Critics have questioned if this year’s US Open deserves an asterisk in the record books but for Williams, who needs one more title to match Margaret Court’s Grand Slam singles record of 24, it does not matter.
The shutdown could not have come at a worse time for American Sofia Kenin, who lifted her first Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne and added a WTA title in Lyon days before the circuit came to a halt. While Pliskova failed to shake off the rust, that was no excuse for the 21-year-old Kenin, who got plenty of matches under her belt during the World TeamTennis event.
Kenin still failed to get going in her first match at the Western and Southern Open as did two-times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, another surprise early loser ahead of next week’s Grand Slam at the same venue. Two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza was also robbed of game time as she had to pull out of the Open tune-up due to an ankle injury.
Naomi Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete in the world, is the most recent US Open champion present in New York. Her first Grand Slam title came after an eventful final against Williams in 2018. The Japanese will hope she can rediscover the form that brought her back-to-back US Open and Australian Open titles and top spot in the rankings early last year, but circumstances dictate that the tournament is wide open.
“Everybody starts from zero, and I guess everybody doesn’t really know how they’re going to play or how they’re going to feel,” Pliskova said. “In a normal season, it’s tough to tell. And especially now, I think there can be so many surprises, so many strange results.”
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