Black Tennis Pros

American Serena Williams into 2019 U.S. Open to vie for 24th Grand Slam title.

What can you say??...  There's nothing new here.  American Serena Williams holds 23 Grand Slam titles, she just earned her 100th match victory at this event, and to top all of that, she's now a wife and a mother. #ThisMama  The elements of the journey that she is on are only satisfied when she achieves her best in all aspects.

On Day 10 of the 2019 U.S. Open, in the semi-final 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Serena made her efforts look so common.  Elina Svitolina certainly made an attempt to overcome the strategies coming across that net, but her efforts were to no avail.

Watching Serena play in this year's Open you can practically see a return to the mental calm, focus and determination that had previously been frustrated by injuries and losses.  Tonight's win over Svitolina did one thing, open another door to a place where Serena enjoys excellence - a grand slam final.

"I don't think about it, I just come out here and, you know, do what I can."

"I couldn't have done it without this crowd, you guys are... literally.  Been with me for twenty years and I'm still here, so."

"Yeah, you know, I ahh, this is the biggest stadium for tennis period, in the whole planet, so... I, I think of it that way.  And if you think about it that way, it's such an honor for me and my opponent to be out here and play in front of these crowds. They come to watch us, and like, it's amazing. And so, I really enjoy it.  I enjoy the opportunity to be out here, and you know, just to do my best."

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Serena Williams, USA after defeating American Coco Vandeweghe on Day 2 of the 2012 US Open.

Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams continued the fine form that signified a stellar summer by defeating compatriot Coco Vandeweghe in a rematch of their Stanford final. The younger Williams sister advanced to the second round 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour on a day in which Venus also won.

In the first set, Serena cruised to a 6-1 score in 24 minutes, benefitting from five double faults off her opponent’s otherwise big-serving game. Additionally, the top-ranked American struck nine winners, while converting all three of her break point chances.

After the match, the No. 4 seed discussed the windy conditions and reflected on her performance. "I mean, the match was so weird, the conditions were so tough, I couldn't really play my game. She couldn't really play her game. It's not the best opportunity to grade yourself."

With the win tonight, Serena’s record in first round Grand Slam matches improved to 48-1, having lost at the Roland Garros in the opening round earlier this year.

Early in the second set, Serena, last year’s runner-up to Samantha Stosur, consolidated on the tremendous play in the first to break Vandeweghe’s serve for a 2-1 lead. She wasted little time afterwards, wrapping up the match on her second match point after reeling off four more games.

With the win, Serena improved her record at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to 59-9, having won three titles in her career, including her first back in 1999.

Coming into the match Tuesday night on Arthur Ashe, Serena took titles at Wimbledon and the Olympics by winning a gold medal over Maria Sharapova at the All England Club. In doing so, Serena became the first tennis player to win the career “Golden Slam,” or claiming all four majors and a gold medal, in both singles and doubles. With the series of title wins, Serena notched a 19-match winning streak, which was eventually snapped in Cincinnati by surprise 2011 US Open semifinalist Angelique Kerber.

With five titles to her credit this year, Serena also leads the number owned by active players at 44 total.

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The USTA announced that the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be held August 24-27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the site of the 2010 US Open. The tournament, which offers $1 million in prize money, is free and open to the public with play beginning daily at 11 a.m. It will feature a men's and women's draw of 128 players each, with 16 men and 16 women advancing to the main draw of the US Open, held August 30-September 12.

Players scheduled to compete in this year's qualifying run the gamut from former Grand Slam doubles champions to an Olympic gold medal winner to mothers to rising juniors looking for a chance on one of tennis' biggest stages.

The field is also expected to include the winners of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs, which gave anyone age 14 and over the opportunity to receive a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament. Blake Strode, 23, of St. Louis, who won the Men's Championship, deferred Harvard Law School in 2009 to pursue a professional tennis career and competed in the 2009 US Open Qualifying Tournament, where he lost in the first round. He grew into tennis as a member of his local National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter in Ferguson, Mo., and developed into an All-American for the University of Arkansas, where he was also a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

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