US Open champion Sloane Stephens said she has no pity for Madison Keys after thrashing her 6-3, 6-0 in Saturday's final, given the huge runnersup check her friend will receive.
Keys is expected to be the aggressor on Arthur Ashe Stadium against a more defensive Stephens, one of the best retrievers on the tour.
The 28-year-old said beating American great Williams was the finest win of her career, outstripping her upset of world number one Ash Barty at last year's US Open.
Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal and twice winner Novak Djokovic are one victory away from renewing their rivalry in the final with both expected to get through their semis on Friday.
'It was exciting and this is why I came to New York, to go through these emotions'
Asked if she could have all her titles and Venus all hers without having ever had to play each other, Serena said she would happily accept that deal.
The Scotsman doesn't expect to win US Open this year
Novak Djokovic finally clinched the title missing from his resume with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Roger Federer on Sunday to win in Cincinnati and become the first player to complete the sweep of Masters series tournaments on Sunday.
Ukrainian fourth seed Elina Svitolina powered into the third round of the U.S. Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Russian Evgeniya Rodina on Thursday.
France's Alize Cornet thrashed an error-prone Eugenie Bouchard 6-1, 6-2 to win the Hobart International title on Saturday.
A fan favourite, Naomi Osaka has struggled with uneven play since she withdrew from Roland Garros earlier this year amid a public row with tournament officials over required media appearances.
Venus Williams stands in the way of younger sister Serena's bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam after reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Estonian teenager Anett Kontaveit on Sunday.
The Serena Williams show continued at the US Open as the world number one moved a step closer to a calendar Grand Slam on Wednesday, while Mardy Fish took a final Flushing Meadows bow as the curtain came down on the American's career.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has disappointed athletes around the world but, if the coronavirus pandemic eases over the next few months, it could turn out to be a blessing for the tennis world.
Key facts and records of American Serena Williams and Canada's Bianca Andreescu
'I think when I first started, you could win a lot of easy matches, then you're in the quarter-finals, that's when it starts to get a little more tough. Now, like, there's no easy match. Everyone's playing great. Everyone's just doing a lot better'
While Monfils's and Svitolina's relationship has blossomed, so have their respective games.
Serena Williams squandered four match points and blew a 5-1 lead in the decider to fall to seventh seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4 4-6 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Djokovic struggled with both his serve and backhand during a 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero and later said his left shoulder had been bothering him for weeks with the pain getting worse during the match.
Monday was also the first time in more than two decades that India had more than one player in the main draw of a Grand Slam singles, with Prajnesh Gunneswaran losing to world number five Daniil Medvedev in an earlier match.
Emma Raducanu says she is not worried about her poor form and will play without pressure at the Australian Open.
A summary of Monday's action at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final to win a 24th Grand Slam singles title and equal Margaret Court's record haul.
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.
Rafael Nadal was at his awe-inspiring best as he recovered from a first set wobble to crush Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open semi-finals on Friday and move within reach of a 16th Grand Slam title.
Images from Day 7 of the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday.
'I understand it's a show, but under the roof we need to be a little bit more strict about the noise. All the noise stays inside, and this is difficult.'
Tomic has withdrawn from his last four tournaments, pushing his ranking to depths that will require him to battle on lower-tier tours or beg for wildcards from tournament organisers next year.
Kevin Anderson spoiled the American party at the US Open when the big-serving South African beat local favourite Sam Querrey 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-3, 7-6(7) to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final on Tuesday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the US Open in New York on Wednesday.
Already a sporting icon, Osaka's fight for equality has focussed even more attention on her
Factbox on Rafael Nadal, who beat Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to win his 11th French Open title on Sunday:
Images from Day 10 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Thursday.
A factor that could work in the Belgian's favour is the unprecedented nature of this year's Grand Slam.
If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides to follow the recommendations on reforms suggested by the Justice RM Lodha committee, one could soon find stadiums in Pune, Nagpur, and Rajkot hosting Indian hockey team's 'Test' matches or tennis team's Davis Cup games.
Big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic fired 19 aces to topple Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-4 and set up a second-round clash with either Dan Evans or Russian 10th seed Andrey Rublev.
Halep finds groove to reach Prague semi-finals.
Man of many faces, Medvedev now a Grand Slam finalist
In the decider, Berrettini broke twice for a 4-2 lead but a rejuvenated Monfils dug deep and raced around the court to fight off three match points to force a final-set tiebreak. But it was Berrettini who leaned on his powerful serve to prevail and become the fourth Italian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open Era.
"For me, right now I have this feeling of sadness," said Osaka.
