Tennis: Serena get special US Open ranking

WHITE PLAINS: Serena Williams has elected to use an injury-protected ranking to gain entry to the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, said the US Tennis Association. The USTA announced a provisional women’s field for the tournament that includes 97 of the top 100 in the world rankings. Only the top 105-ranked players in the world are granted direct entry into the 128-woman field. However Williams, the 13-time Grand Slam champion whose ranking has plummeted to 172nd in the world, has the option of using the system in which a player who has been sidelined for six months or more by injury can use a special injury-protected ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one Grand Slam.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2011.