8:42 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Moments after her dominant first-round win over former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka at the Top Seed Open on Tuesday, Venus Williams could barely contain her excitement during her on-court interview. After thanking the healthcare workers and the WTA, reflecting on what it was like to be back on court

6:30 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Entering Friday, Serena Williams had played 967 tour-level singles matches as a professional, with just four losses against opponents ranked outside the top 100 — and none in eight years. Well, it’s time to add to that list: Williams was beaten by No. 116 Shelby Rogers 1-6,

1:45 PM ET Simona Halep said she was slowly returning to her best form following the coronavirus hiatus as she cruised past Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-0 on Friday to reach the Prague Open semifinals. World No. 2 Halep made a rusty start to the claycourt tournament and needed three sets to win each of

10:19 AM ET The ATP on Friday issued a revised provisional calendar for the rest of 2020, highlighted by the Italian Open changing dates to take the place of the canceled Madrid Open. Play in Rome will now begin a week earlier than planned, on Sept. 14, the day after the US Open men’s final.

6:18 PM ET Associated Press Robert Ryland, the first Black professional tennis player and later a coach to such stars as Arthur Ashe and Serena and Venus Williams, has died. He was 100. Ryland died Aug. 2 at his stepson’s home in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, his wife, Nancy Ingersoll, confirmed to The New

3:41 PM ET Associated Press Reigning US Open champion Bianca Andreescu pulled out of the Grand Slam tournament Thursday, saying the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from properly preparing for competition. Andreescu joins 2019 men’s champion Rafael Nadal in skipping the US Open. A year ago at age 19, Andreescu became the first woman in the

8:13 AM ET World No. 1 Novak Djokovic says he will compete in the US Open. Djokovic announced his decision Thursday on his website, saying he is “excited” to play while acknowledging the “obstacles and challenges” of holding the major tournament amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I am aware that this time around it will be

2:58 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Serena Williams won the hard way in her comeback following a six-month layoff, rallying to beat unseeded American Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Tuesday’s first round of the Top Seed Open. Aiming to return to form following the break caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the 23-time

2:13 PM ET Associated Press Kristyna Pliskova upset second-seeded Petra Martic 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Prague Open on Wednesday. Pliskova, ranked 69th, hit nine aces and 28 winners on the way to her first win over her 14th-ranked opponent. It’s the eighth clay-court quarterfinal for the hard-serving Czech since she

4:03 PM ET Associated Press PRAGUE — Top-seeded Simona Halep had to fight hard to advance to the second round of the Prague Open in beating unseeded Polana Hercog 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday. It was the first competitive match for Halep since she won the Dubai Championships in February for her 20th career