instead a montage of six images of Williams holding her six U.S. Open trophies above the title: “Serena Williams, A Legacy of Greatness.” And why there was a sense of less importance for matches involving wins for other elite players such as past U.S. Open champions Bianca Andreescu, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, or French Open finalist Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old American. After her own 6-2, 6-3 victory over Leolia Jeanjean earlier in the day, Gauff looked forward to sitting in Ashe herself to watch Williams, someone she credits with inspiring her to play tennis. Gauff’s original plan was to tune in on TV, but then she decided this was too important to miss. “Everybody is going to be on her side. I’m going to be cheering for her,” Gauff said. “It’s going to be probably one of the most electric matches that will ever happen in tennis.” Lived up to the billing. Now there is more to come for Williams and her supporters.

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev upset world number one Novak Djokovic to win his first major championship (Grand Slam) on Sunday (September 12). Currently, he is the second Russian player to win the US Open following Marat Safin in 2000. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon in 2021. If Djokovic had won the final against Medvedev, he would have completed the Calendar Grand Slam. Medvedev, on the other hand, was in great form in the final, defeating Djokovic in straight sets. Take a look at Daniil Medvedev's journey to the US Open 2021. Daniil Medvedev Journey to the US Open 2021  25-year-old Daniil Medvedev won the US Open 2021 in straight sets over 34-year-old Novak Djokovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The second seed Daniil Medvedev had a fantastic tournament at the recently ended US Open 2021. He dropped one set in the quarter-final match against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. He won the remainder of the matches in straight sets, with the exception of that one.  Daniil Medvedev played a seeded opponent for the first time in the Round of 16. Britain's Dan Evans was her opponent. After beating Dan Evans in the quarterfinals (6-3, 6-4, 6-3), Daniil Medvedev gained a lot of confidence heading into the semifinals. Then he overcame the 12th seeded Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime (6-4, 7-5, 6-2).  Read Qualifier to champion: UK's Raducanu wins US Open Daniil Medvedev's final match opponent Novak Djokovic had his ups and downs throughout the campaign. He dropped several sets and had to fight hard for every victory from the first round until the semifinals. However, in the knockout stage, Djokovic faced tougher opponents than Medvedev. He played against 6th seed Matteo Berrettini (5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3) in the quarter-finals, he faced 4th seed Alexander Zverev (4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2) in the semi-finals. Furthermore, he had a tough match against Japanese Kei Nishikori in the fourth round.  Daniil Medvedev was assured in his abilities going into the final, and his performance reflected that confidence. He was on fire, winning the most games on the second serve (76 percent). He also earned 99 points, compared to 83 points for Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev gained momentum all through the match and won each set by 6-4 margin.  The Russian avenged a straight-set loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open final in February 2021, forcing errors from his opponent with powerful serving, dominating Djokovic from the baseline, and completing points with accurate wins. Read US Open 2021: Meet Emma Raducanu, Britain’s First Women’s Grand Slam Singles Winner in 44 Years Medvedev broke out in a big smile after clinching the match and pondered finally claiming his first Grand Slam championship. Daniil Medvedev's Professional Tennis Career Daniil Medvedev is the son of Sergey Medvedev and Olga Medvedeva, and was born in Moscow in 1996. His father pushed him to take tennis lessons when he was nine years old. He was then admitted into the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth, and Tourism. He afterward relocated to France with his family, where he attended a tennis academy.  At the 2015 Kremlin Cup, Medvedev made his ATP main draw debut in the doubles event, partnering with Aslan Karatsev. At the 2016 Nice Open, Medvedev made his ATP singles main draw debut. He won his first singles ATP World Tour match at the 2016 Ricoh Open.  Read Elko s grand slam leads Ole Miss into super regionals Medvedev made his first ATP singles final in January 2017 and won his first Grand Slam match in the first round of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships against Stan Wawrinka. At the 2018 Sydney International, Medvedev won his maiden ATP championship.  In the year 2019, he won six Master titles and competed in six finals in a row. More notably, he made his first appearance in the US Open final, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. He was the ATP finals winner in 2020 and earned his third Masters championship. The next year, he reached the final of the Australian Open, won the ATP Cup, and won his fourth Masters championship.  Bottom Line  Following the golden era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, tennis fans often debate about who will dominate men's tennis in the future. The 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev has a strong chance of becoming one of the best players of his generation if he can stay injury-free and strive for perfection. Because many pundits and fans were impressed by Daniil Medvedev's strong attitude and competitive approach to the game during the main event of the US Open 2021, particularly in the final against Novak Djokovic, one of the all-time greats. On the other side, Russian tennis fans anticipate him to usher in a new era of the tennis in their country. Read Grand Slam leaders pledge to address Naomi Osaka s concerns

Britain's Emma Raducanu (18) defeated Canada's Leylah Fernandez (19) in the final of the Women's 2021 US Open. As a result, Britain won the women's singles Grand Slam for the first time in 44 years. Virginia Wide had previously won Wimbledon in 1977 for the United Kingdom. It's a bit of déjà vu for British fans. In 2012, Andy Murray became the first British male tennis player in 77 years to win a Grand Slam after defeating Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic in the final of the US Open. Let's take a look at 18-year-old Emma Radukano's journey in the US Open 2021. Emma Raducanu's Journey to the US Open 2021 18-year-old Emma Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez in straight sets in Arthur Ashe Stadium to win the US Open 2021. Emma Raducanu, who had a career high rating of 150 last month, traveled to New York to compete in the qualifying round for US Open. Raducanu did not lost a single set in the event from the first three qualification matches until the final. She had a perfect record in the event, winning all ten of her matches in straight sets.      Read: Shammi Nasrin: An Inspiration to Bangladesh Women in Weightlifting Emma Raducanu faced a seeded opponent for the first time in the quarter-finals. Belinda Bencic, a professional tennis player from Switzerland, was her opponent. Emma Raducanu earned a lot of confidence coming into the semifinal after defeating Belinda Bencic (6-3, 6-4). She then defeated Maria Sakkari, the 17th seeded Greek player, 6-1, 6-4.   Emma Raducanu's final match opponent Leylah Fernandez had her ups and downs during the competition. she dropped numerous sets and had to battle hard for every triumph from the third round to the semifinals. However, it should be mentioned that Leylah faced stronger opponents in the knockout stage than Raducanu. She faced the 3rd seed Naomi Osaka in the third round, the 16th seed Angelique Kerber in the fourth round, the 5th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, and the second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal.    Read: Women in Afghanistan: Taliban Government to Ban Women's Sports in Afghanistan Among the finalists, Leylah Fernandez felt confident in her ability but as the match began, Emma Raducanu gathered momentum and won the first set 6-4. Raducanu was on fire in the second set, having the greatest percentage of first-serve wins (72 percent). She also received 81 points, compared to Leylah Fernandez's 68 points.     Emma Raducanu, overwhelmed with excitement after winning the match in front of 24,000 spectators at the Arther Ash stadium. She lied down on the court and covered her face with her hands. Raducanuis broke several records after winning the US Open, including the first qualifier to win a Slam in the Open era, the youngest women's Slam champion since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004, and the first woman to win the US Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2014. Emma climbed up to number 23 in the WTA rankings and received $2.4m in prize money.   Read: Top Table Tennis players in Bangladesh of All Time A Quick Look at Emma Raducanu's Short Career Emma Raducanu was born in Toronto, Canada. Her family moved to England when she was two years old. Raducanu's parents are of Chinese and Romanian ancestry. She is an excellent student who received A's in both mathematics and economics at A-Level.   Emma began playing tennis when she was five years old and made her WTA professional debut in June at the 2021 Nottingham Open. Later, she competed at Wimbledon 2021 as a wild card entrant, reaching the fourth round on her Grand Slam Singles debut. She was forced to withdraw due to breathing difficulties during her fourth-round match against Ajla Tomjanovich. Raducanu also competed in the US Open series and WTA 125 tournaments before taking part in the US Open on August 25.       Read: FIFA women's friendlies: Bangladesh lose 1-2 to Nepal Bottom Line Tennis fans are often wondering who will lead women's tennis in the future following the eras of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Emma Radukano's strong attitude and aggressive style of play in the US Open 2021 have already drawn the attention of many experts and enthusiasts. Emma Radukano has a strong chance of becoming one of the top players of this generation if she can stay injury-free. On the other hand, British tennis fans will expect her to mark a new era of tennis in the United Kingdom.  

Naomi Osaka defeated Victoria Azarenka from Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final to win the women's singles title of the US Open on Saturday.

New York, Sept 9 (AP/UNB) —  Rafael Nadal won his fourth U.S. Open title and 19th Grand Slam trophy overall by holding off Daniil Medvedev's comeback bid with a 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 victory.

New York, Sept 7 (AP/UNB) —Serena Williams gets another chance to win a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title when she faces 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu, who is trying to become the first Canadian woman to win one. The eighth-seeded Williams has reached three major finals since having a baby but lost them all.

New York, Aug 25 (AP/UNB) — During a break in practice two days before opening his U.S. Open title defense, Novak Djokovic pulled off his blue shoe and white sock so a trainer could look at his right foot.