Mention the name Serena Williams in casual conversation and you’ll most likely hear some of the same adjectives again and again: fierce, tough, strong, competitive, aggressive, dominating, unbeatable. That last one is perhaps the most accurate. She’s the number one female tennis player in the world with 21 Grand Slam titles and counting, has won four Olympic gold medals, and holds more WTA titles than are possible to mention here. And she was the first woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year issue.
But the new, original EPIX documentary SERENA: The Other Side of Greatness, directed by Ryan White, offers a rare and revealing glimpse into the private life of an elite athlete like nothing we’ve seen before.
Heavily favored to win the women’s final at the U.S. Open and with it, the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf did it in 1988, the world’s top-ranked player, Serena Williams, did something no one expected in the semifinal against unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci: she lost.
Williams played the first set with calculated power, taking it 6-2. Williams faltered in the second set, losing it to Vinci 4-6, forcing a third set. This was the first time Vinci has taken a single set in the four times they’ve met before. The third set started out in Williams’ favor but she couldn’t put it together, losing the set and the match 6-4.
Vinci, who has never made it to a major final, will... Read More
Serena and Venus Williams fought a bittersweet battle against each other to progress to the semifinals. A normally vocal Serena was quiet and reserved when it came to celebrating important and difficult points, careful not to rub it into her older sister’s face. But Venus did not go quietly: The first set belonged to Serena at 6-2, but the second set overwhelmingly went to Venus 6-1, forcing a third set, which Serena clawed her way to win 6-3.
Serena continues her quest to make history in the semifinals against Roberta Vinci (Italy), who she’s beaten all four times they’ve played, tonight at 7pm ET on ESPN.
Novak Djokovic defeated Feliciano Lopez (Spain) in a quick but aggressive match that stacked up 6-1, 3-6,... Read More
The Williams sisters couldn’t avoid the inevitable.
After Serena Williams easily defeated fellow American Madison Keys in the fourth round 6-3, 6-3, she is now set to face her older sister, Venus, in the quarterfinals. Venus is ranked #23 behind her sister’s #1 slot, but in this match rankings mean nothing. Serena has already expressed concern about Venus knowing her game so well, including weak spots. But, it’s important to remember the road goes both ways.
Besides the championship round (and maybe even then), this is definitely the game to watch.
Novak Djokovic faced #23 Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) to seal his advancement to the quarterfinals. Bautista Agut put up a fight – causing Djokovic to smash his racket at one point... Read More
Serena Williams swatted down fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the third round with little trouble – a common thread between anyone Williams has played against this tournament. Williams walked away with the first set 6-3, but had a tougher time during the second set 7-5. Williams schooled Mattek-Sands in the final set 6-0, scoring the winning point as she slid into the splits.
Williams will face #19 Madison Keys (U.S.), in the fourth round Sunday.
Novak Djokovic clawed his way to the win over #25, Andreas Seppi (Italy). Djokovic struggled with drop shots the majority of the match and Seppi took full advantage. In their history together, Djokovic has beat Seppi all 10 times he’s faced him, and this time was no... Read More
Another one bites the dust as Serena Williams tallies up another victory against Kiki Bertens (Netherlands). During her round 2 meetup, Williams stumbled upon occasion, but ended the match 7-6, 6-3.
She will go head-to-head with Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) at 7pm ET Friday.
In round two, Novak Djokovic faced a slightly tougher opponent than in round one, but still walked – or danced – away with the win over Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria). With a close first set of 6-4, Haider-Maurer fell to the wayside with 6-1, 6-2 losses in the next two sets.
Djokovic will face number 25 ranked Andreas Seppi (Italy) in round three Friday morning.
Simona Halep defeats Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko who... Read More
The 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament is proving to be all about the women. Or, rather, one woman: Serena Williams. While her chances of completing a calendar Grand Slam sweep seem likely, especially with fierce competitor Maria Sharapova out due to an injury, there are several other contenders that could give her a run for the title.
Williams breezed through round one with a swift victory over Vitalia Diatchenko (Russia). After two sets, both of which scored 6-0, Diatchenko retired from the match due to an injury. Williams is set to play Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) in the second round on Tuesday.
Like Williams, Simona Halep’s (Romania) match against Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) ended quickly after two sets – 6-3 and 2-0 – when Erakovic forfeited due to injury. Halep... Read More
Can anyone stop Serena now? She’s one match away from securing not only the most coveted trophy in tennis, but also another “Serena Slam,” as well as keeping the Calendar Slam dream alive (no pressure!). It’s an amazing prospect for her and her fans. Just don’t mention it to Serena before she steps on the court. Tennis players are notoriously superstitious. While Serena historically has been vulnerable in the first week of slams in the past few years, once she gets to this stage, it’s usually all over but the shouting — or grunting in this case.
The woman who will try to stop her, Garbine Muguruza, has, surprisingly, beaten Serena before at a slam. In 2014, Muguruza outhit Serena in the second round of the French Open, winning decisively... Read More
