Sept 2, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams of the USA waves to the crowd after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Tennis: US OPEN
We’re more than fifty percent complete with this year’s edition of the US Open tournament. The first week of competition concludes with the Round of 16, the fourth stage of the competition.The fans have had nothing but box-office caliber matches that have provided stunner after stunner.
However, with all of the memories that this tournament has created this year, none of them can be compared with the final hurrah of Serena Williams’ career.
She fought hard in the second round to knock off the world No.2 Annett Kontaveit in three sets to set up her third round match against Ajla Tomljanovic, an unseeded Australian.
After Williams dropped the first set, she managed to extend the match with a second set tiebreaker win. The energy that engulfed the tennis court inside was unparalleled.
Ultimately, it was not enough to best the #46 ranked player in the world.
“Thank you daddy, I know you’re watching. Thanks mom,” Williams said before shedding tears during her post-match on-court interview. “It’s been a fun ride. It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on.”
Tomljanovic backed her victory against Williams with another win in the fourth round over Ludmilla Samsonova to advance to her third Grand Slam quarterfinal.
She will face Ons Jabeur at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Following the act will be Coco Gauff as she looks to shine in her first ever US Open quarterfinal against an in-form Caroline Garcia.
The highest ranked American player, Jessica Pegula, is still alive in the tournament after she beat Petra Kvitova earlier today in straight sets.
On Wednesday, Pegula will square off against Iga Swiatek, the number one player in the WTA.
Rounding out the women’s quarterfinals will be Aryna Sabalenka taking on Karolina Pliskova.
The women’s singles bracket can be viewed here.
On Sunday, it was Australia’s Nick Kyrgios that knocked off the No. 1 player in the world, Daniil Medvedev, in the fourth round of the tournament.
He advances to face Karen Khachanov on Tuesday evening.
It’s the first time since 1984 where Australia has had quarterfinalists in both draws.
“I was just having a lot of fun, embracing every moment out on Ashe (Arthur Ashe Stadium) today. Really proud of that,” Kyrgios said after the victory.
As a result, Medvedev will cede the top ranking in the ATP after the conclusion of the tournament.
A day later, the last American standing in the draw, Frances Tiafoe, shocked the No. 2 player in the world, Rafael Nadal, in four sets.
Nadal is this year’s Australian Open and French Open champion. He was 22-0 in 2022 prior to the defeat in Flushing.
For Tiafoe, it marks the biggest win of his young career.
He out-served the 22-time Grand Slam champion by hitting 18 aces compared to Nadal’s 9 aces. Tiafoe also committed 4 double faults overall in the match, less than half of Rafa’s total.
On top of the edge in serving, Tiafoe scored 3 more breaks and 16 more winners than the four-time US Open champion.
After the victory, Tiafoe expressed what that moment meant to his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone.
“To see them experience me beat Rafa Nadal, they’ve seen me have big wins, but to beat those Mount Rushmore guys, for them, I can’t imagine what was going through their heads.”
He’s the youngest American-born player to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open since Andy Roddick was a finalist in 2006.
He will meet Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, who edged Cam Norrie in a five setter to move on.
Accompanying the Tuesday slate is Matteo Berrettini taking on Casper Ruud at noon.
Closing out the quarterfinals on Wednesday will feature two young talents going toe-to-toe as Jannik Sinner will play Carlos Alcaraz.
Both men played grueling five set thrillers on Monday night with Alcaraz’s fourth-round match ending at 2:23 AM EST.
From now on, all eyes will be zoned in on the magic inside of Arthur Ashe Stadium, where not only a new champion will be crowned, but a new No. 1 will emerge.
The rest of the men’s US Open draw can be viewed here.
