US Open: Serena Williams admits she had to 'survive' tough match against Catherine McNally


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Serena Williams conceded she "survived tonight" following a second-round scare against teenager Catherine McNally before booking her place in the third round of the US Open on a rain-affected third day in New York.

Williams dropped the first set to the American wildcard before turning on the afterburners to power to a 5-7, 6-3 6-1 victory.

The victory keeps alive Williams' hope of winning a record-equalling 24th grand slam title, but the world No 8 was made to sweat before overcoming 17-year-old McNally.

"She really came out and played really well, she showed no fear," a relieved Williams said. "She had absolutely nothing to lose and she played like it."

McNally was not even born when Williams lifted the second of her six US Open titles in 2002. Competing in only her sixth tour-level event of her career, McNally took the game to Williams in the opening exchanges, relying on her serve and volley to unsettle Williams, the highest-ranked player she has faced.

Another weapon in McNally's armory was a sliced backhand that had shades of Swiss legend Roger Federer. So disarmed was Williams that the 38-year-old made 28 unforced errors, two fewer than her inexperienced opponent.

But Williams, whose earliest exit came at Flushing Meadows on debut in 1997 when she lost in the third round, turned the match around when she finally broke McNally's serve and then consolidated in a tight service game for a 5-2 lead in the second set.

Williams looked more like herself in the decider as she went up a double break for a quick 3-0 lead before storming home and sealing the match when she broke to love.

"I survived tonight," said Williams. "I am not too pleased with the way I played at all," said Williams.

"But it's OK, I'm alive, I'm still here and happy to be on this court. I'll do better. I promise."

The match was a far more taxing affair than Williams' opening match when she routed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 to extend her head-to-head over her long-time Russian rival to 20 wins in 22 matches.

Up next for Williams will be either Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei or Czech Karolina Muchova, who were unable to get their match in earlier due to rainy conditions.

On a rain-hit day in which tournament organisers cancelled all matches on the outdoor courts, French Open winner Ash Barty beat American Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6 while fifth seed Elina Svitolina knocked out Venus Williams with a 6-4, 6-4 win.

Karolina Pliskova, the 2016 finalist who is still chasing her maiden grand slam title, put on a serving masterclass to outclass Georgia's Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1, 6-4.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

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Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

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Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

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