Women's Tennis

Fans watching Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime show, eagerly anticipating celebrity cameos, were thrilled to see tennis icon Serena Williams make an appearance.

Both stars grew up in Compton, California, and reconnected in New Orleans on the grandest stage of all. Williams danced beneath a streetlamp as Lamar performed his highly anticipated single "Not Like Us."

The 43-year-old took to social media after the halftime show, making a reference to Wimbledon in the process:

Williams, originally born in Saginaw, Michigan, before moving west to Compton, is a well-known figure in the area, with the community taking pride in the success of the Williams sisters.

"This whole city, man, every time you mention the Williams' names, it's like: 'Compton!'" said local tennis coach Larry Ready, per ESPN's Jim Caple. "You know they're excited about them. They're really motivated and inspired. Even people driving by the courts, they'll yell, 'You ever call Serena and Venus to come over and help you?' They love their Venus and Serena."

Williams boasts an impressive 858-156 professional record, along with 73 singles titles and 23 Grand Slam titles.

The tennis star was a small piece in a larger story told by Lamar, who was also joined by SZA and Samuel L. Jackson.

"I've always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and my history of music," Lamar told reporters on Thursday, per ESPN's Brianna Williams "... Whether it's a world tour or whether it's 500 people at Key Club, I like to always ... make people listen, but also see and think a little."

While Lamar's storytelling took center stage, it was Williams' impressive dance moves that truly stole the show.

Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, in the Australian Open final, becoming the first repeat men's champion since Novak Djokovic (2020-2021).

The top-ranked Italian has dominated the rest of the tour, particularly on the hard-court surface over the last year, where he has won 53 of his last 56 matches.

For his efforts, Sinner takes home $3,500,000—up more than $1,000,000 from a year ago. Meanwhile, Zverev takes home $1,900,000 after reaching his first Australian Open.

Sinner's win over Zverev was never in question. The World No. 1 was extremely effective from his first serve, where he won 84 percent of points while remaining ultra-consistent with just 27 unforced errors.

Sinner joins 29-year-old Madison Keys, the champion in the women's singles draw, who also takes home $3,500,000, while the runner-up, Aryna Sabalenka, takes home $1,900,000.

Sabalenka entered the final as the overwhelming favorite, looking to become just the seventh woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.

However, it was Keys who stunningly triumphed in three sets, winning her maiden Grand Slam—nearly eight years removed from reaching the U.S. Open Final (2017).

Both Sinner and Keys will look to extend their dominant start to the 2025 season when the French Open rolls around on May 25.

Madison Keys won her first grand slam title at the 2025 Australian Open, defeating No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.

Keys beat Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in a three-set thriller that saw no break points in the final set through the first 11 games.

The match couldn't have started better for Keys, who broke Sabalenka's serve in the very first game. Sabalenka made a small run late in the opening set to get within 5-3, but Keys got another break in the ninth game to take the first set.

Sabalenka's return game got her back in the match in the second set. The defending two-time Australian Open champ got two break points, including one on a double break when Keys started to have some issues with her serve.

The third set was the definition of a back-and-forth battle with each player holding serve until the final game. Keys, who dropped the first two points in the 11th game, took a 6-5 lead with two forehand winners that hugged the line but stayed in.

Sabalenka's best serve of the match come as Keys had a double-match point opportunity, but she couldn't keep the positive momentum going when Keys hit her forehand winner to secure the championship.

Keys had an incredible run throughout the tournament that saw her defeat five seeded players, including four in the top 10 and each of the top two seeds. She was also on the verge of elimination in the semifinal against Iga Świątek but was able to save match point.

Keys is just the third American women's player to win a grand slam tournament since 2020, joining Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open) and Coco Gauff (2023 U.S. Open).

This was just the second appearance in a grand slam final for Keys. She lost to Sloane Stephens at the 2017 U.S. Open. The 29-year-old did reach the semifinals in the big four tournaments a total of four times since that loss, most recently at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Keys has now won back-to-back tournaments to start the year. She came into the Australian Open fresh off a victory at the Adelaide International. This marks her first time winning two tournaments in the same calendar year since 2019.

Retired tennis star Serena Williams says she recently had a branchial cyst "the size of a grapefruit" removed from her neck.

Williams detailed her experience with the identification and removal of the growth on TikTok.

"I feel real happy to have worked with some great doctors," Williams said on the video. "A little scared here, but excited to be going to the next steps of healing and doing well."

According to Williams, she first had doctors look at the growth in May, at which time they deemed its removal an elective procedure.

The cyst continued to grow, and although a biopsy found the growth negative for cancer, doctors later recommended she have it removed, according to Williams.

"I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I'm healthy," Williams wrote in her caption to the video.

In a separate post, Williams expressed regret that she was unable to attend the 2024 Glamour Women of the Year awards or celebrate Thursday retirement announcement made by Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, but noted that "health always comes first."

Williams stepped away from professional tennis in August 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her career.

She also won 14 major doubles titles with her sister, Venus Williams, as well as one Olympic gold in singles and three in doubles.

The former world No. 1 parted with her playing career after the 2022 U.S. Open in part to spend more time with family including her daughter, Olympia, she told Vogue's Rob Haskell that year. Williams since welcomed her second child, Adira, in 2023.

Williams' recent video, which showed the tennis legend both before and after undergoing the procedure, concluded with her going to the American Girl doll store with Olympia.

On Saturday, Jessica Pegula will take court in the final of the 2024 U.S. Open after an improbable come-from-behind victory against Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.

The 30-year-old American will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the 2024 Cincinnati Open final, which Sabalenka won in straight sets.

Here's everything you need to know about tomorrow's final.

Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York

Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes

Prize Money: $3,600,000 (winner), $1,800,000 (runner-up)

For the fourth consecutive time, a hard-court Grand Slam final will feature Sabalenka.

Since losing to Amanda Anisimova on August 10, the Belarusian has been playing flawlessly, winning 11 straight matches while dropping just one set.

Sabalenka has more momentum and form compared to Pegula, but for the second straight match, the crowd will be against her.

The two will meet for the eighth time, with Sabalenka steadily controlling the head-to-head (Sabalenka leads 5-2).

Though, on the hard-court surface, they have split the four matches they've played.

Saturday's final will likely come down to serving, especially for Pegula, who in their last match won just 13 of 29 points on her second serve.

Sabalenka has always demonstrated the ability to dominate opponents' second serves; in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, she won 67 percent of points on each opponent's second serve.

With the crowd on her side, Pegula can keep things close, but she'll need to be at her very best.

In the end, Sabalenka's power and physicality might be too much for Pegula to handle.

Prediction: Sabalenka in straight sets