Elina Svitolina stretched every sinew in a brilliant display of defensive tennis to register the biggest win of her career when she rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Sloane Stephens in an enthralling WTA Finals title decider on Sunday.
The 24-year-old started brightly by taking the first set off the 19th seed on Monday but his lack of match fitness told as, despite frequent treatment from the trainer, he lost the next three to bow out at the first hurdle in a third straight grand slam.
Serena Williams, who held all four of tennis's grand slam titles for the second time in her career and won 53 of 56 matches in 2015, was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine on Monday.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to win the US Open title at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Sunday.
The final will pit power against power when Andreescu takes on her childhood hero Williams, who claimed her first US Open title in 1999 before Andreescu was even born.
After a flawless first set from Mertens the tide turned in Andreescu's direction in the second when she fired a cross-court forehand winner to break the Belgian at love and take a 4-2 lead.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran got a taste of high-level tennis in his first-round exit from the US Open, losing to world number five Daniil Medvedev in 84 minutes, in New York, on Monday.
Rediff.com presents the early surprises at the year's final Grand Slam
'He probably deserves a player that is probably more dedicated to the game than I am. He deserves a better athlete than me'
However, the 30-year-old Russia belied her own self-doubt with an impressive three-set win over the Romanian to thrust the former world number one back into the spotlight as the toast of the Big Apple.
BNP Paribas Open chief executive and tournament director Raymond Moore provoked outrage with controversial comments he made before the women's and men's finals at Indian Wells, and later issued an official apology.
The United States has named former tennis star Billie Jean King, one of the first prominent athletes to publicly acknowledge her homosexuality, to be in the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where Russia's anti-gay policies have stirred controversy.
More stars than they are in heaven were at the Sachin: A Billion Dreams premiere.
Tennis star Maria Sharapova said on Tuesday she is excited about her return to competition next month, feeling vindicated by the reduction of her doping suspension and empowered by her time away.
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the first thoughts of retiring from international cricket came to his mind in October 2013 during a Champions League T20 match in New Delhi, just a month before he decided to call it quits.
Here are some of the reactions to the Grand Slam - originally scheduled for June 29-July 12 - being cancelled for the first time in 75 years.
Tennis great and founder of the WTA Billie Jean King was among those who applauded the announcement.
Angelique Kerber showed more passion in the media centre than on the court when she crashed out of last year's WTA Finals, the German angered by the format and frustrated by her inability to win the set off an eliminated opponent she needed to advance.
Germany's second seeded Angelique Kerber beat Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to win the US Open final on Saturday, and collect her second Grand Slam title of the year.
Andy Murray said on Thursday the noise created by the US Open's new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium is a distraction to players and makes it difficult to react to opponents' shots.
Eugenie Bouchard slumped to a first-round defeat at the US Open on Tuesday but the Canadian might yet leave Flushing Meadows a big winner with her lawsuit against the Grand Slam and United States Tennis Association still to hit the courts.
Zhang Shuai stunned Wimbledon Champion Angelique Kerber 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 in the China Open on Thursday to set up a quarter-final clash with Naomi Osaka.
Roger Federer launched his bid for an 18th grand slam title with a workmanlike 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Marinko Matosevic to ease into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, with NBA great Michael Jordan leading the cheering.
IMAGES from Day 9 of the US Open matches played on Tuesday
'I LOVE YOU, Roger. Thank you for everything you've done in tennis and with myself. Tennis world will never be the same without you.'
Naomi Osaka ended Victoria Azarenka's dream run to claim her second US Open title in three years with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win on Saturday which cemented her status as the sport's leading light both on and off the court.
Following is a list of biggest shocks in women's tennis after Italian outsider Roberta Vinci, ranked 43rd, beat world number one Serena Williams in the US Open semi-finals on Friday to deny the American a chance to complete a calendar year Grand Slam.
Federer has been brandishing an aggressive style of play, forcing the action and rushing in to half-volley weak second serves to forge an advantage.
Serena Williams has been vulnerable this Grand Slam season but unbeaten in the year's first three major championships.
Canadian tennis ace Eugenie Bouchard was left surprised after a male presenter conducting her on-court interview made an unusual request by asking her to give them a twirl.
Roger Federer called on Wednesday for a merger between the men's ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women's circuit, as tennis wades through a lengthy coronavirus shutdown with lower-level professionals in deep financial crisis. The tennis season was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July, depriving lower-level players, who depend solely on tournament winnings, of the chance to earn a living.
The organisers of the US Open said on Thursday a decision on whether to hold the Grand Slam this year amid the coronavirus outbreak will be made in June, and playing it without fans is on the table but highly unlikely. The US Open, which is scheduled to run from August 31 to September 13, is both the largest and loudest of the four Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar and United States Tennis Association (USTA) chief executive Mike Dowse does not anticipate that changing.
Images from Day 2 at the US Open played at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday
With the American men experiencing their longest US Open title drought in the Open era, Venus Williams led the American charge into round two on Monday with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.
IMAGES from Day 9 of the US Open, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York.
IMAGES from all the action on Day 7 of the US Open played at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in New York on Sunday.
Leylah Fernandez's storybook US Open continued with yet another upset on Thursday, as the Canadian teenager shocked second seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam final.
Sloane Stephens will be defending her title at the U.S. Open but all eyes will be on Serena Williams over the coming two weeks as the six-times champion attempts to win her first Grand Slam title since becoming a mother.
Fritz delivers as US win inaugural United Cup crown
Japan's Kei Nishikori overcame second seed Andy Murray for a gruelling 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 see-saw victory on Wednesday to reach the US Open semi-finals.
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