A vicious topspin forehand modelled on her idol Rafael Nadal's weapon-of-choice got Daria Kasatkina out of a spot of bother in a topsy-turvy third-round match against Maria Sakkari at the French Open on Friday.
Italian tennis ace Francesca Schiavone has said that she regards Serena Williams better than Steffi Graf after she drew within four Grand Slam titles of the former German great's Open-era record.
'Maria will look at it and see no one dominant. Serena Williams is the only player in the past who has been like a thorn in her side, but she feels mentally superior to most of the other and she feels she can win against them all'
Overpowers Svitolina to reach second straight US Open final
The absence of Japan's Kei Nishikori from this year's Australian Open has turned the spotlight on Chung Hyeon as Asia waits for its first men's Grand Slam singles champion.
Serena Williams gave little away on Sunday as she assessed her chances of retaining her Wimbledon title -- and dismissed suggestions that she is under any pressure. The 34-year-old American has not struck a ball competitively since losing to Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final on June 4 - a defeat that frustrated her hopes of matching Steffi Graf's professional era record of 22 grand slam titles. Considering she also fell at the final hurdle in Australia against Angelique Kerber and went out of the U.S. Open semi-finals last year when two wins away from a calendar grand slam, Williams would be forgiven for feeling a little edgy.
World number ones Serena Williams, aiming to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years, and Novak Djokovic have been named the top seeds for the US Open championships starting on Monday in New York.
Despite boasting 34 Grand Slam singles titles between them, Serena Williams and Roger Federer were forced to share the spotlight with a 15-year-old at the US Open on Tuesday as all three advanced to the second round.
Newly-crowned French Open champion Simon Halep said she was inspired to win her first Grand Slam title by her manager Virginia Ruzici's feats 40 years ago at Roland Garros.
It takes a brave, or foolish, pundit to look beyond Rafael Nadal for this year's men's champion, such is the Spaniard's power which has exerted a stranglehold over all claycourt opponents.
Serena Williams has never been one to take too much notice of convention.
Here is a list of US Open women's singles champions since the open era began in 1968:
The 20-year-old, looking to become the first unseeded woman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since 1933, blazed her way to the final, hitting winners and errors with reckless abandon.
Romanian Simona Halep showed the full extent of her defensive skills to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and reach her second French Open final in Paris.
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.
Serena Williams started her quest to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in joint fourth place on the career Grand Slam list with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over 18-year-old fellow American Taylor Townsend at the US Open on Tuesday.
World No 1 Serena Williams swept past good friend Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final on Sunday to move up in the record books with her 18th grand slam title.
The top women's seeds continued to be scattered at Wimbledon on Wednesday, with Caroline Wozniacki's exit meaning five of the top eight were gone before the end of the third day.
Serena Williams must stop giving opponents head starts if she is to come anywhere near emulating last season's feat of winning three of the year's four Grand Slams, according to former World No 1 Chris Evert.
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.
World number one Serena Williams kept her Wimbledon title defence on track on Sunday, downing Germany's Annika Beck 6-3, 6-0 with a crushing display of power and booming serves to chalk up her 300th grand slam victory.
The peak remains tantalisingly close for Serena Williams but negotiating the final incline to a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title is proving the trickiest of all.
Germany's experienced Angelique Kerber stands in the way of the 36-year-old American and an eighth, and arguably most impressive, All England Club singles crown which would see her match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Serena Williams outplayed Maria Sharapova to claim the 2015 Australian Open championship in straight sets on Saturday.
A rampaging Madison Keys completed an American sweep of the US Open women's quarter-finals on Wednesday, dismissing Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 to guarantee an American champion at the year's final Grand Slam.
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.
Jelena Ostapenko, the youngest French Open finalist since Ana Ivanovic 10 years ago, takes a riskier approach, striking every ball as if she is trying to separate it from its fluffy coat.
Twelve months on from making the most bizarre of exits from Wimbledon, drama queen Serena Williams will be back at the All England Club next week eager to complete the "Serena Slam".
'Even though she's still playing arguably her best tennis, you have to wonder at a certain point how long that can keep up.'
The glittering career of Russian former World No 1 Maria Sharapova was in tatters after she was given a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation. Check out the high points in her career...
Top-seeded world number one Williams overpowered Russian left-hander Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 ,6-3, unleashing her daunting firepower against the 17th-seeded Russian. Wozniacki advanced when China's Peng Shuai broke down in scary distress due to heat illness and retired in the second set, while trailing 7-6(1), 4-3.
For all their celebrated Grand Slam past, Nadal and Federer have never clashed in a US Open final.
Serena Williams enters the Australian Open as a strong favourite to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup but is all too aware that a sixth Melbourne Park title has now eluded her for five years.
Seven-time champion Williams had been bidding to claim a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown but made too many errors as Kerber ran out a comfortable winner in the final.
For Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, there is a time for friendship and a time for business, and business does not get much more serious than a Grand Slam final.
Australian great Margaret Court won 24 grand slam singles titles, one ahead of American Williams, who confirmed she was pregnant on Wednesday and will sit out the rest of the season.
Serena Williams said on Thursday she is treating the upcoming US Open just like any other, even though she is well aware of the historical impact the year's final Grand Slam may have.
American Serena Williams won her seventh Wimbledon singles crown, and equalled the professional era record of 22 grand slam titles, with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Germany's Angelique Kerber on Saturday:
Serena Williams is third on the list of female Grand Slam title winners. She is one of only five women, after Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, to hold all four Grand Slam titles at same time.
List of Australian Open women's singles champions since the event began in 1922 (Australian unless stated):
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