Report: Man Attempted to Enter U.S. Open with Gun, Allegedly Pointed It at Cop
Sep 3, 2022
A logo is displayed on the grounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A man allegedly attempted to pass through the U.S. Open's security checkpoint with a gun and pointed it at a police officer Saturday afternoon, according to the New York Post.
Per that report, no shots were fired and nobody suffered injuries. Police confirmed that a person was taken into custody "in the vicinity" of the U.S. Open in New York City.
The U.S. Tennis Association also confirmed to the Post that someone was arrested in the parking lot with a gun.
According to that report, "When security personnel confronted the gun-toting man, he allegedly pulled out the weapon and brandished it at a cop before running toward the parking lot."
The U.S. Open began Aug. 23 and is set to run until Sept. 11.
It has already been a memorable tournament, highlighted by what was likely the final match of Serena Williams' career, a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanović on Friday. Williams announced before the tournament that she was planning to retire.
The U.S. Open will continue Sunday at Flushing Meadows Corona Park with round-of-16 action in the men's draw and third-round matchups on the women's side.
US Open Tennis 2022 Results: Rafael Nadal, Iga Świątek Highlight Saturday's Winners
Sep 3, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 03: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts against Richard Gasquet of France during their Men's Singles Third Round match on Day Six of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 03, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The third round of the men's and women's singles tournaments at the 2022 U.S. Open continued Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
The early window was highlighted by matches on the women's side between Jessica Pegula and Yue Yuan, and Victoria Azarenka and Petra Martić. On the men's side, matches between Cameron Norrie and Holger Rune, and Carlos Alcaraz and Jenson Brooksby highlighted the action.
The evening window featured a match between Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet on the men's side at Arthur Ashe Stadium, while the women's side saw world No. 1 Iga Świątek go head-to-head with American Lauren Davis at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Here's a look at Saturday's scores and recaps of the day's biggest results.
Petra Kvitová ousted Garbiñe Muguruza in a huge upset in the women's singles tournament at the U.S. Open with an impressive third-round victory that saw her win 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10) at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Saturday's match was arguably Kvitová's toughest challenge of the U.S. Open thus far. After dropping the first set 5-7, she bounced back with an impressive performance to claim a second-set victory.
The 32-year-old struggled immensely to begin the third set, putting herself in a 5-2 hole. However, a double-fault and an error by Muguruza allowed Kvitová to get back into the set before fighting back for the victory in a tiebreak.
This marks the 13th time Kvitová has reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open since 2008. She will face No. 8 seed Jessica Pegula in the fourth round on Monday.
Kvitová has defeated Pegula in both of their previous meetings, including a 6-4, 6-3 win in the third round of the 2020 U.S. Open.
Norrie defeated Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time in his career.
Norrie was tremendous on the first serve, winning 77 percent compared to Rune's 55. He also forced the Dane into 43 unforced errors as he continued to grind him down throughout the match.
However, Rune put up a good fight in the first set after Norrie lost two set points at 5-5. Norrie quickly got back in control, though, and went on to serve out in the opener to win 7-5.
Norrie went on to win the second and third sets with little blowback from Rune. He'll face Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 on Monday.
No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz def. Jenson Brooksby: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Alcaraz is into the round of 16 following a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over Brooksby on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Alcaraz is the youngest man to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open in back-to-back years since Pete Sampras in 1989 and 1990. Last year, the 19-year-old reached the quarterfinal, where he was defeated by Felix Auger Aliassime.
Alcaraz faced little pressure against Brooksby. However, he lost the first three games of the third set before bouncing back to win the next six games in a row.
This marks the third straight-set win in the U.S. Open for the Spaniard, who defeated Sebastian Baez in the first round via walkover and Federico Coria 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 in the second round.
Alcaraz will face Marin Čilić in the round of 16 on Monday.
Another upset in the women's singles tournament saw Karolína Plíšková defeat Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the second straight year.
Bencic held a 7-5, 2-0 lead over Plíšková before the Czech star fought back with much better serves and groundstrokes to capture the second set.
In the third set, Plíšková led by a break at 3-1 and 4-2, but Bencic did just enough to capture the third point before Plíšková sealed the victory with forehand winners for the last two points of the set.
Plíšková will face Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16 on Monday with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Their head-to-head sits at four wins a piece, though they have not met in more than three years.
No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. Richard Gasquet: 6-0, 6-1, 7-5
Nadal cruised past Gasquet 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 to clinch a berth in the fourth round.
Gasquet never truly got into the match against the four-time U.S. Open champion and didn't record his first victory until late in the second set.
The Frenchman put up more of a fight in the third set, tying it 2-2 before taking a 5-4 lead. However, Nadal ramped up the pressure even more and went on to win the next three points to seal the victory.
The win marked Nadal's 18th consecutive victory over Gasquet, and he has won 34 straight sets against the 36-year-old.
Nadal will face American Francis Tiafoe in the round of 16 on Monday night in what is sure to be a prime-time matchup. He has won both of his previous meetings against Tiafoe.
Tiger Woods Heralds Serena Williams as 'Literally the Greatest' After Final Match
Sep 3, 2022
USA's Serena Williams waves to the audience after losing against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic during their 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women's singles third round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on September 2, 2022. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Golf legend Tiger Woods gave Serena Williams the ultimate respect and reverence for her sensational career after the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's tennis journey came to an end Friday following a third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanović on Friday at the U.S. Open.
.@serenawilliams you’re literally the greatest on and off the court. Thank you for inspiring all of us to pursue our dreams. I love you little sis!!!!!!
Williams had previously credited Woods as the reason why she continued to play tennis professionally.
"He's one of the reasons I'm here, one of the main reasons I'm still playing," she told reporters (h/t George Ramsay of CNN).
"We talked a lot. He was really trying to get me motivated. There are a few people, but we were like: 'OK, we can do this together, you know?'"
The 40-year-old Williams fought hard to the finish before falling to a tough opponent in Tomljanovic 5-7, 7-6(4), 1-6 in a match that lasted over three hours.
With that, a 27-year career is now over, and Williams leaves the game after writing one of the most remarkable stories in sports history.
Serena Williams' Historic Career Ends with Loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at US Open
Sep 3, 2022
Serena Williams, of the United States, scores the winning point in a tiebreak with Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Twenty-three time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams' immaculate career has come to an end after Ajla Tomljanovic defeated the greatest of all time in three sets—7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1—in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday evening.
Williams, who announced her decision to evolve away from tennis in an article for Vogue last month, fought valiantly in her final match.
She took a 5-3 lead in the first set after breaking Tomljanovic in a game where she scored all four points.
However, it was all Tomljanovic for the rest of the first set, as she broke Williams twice and held serve two times of her own for the 7-5 victory.
Williams fired back by breaking Tomljanovic twice and going up 4-0 in the first set with her serve. She ended the third game with an ace, one of seven for her in the second set.
Tomljanovic broke Williams to get a game back. The two then traded games before an epic 24-point game with Tomljanovic serving down 5-2. Williams had four set-point chances, but Tomljanovic held each time en route to winning the game.
Williams then lost her serve to even the breaks, and the two soon went to a tiebreak.
Williams found herself up 5-4 with Tomljanovic about to serve twice, but she persevered and won the next two points en route to the second-set win. The first one was courtesy of a phenomenal baseline winner.
Williams started strong in the third set by breaking Tomljanovic, and she took a 40-15 lead in the second game with a chance to go up 2-0.
But it was all Tomljanovic from there en route to the match win. She battled back to break Williams and then won the next five games for the victory.
Tomljanovic's best effort occurred in the fourth game, where Williams staved off three break-point chances before the eventual victor converted the fourth shot to go up 3-1.
All credit goes to Williams for fighting hard in the last game, however, as she fought off five match-point opportunities before Tomljanovic won the sixth.
Tomljanovic will now play unseeded Liudmila Samsonova, who is ranked No. 35 in the WTA rankings, in the fourth round.
Samsonova has won all three of her U.S. Open matches in straight sets, including a second-round victory over 2021 U.S. Open runner-up and No. 14 seed Leylah Annie Fernandez.
Serena, Venus Williams Fall to Lucie Hradecka, Linda Noskova in 2022 US Open Round 1
Sep 2, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Venus Williams looks on with partner Serena Williams of the United States against Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova of Czech Republic during the Women’s Doubles First Round match on Day Four of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Czech duo of Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková defeated Venus and Serena Williams 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the first round of the women's doubles tournament at the 2022 US Open on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a disappointing result for the Williams sisters, who were playing in their first major doubles tournament together since the 2018 French Open. It also could have been the final doubles match the sisters play together professionally.
Serena, 40, revealed that she is retiring, or rather "evolving away from" tennis after the 2022 US Open in a Vogue article last month in which she detailed her desire to to work on other things that are important to her, including growing her family with husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia.
Hradecká and Nosková came out victorious in a back-and-forth first set that was decided in a tiebreak. Hradecka whipped a backhand down the line that neither of the Williams sisters could reach to clinch the victory.
Venus and Serena had a number of opportunities to win the set, including when they were up 6-5 and again in the tiebreak at 5-4, but they allowed Hradecka and Noskova to get back into the set before giving it away in the tiebreak with a number of mistakes.
It often felt like Serena was carrying Venus in the first set, but both of the sisters struggled in the second set as Hradecká and Nosková came out on fire, looking to close out the match early.
The Czech duo raced out to an early 3-0 lead with the Williams sisters looking disjointed after a disappointing first set. Venus and Serena fought back in the fourth game of the second set to cut Hradecka and Noskova's lead to 3-1 before going on to tie the set 4-4 after going down 4-1.
It was an incredible comeback for the Williams sisters, but Hradecká and Nosková were just too good to overcome as they won the next two games to claim a 6-4 set victory to clinch a berth in the second round.
Luckily for tennis fans, Serena will continue her run in the women's singles tournament at the US Open after defeating Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 in the first round and world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday.
Venus' run in the singles tournament ended with a first-round loss to Alison van Uytvanck.
Serena is set for a third-round clash with Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.
Venus and Serena entered the 2022 US Open having won 14 women's doubles Grand Slams as partners. The only duo with more in the Open Era is Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova, who won 20 matches together.
They also won three Olympic gold medals as doubles partners, including Sydney in 2000, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
US Open Tennis 2022 Results: Iga Swiatek Wins, Paula Badosa Upset in Thursday Play
Sep 1, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Iga Swiatek of Poland serves against Sloane Stephens of the United States during their Women's Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The second rounds of the U.S. Open women's and men's singles draws continued Thursday from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
For the second straight day, a top-five seed was ousted early as No. 4 Paula Badosa fell in three sets to Petra Martic.
Three of the top-four women's seeds are now out after No. 2 Anett Kontaveit and No. 3 Maria Sakkari lost to Serena Williams and Wang Xiyu, respectively, the day before.
The chalk is holding at the top, though, as World No. 1 Iga Swiatek took down 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens in straight sets.
On the men's side, No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz highlighted the action. Nadal pulled away from Fabio Fognini in four sets, while Alcaraz defeated Federico Coria in straight sets.
Here's a look at the scores as well as recaps of the day's biggest results.
Women's Draw Matches and Scores
No. 1 Iga Swiatek def. Sloane Stephens: 6-3, 6-2
Petra Martic def. No. 4 Paula Badosa: 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2
Swiatek entered the tournament as the favorite, and her chances have only gotten better after the Nos. 2-4 seeds exited early.
It also helps that she's looking like her usual dominant self. On Thursday, Swiatek went up a break early in the first set, but Stephens fired back with a break of her own. However, Swiatek bounced back with three break-point opportunities in the next game before winning on the fourth to go up 3-1. She held serve the rest of the way for the 6-3 first-set victory.
The second set was all Swiatek, who went up 4-0 after breaking Stephens twice en route to the 6-2 win.
This marked the first time Swiatek had ever played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and she spoke about the experience afterward.
Swiatek won 23 of 30 first-serve points and eight of 12 break-point opportunities. She will play unseeded Lauren Davis in the third round.
Petra Martic def. No. 4 Paula Badosa: 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2
The upset of the day came courtesy of unseeded Petra Martic, who overcame losing a first-set tiebreaker by winning 12 of the final 15 games en route to the three-set win.
There were signs Martic was on point, though. Of note, she earned seven break-point opportunities during the first set and earned five aces. She wasn't able to break Badosa, but Martic proved to be a tough opponent.
The underdog soon rolled through the next two sets. She won 12 of 15 first-serve points in the second set and broke Badosa twice.
Martic's serves continued to be a problem. She had three more aces in the third set and won 12 of 16 first-serve points. Match point was courtesy of another excellent serve:
Alcaraz lived on the edge at times in this one, as Coria earned 14 break-point opportunities. However, Coria won just one of them as Alcaraz stayed in control throughout the match. Meanwhile, Alcaraz took advantage of his chances with 7-of-10 break-point conversions.
Alcaraz also had 46 winners to Coria's 15 and won 38 of 39 net points. He also won nine straight games at one point.
The 19-year-old has the most wins of any men's singles player in 2022 with 46 (Swiatek is No. 1 overall with 52), but he spoke afterward about how he's looking for even more success.
"I'm happy about that and about my season, but 2022 didn't end. I have to keep doing and I'm doing," Alcaraz said, per Jose Morgado of the Diario Record.
Alcaraz. "I'm happy about that and about my season, but 2022 didn't end. I have to keep doing and I'm doing".
Alcaraz will play unseeded Jenson Brooksby in the third round.
No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. Fabio Fognini: 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Nadal looked totally out of sorts for
the first set and a half Thursday night, including three straight
service games lost to open the second set, but he eventually found
his rhythm and took care of Fognini without a ton of drama.
There was a brief scare in the fourth
set as the 22-time Grand Slam champion hit himself in the face with
his racquet, which left his nose bloodied, but he returned after
receiving treatment to finish off the win.
"[It] was just a strong hit. At
the beginning, I thought I [broke] the nose because it was a shock at
the beginning. Was very painful," Nadal told reporters. "I
lost little bit the—I don't know how to say in English—but a
little bit the feeling of my head. It's about being a little bit out
of the world."
He jokingly added: "No, that's
just a shock some way I deserved to play that bad for a while."
While Nadal advanced, his level of play
must improve if he's going to capture his fifth U.S. Open
championship next week. He finished with 20 winners and 37 unforced
errors.
Fognini couldn't take advantage of that
mediocre play from the 36-year-old Spanish superstar, however, as he
tallied 60 unforced errors and nine double faults.
Nadal advances to face Richard Gasquet
in the tournament's third round. He's won all 17 career ATP Tour
meetings with the Frenchman.
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk Doesn't Shake Hands with Victoria Azarenka over Russian War
Sep 1, 2022
Belarus' Victoria Azarenka (R) plays against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during their 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women's singles second round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on September 1, 2022. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka following their second-round match in the 2022 U.S. Open.
Kostyuk, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, explained to ESPN's Aishwarya Kumar she took issue with Azarenka failing to criticize the role of her native Belarus in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
"It was my choice—I don't feel like I don't know any single person who condemned the war publicly, and the actions of their government, so I don't feel like I can support this," Kostyuk said.
"Don't get me wrong, she's a great competitor. But, it has nothing to do with her being a human being."
Kumar noted a similar situation played out at the Citi Open, when Dayana Yastremska didn't shake Azarenka's hand following their first-round encounter.
Prior to the U.S. Open, the tournament dropped Azarenka from its Tennis Plays for Peace exhibition event. The New York Times' Matthew Futterman reported the step was taken after Ukrainian players expressed their concerns.
Kostyuk told reporters she reached out to Azarenka by text message Wednesday to say she didn't plan to shake hands. The 20-year-old added she thought the two-time Australian Open champion could've done more to express solidarity with her Ukrainian colleagues.
"I never had any personal hate towards her," Kostyuk said. "But because she has such a big role outside the tennis, in Belarus, in the tennis world, being on the WTA Players Council, I feel she could have done more at least with our personal relationships around players."
Azarenka spoke on the matter after her straight-set victory.
"I feel like I've had a very clear message from the beginning, is that I'm here to try to help, which I have done a lot," she told reporters. "Maybe not something that people see, and that's not what I do it for. I do it for people who in need, juniors who need clothes, other people who need money or other people who needed transportation or whatever. That's what is important to me, to help people are in need."
Although Belarus isn't involved in direct fighting against Ukraine, the country has aided in Russia's military effort. In addition to the diplomatic fallout for the country, Belarusian athletes have been adversely impacted amid the ongoing continuation of the war.
Azarenka was among the players banned from competing at Wimbledon earlier in the summer.
Serena Williams' Odds to Win US Open Jump to 14-1 After Win vs. Anett Kontaveit
Sep 1, 2022
NEW YORK, USA, August 31: Serena Williams of the United States in action against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the Women's Singles second round match during the US Open Tennis Championship 2022 at the USTA National Tennis Centre on August 31st 2022 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Even the oddsmakers are starting to believe in Serena Williams.
After the 23-time Grand Slam winner opened the 2022 U.S. Open at 50-1 odds, she's dropped all the way to 14-1 after her victory over second-seeded Anett Kontaveit.
"It's extremely unique to have such a sports icon at long odds you would never have gotten in their prime," Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN's Doug Kezirian. "This is a great story, and the longer the run continues, the more action we'll see backing Serena, for sure."
Williams entered her second-round match as a heavy underdog but looked spry as she earned a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 win over Kontaveit, who entered Flushing Meadows as the world No. 2. She will face off against Ajla Tomljanović in the third round and opened as a -170 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The 40-year-old great announced her pending retirement from tennis in a first-person essay published in Vogue. While Williams admitted she didn't want to walk away from tennis—she noted she would never have to make such a choice if she were a man—her desire to expand her family has taken priority over her dreams on the court.
"I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it’s fair," Williams wrote. "If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I'd be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity."
Williams had largely looked like a shell of her past self in three tournaments before the U.S. Open. She was ousted in the first round at Wimbledon and the Western & Southern Open; her only win this year before this week came against Nuria Párrizas Díaz, the No. 62 player in the world.
Tomljanović has never faced Williams in a head-to-head matchup.
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