With lawsuit pending, Eugenie Bouchard out at U.S. Open; Serena, Venus win

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada during her U.S. Open first-round match against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic at the new Grandstand Stadium in New York, Aug. 30, 2016. (CHANG W. LEE / NYT)

Eugenie Bouchard wrung her hands at her post-match news conference. She rubbed her lower lip. She squeezed her left arm.

While her body language screamed discomfort Tuesday, when the main topic of discussion was Bouchard’s ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Open rather than her first-round loss, her words were measured. The once rising star answered every question.

A year ago at Flushing Meadows, Bouchard got a concussion from a fall at the facility and withdrew before playing in the fourth round, and then missed most of the rest of the season. She filed suit against the U.S. Tennis Association in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn in October, and that case is still pending, putting the 2014 Wimbledon runner-up in the odd position of competing this week at an event whose organizers she is suing.

“If I sit down and think about it, yeah, it’s definitely a strange situation. But it’s something that’s so far in the back of my mind. I don’t think about it on a daily basis, at all. I have people, lawyers, working on that side of it,” Bouchard said. “So it’s really not something I think about much at all. Obviously, being here, it’s crossed my mind. But besides that, I mean, it has nothing to do with my day-to-day life.”

Her 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 exit against 72nd-ranked Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, a player who only once has been as far as the third round at a major tournament, was filled with 46 unforced errors by Bouchard, who also was treated for blisters on her feet. It represented the latest early loss for a 22-year-old Canadian who reached three Grand Slam semifinals two years ago — and none since.

In other first-round action on Day 2 at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, Serena Williams started her bid for a record-breaking 23rd major title by showing zero signs of trouble from a right shoulder she’s said was sore, hitting 12 aces in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ekaterina Makarova. Also under the lights: Andy Murray got off to a similarly easy beginning to his attempt to become the fourth man in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a single season.

Serena Williams hits a return to Ekaterina Makarova during their U.S. Open match on Aug. 30, 2016, in New York.

The 2012 champion at Flushing Meadows and seeded No. 2 this year, Murray beat Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Murray lost to No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Australian Open in January and French Open in June, and then won his second Wimbledon title last month.

Earlier, Williams’ sister Venus got through a tougher-than-expected 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win against Kateryna Kozlova.

“It was great to be challenged and to be pushed,” said the 36-year-old Venus, a two-time U.S. Open champion, “because I had to get in those situations that you know you’re going to face in the tournament.”

There were various upsets around the grounds during the afternoon, including 19-year-old American Jared Donaldson’s 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 elimination of 12th-seeded David Goffin, and a loss by No. 29 Sam Querrey, who stunned Djokovic at Wimbledon. Three seeded women departed, including former No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.

When she was at her peak, and a seeded player, an early major loss by Bouchard was rather newsworthy. Her up-and-down 2015 and 2016 have changed that, in part because she is ranked only 39th now, after a best of No. 5.

She lost 14 of 17 matches leading into the 2015 U.S. Open but, after working a bit with Jimmy Connors, appeared to be back on the upswing in New York by reaching the fourth round. Then came her slip-and-tumble, and the concussion diagnosis, and she pulled out of what would have been a matchup against eventual runner-up Roberta Vinci.

It took her until January to return to the tour full-time.

“I didn’t feel like, on the court, I was back to where I was,” Bouchard said Tuesday, meaning that her level of play wasn’t at its peak at the start of 2016. “But physically, since the beginning of the year, I’ve been feeling good.”

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said the organization would not comment on the “substance” of litigation.

“However, it is truly unfortunate that a year after her accident, Genie’s focus is on matters other than playing to her best ability,” Widmaier said, noting that Bouchard’s lawyers asked for an extension of the case.

He said the USTA “has remained ready, willing and able to bring the litigation to a conclusion as expeditiously as is possible, whether through settlement discussions or a fully litigated process.”

Widmaier added that the lawsuit “had no impact on how Genie was treated at the U.S. Open in any manner.”

Bouchard’s coach, Nick Saviano, was asked whether her ability to play tennis Tuesday had been affected at all by any possible distractions created by the lawsuit.

“I can’t really speak to that,” Saviano said. “She was in a good frame of mind coming in. She went out, she was ready to play, and the other girl played well.”

Associated Press

Serena and Venus Williams lose first-ever Olympic doubles match

Not all is lost for the Williams family, as Serena Williams still has the singles tournament to look forward to. The 2012 gold medalist and world No. 1 won her first-round match earlier Sunday and will play France’s Alize Cornet Monday.

Serena and Venus Williams were shocked in the first round of doubles play at the 2016 Olympics.

Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic defeated the reigning and three-time Olympic champions in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 Sunday. The loss was the Williams‘ sisters first-ever doubles loss in Olympic play.

“It was what it was,” Serena Williams said in a post-match press conference. “We have a chance to compete for our country and did the best that we can. We had a blast out there.

“I wouldn’t say it was devastating. It was a lot of fun and we will always remember these moments and these matches. At the end of the day, I think that’s what matters most.”

Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic defeated the reigning and three-time Olympic champions in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 Sunday. The loss was the Williams sisters first-ever doubles loss in Olympic play.

There were questions as to whether Venus would even take the court Sunday after the 36-year-old looked less than herself Saturday in a loss to open up singles play. The elder Williams is reportedly suffering from a virus that she caught at the end of a WTA tournament in Montreal last week.

“It was not our best day,” Venus Williams said in the post-match press conference. “We like to have a chance to play our way into the tournament. But we came up against a very strong team. We wish them the best of luck and we’ll get ready for the US Open.”

Not all is lost for the Williams family, as Serena Williams still has the singles tournament to look forward to. The 2012 gold medalist and world No. 1 won her first-round match earlier Sunday and will play France’s Alize Cornet Monday.

Father of Serena, Venus Williams doing ‘fair’ after stroke

Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus Williams, suffered a stroke recently and was let out of the hospital two weeks ago after being treated, according to a report.

Richard’s wife Lakeisha told Radar Online that her husband Richard suffered a stroke prior to Serena’s win at Wimbledon. Radar’s article about the stroke was published on Wednesday and says Richard was released the week before.

“His condition is fair – he’s up and walking around but he’s not at 100 percent,” Lakeisha told Radar.

Richard, 74, has a long way to go in recovery but so far seems to be unwilling to acknowledge his problems.

“He needs speech therapy, psychological therapy and physical therapy but for now he refused,” Lakeisha told Radar. “I’m trying to get him under control and relaxed so that when we come back from out of town we could try to get that going. But he doesn’t wish to be bothered with anybody.”

Richard Williams is the one who taught Venus and Serena how to play. He served as their first coach and got them into the sport of tennis, where they each became extremely successful.

Serena Williams Wins Wimbledon, Tying Record for Grand Slam Singles Titles

WIMBLEDON, England — On the first point of the women’s final at Wimbledon on Saturday, Angelique Kerber ended a rally with a forehand winner down the line.

On the next, Serena Williams sent a backhand crosscourt winner that scorched the baseline.

Yes, it was going to be one of those matches. But unlike the outcome of their duel in the Australian Open final in January, Williams came out the winner.

Williams tied Steffi Graf’s Open-era record for Grand Slam singles titles, gaining her 22nd with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. The win left her two short of Margaret Court’s overall record of 24 Grand Slam titles from 1960 to 1973.

Williams, 34, had insisted that “22 has never been my goal.” She had not won a major championship since last year’s Wimbledon, losing in the semifinals at the 2015 United States Open and in the finals at the Australian and French Opens this year.

In her remarks on the court after Saturday’s match, with that 22nd major title finally hers, Williams said it had been “incredibly difficult” not to think about Graf’s record.

“It makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it,” she said.

Kerber, the No. 4 seed who will ascend to No. 2 in the world rankings on Monday, entered the final having not lost a set at Wimbledon.

Williams also had been rolling through the draw since losing the first set of her second-round match against Christina McHale.

Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and now an analyst for ESPN, said earlier in the week that Williams was playing “as good as I’ve seen her play in the last year.”

Serena Williams had a chance to get her 22nd major victory in January at the Australian Open, but Angelique Kerber won that duel. Williams was triumphant on Saturday.

The same could be said of Williams’s performance on Saturday. As usual, it was her serve that gave her the title. With windy conditions on Centre Court, Williams said, “it would be better if I served great.”

“Great” may not be a strong enough term: Williams hit 13 aces, lost only five points on her first serve, and faced just one break point. Forty-three percent of her serves went unreturned.

Angelique Kerber, the No. 4 seed who will ascend to No. 2 on Monday, entered the final having not lost a set at Wimbledon.

“Serena was serving unbelievable today,” Kerber said. “At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today.”

Though she was frustrated during Williams’s service games, Kerber stayed in the match, playing sound defense and using the same aggressive, fearless shot-making that won her the title in Australia.

Kerber survived a nervous first service game, saving three break points, but she could not gain any traction on Williams’s serve until 3-3 in the first set.

After Williams won a 21-shot rally to go up, 40-15, Kerber won the next point on a forehand winner and forced an error by Williams to get to deuce. But she would get no closer to breaking Williams’s serve in the set.

With Williams serving at 5-5, the set turned. Williams, down by 15-30, unleashed three unreturnable serves to win the game.

She quickly got two break points in the next game, taking the game and the set on the second.

“She was just going for it,” Kerber said. “I played two points a little bit too short, and she was there, and she goes for it. So, yeah, I mean, she did everything right.”

Kerber could not get the ball in play on the first three serves, and Williams closed out her seventh Wimbledon championship with a forehand winner at the net, then fell to the grass, lying on her back to take in the long-awaited moment.

Kerber did not back down, however. She hit a backhand winner to end a 15-shot rally early in the second set, causing Williams to applaud.

“I love playing her,” Williams said. “She’s such a great opponent. She brings out great tennis in me.”

Kerber finally got her first break point of the match at 3-3. Williams hit a 117-mile-per-hour ace and then a 124 m.p.h. ace to get out of trouble.

“It was her first break point, and I wasn’t going to let it go on the very first one, at least,” Williams said. “I wanted to hit an ace.”

In the next game, both players earned an ovation for an acrobatic rally at the net. Kerber was up, 40-15, but was forced into three straight errors, which gave Williams her first and only break point of the second set.

Williams tied Steffi Graf’s Open-era record for Grand Slam singles titles, gaining her 22nd with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. The win left her two short of Margaret Court’s overall record of 24 Grand Slam titles from 1960 to 1973.

Kerber shanked a backhand off Williams’s return, giving Williams a chance to serve for the match.

Kerber could not get the ball in play on the first three serves, and Williams closed out her seventh Wimbledon championship with a forehand winner at the net, then fell to the grass, lying on her back to take in the long-awaited moment.

After it was over, Williams was willing to admit that she cared about 22, and that it was a “relief” to finally get it. She said there had been “some sleepless nights” after her Grand Slam failures, including the stunning upset to Roberta Vinci in the United States Open, when Williams was two wins away from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam.

During the whole Wimbledon fortnight, Williams has talked about having a different mind-set, about being calmer. From her losses at the Australian and French Opens, she said that she had “learned that you can’t win everything, even though I try really hard.”

“I do the best that I can,” she said. “I still am not going to be perfect.”

The last time she went a year without a Grand Slam title was in 2014, when she was pursuing her 18th. Then she was not falling short in finals: She was failing to get out of the fourth round. She has now reached the final in seven of the last eight majors.

“I had to start looking at positives, not focusing on that one loss per tournament which really isn’t bad, and for anyone else on this tour would be completely happy about it,” Williams said.

“Once I started focusing more on the positives, I realized that I’m pretty good. Then I started playing a little better.”

Asked about what her next goal will be, whether it be an eighth Wimbledon title or reaching Court’s 24, Williams was not interested in talking about numbers.

“I’ve learned a lot about 22,” she said. “I learned not to get involved in those debates and conversations.”

About five hours later, Williams added to her Grand Slam collection, joining her sister Venus to defeat Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 6-4, for the women’s doubles championship. The victory gave the Williamses 14 Grand Slam doubles championships, tying Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva for second in the Open era.

It was their first major doubles title in four years. They had not played doubles together in nearly two years before resuming this spring to prepare for the Rio Olympics.

Time to pay up: Williams, Troicki fined $10K at Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams and Viktor Troicki were fined $10,000 apiece on Saturday at Wimbledon for unsportsmanlike conduct. The biggest amount deducted from a player’s paycheck at this year’s tournament so far was the $12,000 for Britain’s Heather Watson, for jamming her racket into the grass.

The No. 1-seeded Williams’ fine was from her second-round victory over Christina McHale at Centre Court on Friday. She smashed her racket repeatedly against the turf while sitting in her sideline chair after dropping the first set, then flung the piece of equipment so far behind her that it landed in the lap of a TV cameraman.

Afterward, Williams said she knew she would lose some money and joked about having not yet met her quota for harming rackets this season.

”I’ve cracked a number of rackets throughout my career. I’ve gotten fined a number of times for cracking rackets. In fact, I look at it like I didn’t crack one at the French Open or Rome, so I was doing really good,” Williams said. ”I don’t want to go too long without cracking a racket. You know, I’m on track. I try to crack a certain amount a year. I’m a little behind this year, so it was good.”

Troicki, a Serb seeded 25th, was punished for his tirade against chair umpire Damiano Torella at the end of a five-set loss in the second round on Thursday.

”Worst umpire ever in the world! What are you doing? Did you see the ball?” Troicki screamed, also telling Torella: ”You’re horrible!”

The outburst was prompted by a call as Troicki’s opponent, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, served for the match at 5-3 in the final set. At 30-all, Ramos-Vinolas hit a serve that initially was called out by a linesman behind Troicki. It was not clear, exactly, who changed that ruling, but Torella announced the score had become 40-30, crediting Ramos-Vinolas with an ace and pushing him to match point.

Later, speaking to a small group of reporters, Troicki said about Torella: ”He has no experience, no knowledge about anything. He’s just sitting there, calling the score, not trying to watch the ball.”

The umpire gave Troicki a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. When play resumed, Ramos-Vinolas hit a serve that Troicki returned long with a backhand to end the match.

After the two players met at the net for a handshake, Troicki approached Torella again, waving a hand at him and saying: ”Do you know what you did?” three times.

Troicki carried on, then headed directly from Court 17 to the tournament referee’s office to explain his displeasure.

”He should be also fined, if you ask me,” Troicki said about the chair umpire. ”He should be the one who’s fined. I’m not saying he cost me the match, but he cost me an important point which could have changed the outcome of the match.”

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