The seven-times Grand Slam champion was making a record-extending 25th main draw appearance in New York, where she won the title in 2000 and 2001, and delivered a spirited performance before a packed and partisan crowd.

“I was stressed,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “You guys make me stressed, it was an unbelievable atmosphere. She’s such a legend so it’s nice to share the court with her. I’m so happy I was able to win today.

“I just tried to block the noise, and be focused on myself.”

Muchova took the opening set with a pair of well-timed breaks but Williams responded well, using sharp net play and powerful groundstrokes to break early in the second before a blistering backhand winner earned her a double break and a 5-2 lead.

She needed three set points but finally clinched the set when Muchova sent a forehand long, marking her first set won at Flushing Meadows since 2020.

But the Czech, a U.S. Open semi-finalist in each of the last two years, hit back hard in the decider as Williams’ energy faded, racing through the set to seal victory and end the American’s latest comeback bid in two hours.

Williams, whose last U.S. Open appearance ended in a 6-1 6-1 defeat by Greet Minnen in 2023, enjoyed thunderous applause with every point she won and left the court to a warm ovation from fans.

-Reuters

The American will be the oldest entrant in singles at the tournament since Renee Richards was 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.

Williams already had been given a wild-card entry by the U.S. Tennis Association for next week’s mixed doubles competition. Singles matches begin in New York on Aug. 24.

She is the owner of seven major singles championships — including at the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001 — along with another 14 in women’s doubles, all won with her younger sister, Serena, plus two in mixed doubles. Serena retired with 23 Slam singles trophies after playing at the 2022 U.S. Open.

The older Williams last participated in a Grand Slam tournament at the 2023 U.S. Open, losing in the first round. She hasn’t won a singles match there since 2019.

When Williams came back to the tour last month at the DC Open for her first match anywhere in 16 months, a reporter asked whether that would be a one-time thing or if there were plans for other tournaments.

“I’m just here for now, and who knows?” she replied then. “Maybe there’s more. … But at the moment, I’m focused just on this. I haven’t played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things. I definitely feel I’ll play well. I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand.”

Last year, Williams had surgery to remove uterine fibroids and missed most of the season. In Washington this July, she competed for the first time since March 2024 at the Miami Open and became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova was 47 at Wimbledon in 2004; Williams also won a doubles match at the DC Open.

In the process, Williams drew a ton of attention for her tennis, yes, but also for letting the world know she’s engaged to an Italian actor and for her half-joking comments about needing to get back on court to get covered by health insurance.

“I love Venus. We’re friends. I didn’t really know this was something she was still wanting to do. But I also didn’t know it was something she didn’t want to do,” said Mark Ein, the chairman of the hard-court tournament in Washington. “I was surprised. And it was a wonderful surprise.”

Williams also entered the Cincinnati Open via a wild card last week, exiting in the first round of singles.

In New York, she will play in the Aug. 19-20 mixed doubles tournament with Reilly Opelka, a 27-year-old American who used to be ranked in the top 20.

Other women getting singles wild cards for the U.S. Open are Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn, plus France’s Caroline Garcia — who’ll be playing in her last Grand Slam tournament before retirement — and Australia’s Talia Gibson.

Men’s wild cards went to Americans Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic and Darwin Blanch, and France’s Valentin Royer and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.

-AP

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Osaka has four major titles under her belt but the second round at Flushing Meadows, Wimbledon and Roland Garros was as good as it got this year for the Japanese 26-year-old, who exited the Australian Open in the first round.

On Thursday she lost 6-3 7-6(5) to Karolina Muchova, unable to get to grips with the Czech’s superb serve-and-volley tennis.

“It’s a little rough because I do take these losses really personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,” she said.

“I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”

Osaka has been a champion for mental health in sport as she publicly struggled with the pressure to succeed, telling reporters in Flushing in 2021 that she no longer felt joy – only relief – when she won.

She has a new perspective now, she says, but is having to deal with frequent disappointments after packing her schedule since returning to the tour in January after 15 months away.

“It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. Like, I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it’s a little rough,” she told reporters.

“But, also, it’s been fun playing a lot of tournaments. It’s been a commitment for sure, but I’ve been able to go to different cities that I’ve never been to.”

She lost in the second round of qualifying in Cincinnati but gave glimpses of her brilliance in New York as she handed 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko a straight-sets defeat in the first round.

“This year for me has been a learning year. I put a lot of energy and effort into all the tournaments that I played,” she said. “Obviously the U.S. Open is very special to me.”

-Reuters

Djokovic aims to win a record 25th Grand Slam and become the first U.S. Open champion to successfully defend his title since Swiss great Roger Federer in 2008.

The 37-year-old said he was looking forward to playing his first match of the tournament on Monday against Radu Albot under the lights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“The goal is always for me to try to go all the way to the finals and fight for the trophy. That kind of mindset is no different for me this year,” Djokovic told a news conference on Saturday.

“People ask me ‘now that you have won everything with the golden medal, what else is there to win?’ I still feel the drive. I still have the competitive spirit. I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the tour.

“The US Open holds the biggest tennis court in the world. Night sessions here are very famous. I’m going to play my first match on Monday night, I can’t wait to be under the lights. The noise, the energy of the stadium is just different. I look forward to it.”

Other than his Paris Games triumph, Djokovic has claimed no other titles in 2024, losing to younger players such as Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals and Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.

The last time Djokovic played all four majors in a season without winning one was 14 years ago. Yet the Serb looked like he was in fine form at the Olympics, beating French Open champion Alcaraz in the final.

Djokovic claims to be motivated to keep pushing himself forward through his rivalries with younger players.

“These kind of rivalries that I have with Jannik and Carlos are the kind of matchups that still bring that joy of competition to me and inspire me to really push myself to perfect the game,” he added.

-Reuters

Japan’s Osaka, who counts the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Opens among her four Grand Slam titles, returned to competition in January after the birth of her daughter and has advanced to the third round or better at four WTA 1000 events this season.

Canada’s Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, returned to action this year after missing nine months due to a back injury and reached the French Open third round in her first event back.

For Swiss Wawrinka, who won the most recent of his three Grand Slam titles at the 2016 U.S. Open, the wildcard allows him to make his 72nd main draw appearance in one of the game’s four blue-riband events, which puts him fifth on the all-time list.

Austrian Dominic Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion who announced this year that he will retire following the 2024 season due to a wrist injury, was also given a wildcard.

The U.S. Open will held from Aug. 26-Sept. 8 in New York

-Reuters

Djokovic’s victory, his fourth in 10 Flushing Meadows finals, capped another remarkable season after his wins at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and he will return to the top of the world rankings when they are updated later on Monday.

No man has won a calendar Grand Slam in 54 years, though Djokovic came close once again, losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.

But for the moment he is savouring his 24th Slam.

“It obviously means the world to me,” he said. “I’m really living my childhood dream.

“To make the history of this sport is something truly remarkable, it’s hard to describe the words.

“I had the childhood dream when I was seven, eight, I wanted to become the best player in the world.”

As he continues to live his dream Djokovic is also staking his claim to the mantle of greatest tennis player of all time.

At 36 Djokovic also becomes the oldest U.S. Open men’s winner in the Open Era but the Serb’s Grand Slam hunger has not dimmed and he had some bad news for his younger rivals.

“Eventually one day I will leave tennis in about 23, 24 years,” he joked. “Until then, I guess you’ll see me a bit more.

“I don’t put any number right now in my mind on how many Slams I want to win.

“I’ll continue to prioritize them as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis.”

KOBE TRIBUTE

After clinching his historic title on Sunday Djokovic threw his racquet into the air and dropped to his knees as the crowd roared.

He picked himself up and found his young daughter court-side for an emotional hug before going back to the bench and pulling out a T-shirt with ‘Mamba Forever’ on the front and the number 24 on the back.

The shirt was a tribute to both his achievement and to his late friend Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who wore the number throughout much of his all-star career before dying in a helicopter crash.

“I thought of doing this T-shirt, eventually, if I get the chance to win the tournament,” said Djokovic. “Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality.

“When I was struggling with injury he was one of the people I relied on the most.”

Neither Djokovic nor Medvedev have been fully embraced by the New York crowds and until the end of the match there was little of the electricity that crackled through Arthur Ashe during the women’s final on Saturday.

As the match started Djokovic walked out onto court and stared across the net at Medvedev, the man once again standing between him and history just as he had two years ago.

The last time the two clashed at the U.S. Open was in the 2021 final, when the Russian captured his only major and denied the Serb that elusive calendar Grand Slam.

Djokovic did not speak of revenge on the road to the final and only referenced that loss as a learning experience.

“I haven’t played any tournament on American soil for two years,” said Djokovic, who missed last year’s Slam due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I really did my best in the last 48 hours not to allow the importance of the moment and what’s on the line get to my head.

“Two years ago that’s what happened and I wasn’t able to be at my best and I was outplayed.

“So I learned my lesson.”

KILLER INSTINCT

As expected of a contest featuring the sport’s two premier hardcourt players, almost every point was contested with long rallies as both men pounded away from the baseline.

Djokovic came out playing with purpose and applied pressure right away, breaking the third seed at the first opportunity on his way to a 3-0 lead.

That would be the only break Djokovic would need against a surprisingly flat Medvedev, who could not raise his play to the “12 out of 10” level he said he reached in beating defending champion Alcaraz in the semi-finals.

During a marathon one hour and 44 minute, lung-bursting second set Medvedev came to life, forcing a faltering Djokovic into long grinding point after long grinding point.

But the tireless Russian’s hard work failed to pay dividends and he was unable to convert a break chance at 6-5 that would have given him the set.

Medvedev charged in front 3-1 in the tie-break but again could not land the knockout blow as Djokovic came off the ropes to take it 7-5 for a 2-0 lead.

If there is one thing Djokovic possesses it is a killer instinct and the Serb wasted no time in pressing home his advantage, breaking Medvedev to go up 3-1 in the third.

A defiant Medvedev answered with his first and only break of the match but it was not enough with Djokovic hitting right back with another break then holding serve the rest of way to clinch the title.

-Reuters

For weeks the tennis world was buzzing about seeing the red hot rivalry between Djokovic and holder Carlos Alcaraz in the Flushing Meadows final until Medvedev played the spoiler with a brilliant 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 semi-final win over the Spaniard.

But what a final between former U.S. Open champion Medvedev and three-time winner Djokovic may lack in pizzazz it more than makes up for in pure quality with the world’s two best hard court players going toe-to-toe at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The contest also comes with some spicy sub plots as Djokovic hunts a fourth U.S. Open that would see him equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 Grand Slams and, along with it, a good measure of revenge against Medvedev.

On Sunday the Serb will look across the net at the same man standing between him and history as he did two years ago.

The last time Djokovic and Medvedev clashed at the U.S. Open was in the 2021 final, when the Russian captured his only major so far and denied the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.

It is a loss Djokovic has not forgotten and has learned from.

“Every time in a Grand Slam final it’s another shot for history and I’m aware of it,” said Djokovic, who will reclaim top spot in the world rankings on Monday.

“I don’t have much time nor do I allow myself to reflect on these things or think about the history too much.

“When I did that in the past, like, ’21 finals (against Medvedev) here I was maybe overwhelmed with the occasion and the opportunity and I underperformed.

“I don’t want this to happen again.”

EARLIER TESTS

Medvedev and Djokovic have both been tested en route to the final.

Second seed Djokovic, 36, fought back from two sets down to beat fellow Serb Laslo Djere in the third round but did not drop another set on the way to his 10th U.S. Open final.

Medvedev has spent much of time working the graveyard shift at Flushing Meadows with several of his matches starting late in the evening one day and finishing in the next.

The third seed’s toughest physical test came in the quarter-finals when he beat his daughter’s godfather Andrey Rublev in straight sets in brutal heat and humidity.

Medvedev said he had to raise his level to 12 out of 10 in the semi-finals to dethrone Alcaraz and would need to do the same or better against Djokovic.

“He (Djokovic) is always better than the previous time he plays,” said 27-year-old Medvedev, who will be appearing in his third U.S. Open final, having also lost to Rafa Nadal in 2019.

“Novak is going to be his best version on Sunday and I have to be the best-ever version of myself if I want to try to beat him.

“Novak, when he loses, he’s never the same after. He’s different. So I have to use it knowing that he’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day.

“And I have to be, if I want to still beat him, 10 times better than I was that day.”

While Djokovic and Medvedev are compelling figures, neither has been fully embraced by the New York crowds they have so desperately courted.

Not long ago Medvedev was Flushing Meadows’ public enemy number one for his on court antics that included giving the crowd the finger during a 2019 match.

Over the years Djokovic has had a love/hate relationship with New Yorkers that reached a low point during a 2020 match when he in a fit of frustration he inadvertently hit a line judge in the throat with a ball and was disqualified.

“At the end of the day, they buy tickets to come watch you play,” said Djokovic. “So we try to put on a show and perform for them so they go back home satisfied.”

-Reuters

With the win, sixth seed Gauff became the first American to win a U.S. Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.

Gauff, 19, fed off noisy local support as she fought back in the second set and kept the momentum going until the end of the battle, before falling to the court on Arthur Ashe Stadium as she clinched the title with a backhand winner.

Sabalenka had a superb start but could not keep the momentum going as unforced errors piled up and she closed her 2023 Grand Slam run, which included an Australian Open title and semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, on a disappointing note.

“It doesn’t get more dramatic than that, to be honest,” said Gauff, who lost in her only previous major final appearance last year at Roland Garros.

“I knew today was going to be one of those problem-solving tough matches because she’s a tough opponent, so I’m obviously happy with the result.”

There were early signs of nervousness from both players, as Gauff made a pair of unforced errors to help Sabalenka to a break in the opening game, and the Belarusian dropped serve in the fourth game with two double faults and an unforced error.

The crowd urged on Gauff, the first American teenager to reach the U.S. Open singles final since Serena Williams in 2001.

But Sabalenka blocked out the noise and used her mighty forehand to convert on a break point chance in the fifth game. The Belarusian was helped to another break in the seventh as Gauff double faulted and made two more costly forehand mistakes.

The 25-year-old Sabalenka, who will take over as world number one in the new rankings, had ended Gauff’s run at Indian Wells earlier this year but told reporters this week she expected a “different player” in Saturday’s final.

She ended up facing just that in the second set, as the American showed new resolve when she fended off a pair of break points in the first game and flipped the script.

What was once a lopsided affair turned into a battle as Gauff increased her intensity, sending Sabalenka scrambling around the court in the fourth game before the Belarusian dropped her serve with a double fault.

Gauff produced an overhead smash to break in the opening game of the third set and converted another in the third game.

Sabalenka took a medical timeout after the fifth game, consulting a physio for an apparent issue with her left thigh, but did not appear worse off as she broke in the next game.

If Gauff was rattled, however, she did not show it, winning a 20-shot rally before breaking back in the seventh game and soaking up the adoration of the crowd at the major she grew up watching as she clinched the title.

After offering her opponent a hug, Gauff burst into tears and embraced her parents in the stands.

“The whole time I was saying to myself, ‘Oh, my goodness, how is this real?'” she told reporters.

“When I sat down after hugging them back before the ceremony, it felt real in that moment, but when I was going to hug them it didn’t. I almost forgot to shake the ref’s hand. It was a crazy moment.”

The tournament was celebrating 50 years of equal prize money at this year’s edition, and pioneer Billie Jean King was on hand to offer Gauff the trophy.

Sabalenka had only dropped a single set en route to Saturday’s finale and had tears in her eyes as she offered her opponent credit, chuckling as she said she wanted more finals against the American – but with “different results, hopefully.”

She told reporters the tide had turned during the match as she began “overthinking” in the second set.

“Because of that I start kind of like losing my power,” said Sabalenka “Then she start moving better. I start missing a lot of easy shots.”

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The win delivered on years of enormous expectations hoisted upon the young American Gauff’s shoulders after she became the youngest ever to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw at 15 years old.

The breakthrough at such an early age came with its pitfalls.

“People were putting a lot of pressure on me to win. I felt that at 15 I had to win a slam at 15,” said Gauff.

“I felt like I had a time limit on when I should win one, and if I won one after a certain age it wouldn’t be an achievement.

“Yeah, it’s just crazy the amount of things that I have heard or seen about myself, but I’m really happy of how I’ve been able to manage it all.”

She found a new gear this summer, producing the best tennis of her career as she picked up a win in Washington and secured her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati, before embarking on a tremendous run through Flushing Meadows.

“A month ago I won a 500 title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was gonna get,” said Gauff.

“So three weeks later I am here with this trophy right now… To those who thought they were putting water on my fire you were really adding gas to it and now I am burning so bright.”

-Reuters

Gauff, who had beaten Muchova in the Cincinnati final last month to claim the biggest title of her career, fed off the energy of the home crowd to get past the Czech once again.

“Some of those points, it was so loud and I don’t know if my ears are going to be okay,” Gauff said. “I grew up watching this tournament so much so it means a lot to me to be in the final. A lot to celebrate but the job is not done.”

Gauff, the sixth seed, will next face the winner of the other semi-final between compatriot Madison Keys and Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

The match was delayed by roughly 50 minutes early in the second set due to a protest by four spectators.

The USTA said three of the four were escorted out of the stadium without incident but a fourth “affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl”.

Gauff swept the first three games of the opening set and broke her opponent again in the sixth.

Muchova, this year’s Roland Garros runner-up, capitalized on some mistakes by the 19-year-old and broke straight back in the seventh, raising her level from there to break Gauff again in the ninth.

The Czech’s good work went to waste, however, as she committed a trio of unforced errors in the 10th game, allowing Gauff to break to love and take the set.

After a routine hold by Gauff to open the second set, shouts were heard from high up in the stands and both players sat on their benches as security staff members quickly moved to quell the disruption.

As the delay stretched on both players left the court as police officers surrounded the remaining protester before removing him from the venue with his hands behind his back.

After the players returned they warmed up again on court before resuming play, neither appearing rattled by the incident.

Muchova double-faulted to help Gauff break in the eighth game but saved match point in the next game before breaking the American’s serve to keep the match going.

Muchova saved four more match points in the 12th game but Gauff would not be denied, surviving a 40-shot rally on the penultimate point with a forehand winner before cheering with delight as her opponent sent a backhand past the baseline on the sixth match point.

Muchova gave credit to her opponent but told reporters that she was disappointed in the quality of her own play on Thursday.

“I was not feeling it from the start until the end,” she said. “I’m pretty sad about the outcome, that I didn’t put the best out of me on the court. Yeah, just kind of sad about the performance.”

-Reuters

With Gauff up a set and holding serve to open the second, a disturbance erupted in the upper bowl of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the sport’s largest venue with a seating capacity of over 23,000.

Stacey Allaster, United States Tennis Association (USTA) Chief Executive Professional Tennis, told ESPN the disturbance involved three climate protesters.

The USTA later issued a statement confirming four were taken into NYPD custody.

“Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident,” said the USTA statement. “The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl.

“Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium.”

Photographs of the scene showed protesters wearing shirts with the slogan, ‘End Fossil Fuels’.

As players looked into the stands, security flooded into the section around where protesters were shouting. Television pictures showed more than a dozen law enforcement officers in the section.

Players were escorted off the court by a USTA official and returned for a warm-up 45 minutes later before play resumed.

Several major sporting events have been targeted by climate groups this year. ‘Just Stop Oil’ protesters interrupted play at Wimbledon in July, releasing orange ticker-tape mixed with jigsaw puzzle pieces during matches.

-Reuters