Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle Cheers on Friend from Stands
Edited by: JV Staff
Seeking a career comeback in terms of notching her 24th Grand Slam title, one of the greatest superstars in the history of women’s tennis, Serena Williams fell short of that goal on Saturday, when she went down in defeat in the women’s singles finals at the US Open in Forest Hills, New York.
Despite a late rally and her best efforts on the court, Williams was unable to tie the record of Australian tennis great Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam singles titles record. Since returning to tennis after becoming a mother, Williams is 0-4 in Grand Slam finals, according to a CBS Sports report.
In straight sets, Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu, 19, defeated Williams 6-3, 7-5, to win her first Grand Slam title in the women’s final. In a matchup between tennis’ Canadian youthful newcomer and the woman who has dominated the sport, the former prevailed on the court and took home the coveted crown.
Only a year ago, however, Andreescu was ranked outside the top 200, according to a CBS Sports report. Commentators have noted that Andreescu’s ascent to champion in the tennis world over this past season has been nothing short of incredible as she displayed incredible poise in her first ever Grand Slam final.
“It’s so hard to explain in words,” Andreescu said during the awards ceremony. “I’m just beyond grateful. I’ve worked really, really hard for this moment. This year has been a dream come true and now being able to play on this stage against Serena, a true legend of the sport, is amazing.”
As she entered the championship, Andreescu had not lost a completed match since March 2, owning an overall 38-4 record for the season, according to a CBS Sports report. She was No. 152 in the world at the start of the year, and reached No. 15, and now with the US Open title, Andreescu is set to become No. 5. Even more impressive is the fact that Andreescu has won the first eight matches she has played against top-10 players.
Appearing at the US Open in New York to show support for her friend Serena Williams was the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. According to People Magazine, the Duchess sat in front of Vogue Magazine editor Anna Wintour and behind Alexis Ohanian, the husband of Serena Williams and the founder of Reddit. Also sitting near Markle were Oracene Price, Williams’ mother, Venus Williams, Serena’s sister and Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams’ coach.
This was Markle’s first trip overseas without her 4-month-old son, Archie. The U.S. Open tweeted a short video of Markle taking in the action as Williams played. “A final fit for royalty,” the tweet said.
The Daily Beast reported that the crowd at the U.S. Open made Markle feel right at home, cheering her loudly as her face appeared on the jumbotron on Saturday afternoon.
