CELEBRITY
Serena Williams begins U.S. Open bid against Kovinic
Serena Williams begins what is expected to be her final U.S. Open with a match against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic but things could get tough quickly for the 23-times Grand Slam champion with second seed Anett Kontaveit possibly awaiting the winner.
The U.S. Open draw released on Thursday did Williams no favours, the 40-year-old American landing in the bottom quarter where fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur, the Wimbledon runner-up, 10th-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina and last year’s losing finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada all lurk.
Williams signalled her intention to retire this month, saying she was “evolving away from tennis” but never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.
The tennis world, however, is preparing a massive retirement party at Flushing Meadows with fans hoping it will be a long one.
Williams starts her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title on Monday against a player she has never faced before.
But the six-times U.S. Open winner will be wary of the 80th-ranked Kovinic, who has enjoyed her best career Grand Slam results this year having reached the third round at the Australian and French Opens.
Top seed and world number one Iga Swiatek opens against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and headlines a top half of the draw including American hopes eighth seed Jessica Pegula and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin along with major winners Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko and Petra Kvitova
Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who captivated the tennis world last year at Flushing Meadows by going from qualifier to Grand Slam winner, will open her title defence against Alize Cornet.
The 19-year-old will have to be sharp against the French veteran who is contesting a record 64th consecutive Grand Slam event and reached the quarter-finals at this year’s Australian Open and last 16 at Wimbledon where she ended Swiatek’s 37-match win streak.
The marquee match of the first round could be between twice U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and 19th-seeded American Danielle Collins, the Australian Open finalist.
-Reuters
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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