Serena Williams is favoured to add the 2011 US Open as her 14th major title.
Serena Williams is favoured to add the 2011 US Open as her 14th major title.

Serena Williams expected to reign at US Open



Hurricane Irene did little damage to the tennis complex in Flushing Meadows. It is not expected that Serena Williams, another force of nature, will be as benign.

Sharapova has to work hard in US Open first round

Russian shows her experience in three set matches to beat Briton Heather Watson 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Roger Federer advances at Flushing Meadows. Read article

Comment: Tennis romances always in bloom with public. Read article

Never before has a No 28 seed been so widely expected to win a grand slam as Williams is at the US Open, which began Monday.

An ESPN survey of 10 tennis personalities and journalists, including John McEnroe and Cliff Drysdale, yielded a unanimous set of predictions of a Williams victory in the women's singles.

The only real debate, so far, is whether the US Open should have taken her pedigree and recent results into account before seeding her No 28, which reflects her world ranking. At Wimbledon, for example, she was seeded No 7 despite having played only one event in nearly a year.

"It really doesn't hurt Serena as much as it does the other players," said Chris Evert, the winner of 18 grand slam championships. "One of the top seeds will get her in the third round. I think they could have made a much better judgement call."

The expectation that Williams is poised to win her 14th major is a tribute to her performances since her June return from what she termed a "near-deathbed experience" with blood clots on her lungs. She has won at Stanford and at Toronto in the past six weeks, and has been working hard on her fitness, conceding to ESPN that "I've never really been fit, you know?"

The expectations surrounding her also are a result of the lack of a dominant player among the top 10 seeds, and that includes the world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, the Dane who has yet to win a slam.

Kim Clijsters, the most experienced of the current top 10, is not in New York to defend her title, having withdrawn with an abdominal strain.

Maria Sharapova, the popular Russian, who has regained her form, rates a puncher's chance at winning her second US Open, but the next most likely player to block Serena from victory may well be her sister, Venus, who is unseeded but has seven grand slam championships to her name.

If Serena falls, it may be traced to age (she turns 30 next month) or injury. She pulled out of the event in Cincinnati with a toe injury, which she attributed in part to having played too many matches in a short span of time. To secure her fourth US Open championship, however, she will have to win seven matches in 12 days.

Samantha Stosur, the German, who lost to Williams in the Toronto final, perhaps expressed what all those Serena-smitten pundits must have been thinking.

"She makes it look very easy."

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
UAE%20set%20for%20Scotland%20series
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh12 million

Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto

Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm

Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

match info

Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')

Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')

Man of the match  Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)

Get inspired

Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).

Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.  

Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).