Black Tennis Pros

Americans Venus Williams and Madison Keys in quarterfinals of 2019 Western and Southern Open.

American Madison Keys is into the semifinal round of the 2019 Western and Southern Open after winning the quarterfinal match against fellow American Venus Williams, 6-2, 6-3.

Keys made no changes in her gameplay from last night, remaining focused, hitting powerful precision shots and playing all offense, all the time.

The 'hurry-up' mode that Keys tends to play in has, in the past, often been detrimental to her match survival - not lately.  She appears to have applied new strategy to the process and is making it work.

Post match Keys stated, "I think I knew from the start that Venus was going to bring a lot of power, and I had to be ready for that - and more than that, I think my serve really helped me out at times."

In Saturday's semifinal on Center Court, Keys will go up against another American whose game is also fierce, Sofia Kenin.  Kenin advanced to the semifinals after world #1 Naomi Osaka retired from their quarterfinal match in the third set.

Read the rest of this post...........

American Madison Keys takes out Romanian Simona Halep and sets up quarter-final match with fellow American Venus Williams.

WOW!! If you missed American Madison Key's 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win over Romanian Simona Halep tonight, you truly missed a match!

This evening's round of 16 match featuring Keys and Halep at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio definitely increased the value of every ticket purchased!  It goes without saying that both women are top players, Halep currently ranked at #4 and Keys at #18.  Even though Halep has been having a more progressive year of play than Keys, it was Keys who very confidently entered tonight's match after a 6-4, 6-1 win over Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Though the match entailed ups and downs for both players, Keys never let up - from her 10 aces to some exquisite shot making, she remained focused throughout the match, and pulled out of every tight spot in the final games of the third set.

Madison raised the roof  in the stadium tonight.  During her post-match interview she stated "...Really happy that after losing my lead in the third set, I was able to get it back. I'm incredibly happy to be able to play tomorrow."

When asked, "What does this kind of win remind you about your level of play right now?" Keys responded, "It definitely reminds me that  when I'm in the right mindset and playing some good tennis, I can compete with anyone, and really happy that I was able to play some of my best tennis tonight."

Up next for Keys in the quarterfinals, fellow American Venus Williams!

Madison Keys began delivering balls to fans post-match with a throw instead of her racquet.

Read the rest of this post...........

2019 Rogers Cup finalists American Serena Williams and Canadian Bianca Andreescu post match after Serena retired.

The 2019 Rogers Cup Final experienced a historic win by Canadian Bianca Adreescu and a very disheartened retirement, due to injury, from the legendary American Serena Williams.

Though Serena was extremely disappointed, she got a lift from the new Rogers Cup Champion.  Andreescu walked over to Williams and paid homage to the legendary player and what it meant to play her.

Andreescu, the first Canadian since 1969 to win the home title, brought a smile to Serena's teary face,  truly lifting the moment.  Andreescu let her know, "I watched you your whole career, you're a f--king beast."

During the post match ceremony Serena could barely speak through tears, but let everyone know, "...It's been a tough year, but we'll keep going."

Andreescu continued her praise of Serena during trophy presentation stating, "You are truly a champion, I have watched you play so many times.  You are truly a champion on and off the court."

The moments could not be beat.   

Read the rest of this post...........

View this post on Instagram

We ain’t here for a long time we here for a good time. #brotherhood #realrecognizesreal 📸 credzz: @ccsnaps13

A post shared by Frances Tiafoe (@bigfoe1998) on Jul 27, 2019 at 9:29pm PDT

Read the rest of this post...........

Read the rest of this post...........

Read the rest of this post...........

View this post on Instagram

“I’ve been called every name in the book. I’ve been shamed because of my body shape. I’ve been paid unequally because of my sex. I’ve been penalized a game in the final of a Major because I expressed my opinion or grunted too loudly...And these are only the things that are seen by the public. In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’” @SerenaWilliams goes unretouched on our August 2019 issue and gets candid in a personal essay on BAZAAR.com. Link in bio Photography by @alexilubomirski Styling by @menamorado Hair by @vernonfrancois Makeup by @tyronmachhausen #SerenaWilliams wears @ralphlauren, @bulgariofficial and @louboutinworld

A post shared by Harper's BAZAAR (@harpersbazaarus) on Jul 9, 2019 at 6:52am PDT

In this candid, first-person essay, @serenawilliams opens up about last year's controversial match at the US Open—and why she’ll never regret using her voice to speak out against injustice. https://t.co/ponD4BGMie

— Harper's Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) July 9, 2019

Read the rest of this post...........

American Coco Gauff celebrates Wimbledon 2019 third round win over Slovenian Polona Hercog

American Coco Gauff is electrifying Wimbledon 2019 in a manner that has not been seen for quite awhile.  Watching this fifteen-year-old move into the round of sixteen where Romanian Simona Halep awaits is beyond exciting. Gauff brought a match win celebration to Center Court that was very simply lit.

Throughout Gauff's match with Slovenian Polona Hercog, you could literally see her not only dealing with the emotions of the match, but also making necessary adjustments to advance her game. From Gauff's loss of the first set to recovering from 2-5 in the second set, to entering the third and capturing the match, forward movement was always her mode.

During Gauff's post-match interview, she was asked how she held her composure and belief in the second round, she responded, "I always knew that I can come back, no matter what the score is, and I just kind of went for my shots, and I'm happy that slice down the line went in."

The interviewer then stated, "...You've won your way into the hearts of Wimbledon, could you possibly have dreamt of doing that at the age of 15?" She replied, "Definitely not. The crowd was amazing. I mean, even when I was down match point they were still cheering me on, and I'm just super thankful that they believe in me."

Read the rest of this post...........