While Venus and Serena Williams are known throughout the world as two of the top tennis stars, there are other black women tennis players who are climbing up the rankings and gaining lots of recognition. Ironically, two, Serena and Taylor Townsend, will meet in the opening round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
Very few people are unaware of who Serena Williams is. Simply put, the 17-time Grand Slam champion is the queen of tennis and holds the No. 1 ranking in the world as well as in the U.S. Open.
Venus Williams has enjoyed a resurgence this year, even beating Serena recently in a match. She heads into the U.S. Open with a tournament ranking of 19 and could make some noise this year.
Sloane Stephens could be the new American face of tennis when Venus and Serena are gone. Endorsement deals with American Express and Under Armour show that Madison Avenue feels the same way. Stephens hasn’t had a great year thus far, as shown in her ranking of 21, but a strong showing in the 2014 U.S. Open could easily become the highlight of the year.
Madison Keys has shown a lot of potential for years, but it seems as if she is finally channeling that potential into her on-court game. Her dominant serve wreaks havoc on her opponents, and her seed of 27 validates her potential of making a run in the tournament.
Taylor Townsend is a former No. 1 junior, but she faces Serena in the first round. Her future may be bright, but her success in the 2014 U.S. Open is limited because of her first-round foe.
