Serena Williams was sent spinning out of the Western and Southern Open by Maria Sakkari on Tuesday after the Greek rallied from a set down to beat the 23-times Grand Slam champion 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals. Williams, 38, raced to a 5-2 in the opening set before Sakkari drew level but the American raised her game again to take the early advantage in the rain-delayed contest. Williams trailed 3-1 in the second set before reeling off four games in a row and was serving for the match when things began to fall apart. Earlier, Naomi Osaka put on a solid serving performance to beat Dayana Yastremska 6-3 6-1 and advance to the quarter-finals where she will face Anett Kontaveit, who beat Marie Bouzkova 6-3 6-3. The tournament, the final tune-up before the U.S. Open Grand Slam, is being played at Flushing Meadows in New York instead of Cincinnati due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: dna August 26, 2020 05:03 UTC