Roberta Vinci shocks the world as she defeats Serena Williams 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

In one of the most shocking events in tennis history, 43rd-ranked player, Roberta Vinci upset world No.1 Serena Williams in the US Open 2015 semi-finals 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, ending Serena’s chances of completing a calendar grand slam.

The loss also defers Serena’s tying Steffi Graf’s record of 22 grand slam wins to another date.

Chances are the name Roberta Vinci is not in your memory bank, but going forward she will always be remembered as the player whose play on the court, said not so fast Serena Williams, your date with history breaking records will have to wait.

"I don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me," Serena Williams began in her mandatory post-match press conference, which was brief. "If you have any other questions, I'm open for that."

Serena insisted that pressure did not aid in her defeat.

"I told you guys I don't feel pressure," she said. "I never felt pressure. I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.

But reporters weren’t buying that explanation.

"I made a couple of tight shots, to be honest, but maybe just about two.

"But that, I think ... in any normal match you make two tight shots. Other than that, I don't think I was that tight."

Many fans are saying if it wasn’t pressure, then perhaps, lack of focus was the issue since Serena was seen with former and rumored to be back on-again boyfriend, hip-hop artist Drake.

Oddly enough, with both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded women out in the semi-finals, this tournament could go down as one of the strangest in US OPEN history.

Italian Flavia Pennetta upset second-ranked Romanian Simona Halep 6-3, 6-1 in Friday's first women's semifinal.

So, Saturday will be an historic match, but not what fans were willing to pay $280 per ticket to watch. It will be the first US OPEN women’s final between two Italian players since the OPEN era began in 1968, and with two women over 30-years-old.

If there is any consolation for Serena Williams fans, Serena still shares the Open era record of six US Open titles with Chris Evert and she receives a check in the amount of $410,975 USD.

For Williams, tie with Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam Wins Put on Hold

If you were hoping for No. 1 ranked and defending Australian Open champion, Serena Williams, to tie Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 tennis Grand Slams with a repeat win at the Australian Open 2016, you are probably sorely disappointed. Serena lost to Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

The Australian Open 2016 marked Serena Williams’ first competitive major tournament in four months.

Just like the US OPEN 2015, the pressure was on Serena Williams. There is an expectation with every tournament that Serena will rack up the wins, as she steamrolls her opponents; and Serena feels it.

"I mean, every time I walk in this room, everyone expects me to win every single match, every single day of my life," Serena Williams stated in her post-match news conference. "As much as I would like to be a robot, I'm not. I try to."

As straight to the point that Serena may have been with the media, she showed every bit of good sportsmanship towards Angelique Kerber.

"You did so well, let me be the first to congratulate you," Williams said on the court. "You truly played so well in the moment."

Kerber kept her wits about her and her nerves in check throughout the tournament. It could have been lights out in the first round when she met Japan’s Misaki Doi. However, Kerber saved a match point to advance.

Reflecting on the first round, Kerber jokingly said to the crowd assembled at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, “I was with one leg in the plane for Germany.”

Not only did Kerber handle Doi to advance, she sailed past Victoria Azarenka, a former world No. 1, in the quarterfinals 6-3, 7-5.

“I take my chance to be here in the final and play against Serena,” Kerber said. “My dream come true tonight, on this night. My whole life I was working so hard and now I can say that I’m a Grand Slam champion… it sounds so crazy.”

“I’m really enjoying this moment right now,” Kerber said regarding playing in her first major final. “This is the best two weeks of my life, my career. I had goosebumps when I was playing on the court."

Kerber is the first German woman to win the Australian Open since Graf’s win in 1994, and she acknowledged receiving a congratulatory message from Graf.

In acknowledging Serena Williams, Kerber said: "You are really an inspiration for so many people, so many young tennis players. You created history, you are a champion, you are a really an unbelievably great person, so congratulations for everything you did already."

It was graciousness all the way around, at the Australian Open 2016.

Serena Williams and Madison Keys move on to second round

On Tuesday, No. 8 seeded Venus Williams lost her first round match to upstart Johanna Konta of Great Britain 6-4, 6-2, at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Not many people saw this coming, least of all Venus Williams because she was one of the favorites coming into the Australian Open. After all, Venus reached the Australian Open quarterfinals last year and she won three titles last year: 2015 ASB Classic; Wuhan Open, and the 2015 WTA Elite Trophy.

Not to mention that Venus was seeded inside the top 8 at a major for the first time since the 2011 Australian Open, she had played the Australian Open 16 times prior, and she was playing an opponent making her Australian Open debut.

The pair only met once and that was last fall in Wuhan, China. Venus prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a match that required a staggering 2 hours, 39 minutes.

Additionally, Venus had won 47 WTA singles titles, compared to zero for Konta.

Konta told the media on the court after the upset that when she realized that Venus Williams was her first round opponent, she thought to herself, "I just hope I stay out there more than an hour."

Perhaps, disturbed at her performance against Konta, Venus Williams skipped her post-match news conference. Venus does suffer from the effects of Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune condition that leaves her prematurely tired and could have affected her execution.

Nonetheless, since the post-match press conference is mandatory for players, Venus faces a fine up to $20,000. It should be noted that Venus also skipped the post-match press conference at the 2015 French Open and was fined $3,000 USD, after losing to fellow American Sloan Stephens.

Venus, who will be 36-years-old in June, was the oldest woman in the draw and it was only the eighth time in 62 Grand Slam appearances that she lost her opening match.

Meanwhile, her younger sister, defending Australian Open champion and No. 1 seed, Serena Williams, won her opening round against Italian Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5. This was Serena’s first competitive match in four months.

Ranking at No. 15, fellow American, Madison Keys, overcame some nerves in a first-set tiebreaker and defeated Kazakhstani Zarina Diyas 7-6 (5), 6-1 in another bottom-half match. Keys, a 20-year-old Floridian, was a semifinalist at last year's Australian Open. She lost to Serena Williams in the semis.

Venus Williams defeats Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2 in Inaugural Taiwan Open to capture her 49th WTA singles title

It’s Valentine’s Day in the United States, and while lots of women are receiving flowers, Venus Williams collected her 49th WTA title and a check for $500,000, by defeating Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2 at the inaugural Taiwan Open on Sunday.

The former No. 1 and seven-time grand slam winner, who exited in the first round of the Australian Open, felt lucky in Asia.

"I've had so much success in Asia," Williams said after the match, having won her past two titles in China. "I feel like it's very lucky to play here."

"The last five days were so exciting, just to feel the enthusiasm and to play great tennis every day," Williams added. "It was a perfect week for me, and the tournament did an amazing job with everything. The players and fans felt so welcome, so it was perfect."

With Venus Williams’ 49th career women’s singles title, she is now seventh on the all-time tournament victories list for Women’s singles; and she is within striking distance of Monica Seles (53) and Lindsay Davenport (55).

Doi, who was playing Venus Williams for the first time, was bidding for her second WTA career title following last year's win in Luxembourg.

Joe Johnson Snaps his personal streak of 937 games with at least one field goal

Last night the Memphis Grizzlies came to Brooklyn to play the Brooklyn Nets and it was the Grizzlies’ first game without Marc Gasol, who broke his right foot earlier in the day.

In a pre-game interview, Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Tony Brown spoke about the Nets’ chances against the Grizzlies with Marc Gasol being out of the Grizzlies’ lineup.

“Not having him around obviously helps us a little bit, but then it’s not the end all,” Coach Brown stated.

VIDEO: Watch Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Tony Brown talk about the Brooklyn Nets chances against the Memphis Grizzlies

On the other side of the ledger, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger was a little concerned about not having Gasol, but wanted to focus on the game with the Nets and would wait until the NBA All-Star break to emerge with a plan to go forward without Gasol.

Regarding the Brooklyn Nets’ chances for a win, Joerger said, “It’s going to be a close game.”

VIDEO: Watch Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger explain the Memphis Grizzlies outlook without Marc Gasol

Coach Joerger’s pre-game interview was followed up by Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley.

Conley said regarding Gasol’s absence, “This team is resilient, we’ve been through a lot of diversity over the years, this is another hurdle, another obstacle to play without our leader, one of the best players on our team, we’re still confident.”

VIDEO: Watch Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley express the team's predicament without Marc Gasol

Okay so, no Marc Gasol. One would think the Nets would have been emboldened by their buzzer-beating win against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. One would also think that the Nets would have used the opportunity to extend their home-court winning streak to three games. If you are an optimistic soul and said yes, you would be wrong.

The first half looked like it might be a game; the Nets led by five at the end of the first quarter, and only trailed by five at the half. But, in the second half, the Grizzlies sharpened their teeth and mauled the Nets like no tomorrow, ending the third quarter 89-63, and of course, the game at 109-90.

Nets double-digit leaders were: Brook Lopez who finished with 20 points, Wayne Ellington added 18, Bojan Bogdanovic dropped in 11 and Thaddeus Young chipped in 10, as did Markel Brown.

For the Grizzlies, they had seven players score in double digits. Conley finished with 20 points. Interestingly, the next highest scorer for the Grizzlies, Jeff Green contributed 18 points off the bench.

Now, the Nets have lost other games by 20 points or more this season, but this one was different. The Nets’ win against Sacramento and Denver were boosters, and even though Memphis is bound for the NBA playoffs, the Nets had a built-in advantage, no Gasol.

But real the real question on everybody’s mind was how could Joe Johnson end the game with a big fat zero points scored? Prior to last night’s game, Johnson played 937 games with at least one field goal. This was the longest active streak in the NBA. So how did he end up with zero?

“He’s a great pro, man; obviously, it wasn’t his best night,” Coach Brown said about Joe Johnson’s missed field goals. “We were trying to do some things to start the third quarter…..He had some opportunities, but he came up short.”

VIDEO Watch Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Tony Brown explain how Joe Johnson missed scoring a field goal for the first time in 937 games

Thank God for the NBA All-Star break! Also, thank God that the Nets practice facility will now be in Brooklyn starting on Wednesday, February 17, perhaps being closer to the Barclays Center will be helpful to the guys in black and white.

The day after, February 18 at 3:00 p.m., is the NBA trade deadline. Given the team’s performance this season, will the Brooklyn Nets join the shuffle? Only time will tell.

With the win, Serena Williams claims a $2 million first prize

Legendary tennis player, Serena Williams, won her third successive WTA Finals title and fifth overall by beating Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0 on Sunday.

Halep easily beat Williams just four days earlier during the group stage of the tournament, but Williams stepped up with an aggressive game plan for the big win.

Williams won 11 of the last 12 games in the match to join Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only players to have won five titles in the season-ending championships.

"I just started training, because I had such a bad knee in Beijing I didn't know if I'd be able to play here, and now I have won the Billie-Jean King trophy -- I am so excited," Williams told ESPN.

"I was nervous before the match that I had to play this big final," Halep said. "I couldn't manage very well the situation."

With this win, Williams claimed the $2 million first prize, claimed the Billie-Jean King Trophy, and also had a breed of orchid named after her in recognition.

Way to go, Serena!

VIDEO: Billie Jean King thinks Pat Summitt would have made a great tennis player

Billie Jean King, an icon on the world tennis stage, spoke glowingly about Pat Summitt, the former University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach.

In her conversation with What's The 411 TV's Andrew Rosario, Ms. King, will at least, make you chuckle, with her humorous comments about Coach Summitt.

"She was so much fun to watch coach, not only watch the team play, but to see her look at them, and motivate them, and stare at them, and yell at them. She said she mellowed over the years. The winningest coach, 1098 games, eight national championships, but the most important thing, which you're going to hear when I speak, is that every single player, every single player that she ever coached graduated. That's the big deal I think." (Editor's note: me too!)

Ms. King also states that Ms. Summitt would have been a great tennis player.

A little-known fact is that Ms. King played basketball before she played tennis.

The 2012 USTA ICON Awards in its fourth year and held at the US Tennis Center during the US Open, honored Pat Summitt, the former University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach and now Head Coach Emeritus, with the Billie Jean King Legacy Award.

The association also honored posthumously 2012 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and wheelchair tennis pioneer Randy S

VIDEO: USTA President talks about mission of USTA ICON Awards, and Pat Summitt receives the Billie Jean King Legacy Award

Jonathan Vegosen, President and Chairman of the Board, USTA; spoke with What's The 411 TV's Andrew Rosario about the mission of the U.S. Tennis Association and the USTA ICON Awards.

The 2012 USTA ICON Awards, in its fourth year, and held at the US Tennis Center during the US Open, celebrates diversity and inclusion. This year, the USTA ICON Awards honored Pat Summitt, the former University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach and now Head Coach Emeritus, with the Billie Jean King Legacy Award. Ms. Summitt is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division. Tennis legend Billie Jean King presented the award to Ms. Summitt.

The association also honored posthumously 2012 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and wheelchair tennis pioneer Randy Snow; and former USTA CEO and pioneer of the Diversity and Inclusion Department at the USTA, the late Lee Hamilton.

VIDEO: Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross

Fresh off an individual track and field win at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross spoke with What’s The 411TV correspondent Andrew Rosario at the USTA ICON Awards.

Fresh off an individual track and field win at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross spoke with What’s The 411TV correspondent Andrew Rosario at the USTA ICON Awards.

Sanya spoke about winning in London, looking forward to Brazil in 2016, and working with her sister on her hair extension line. She also expressed that being in the room with Coach Pat Summitt and tennis legend Billie Jean King was so inspirational and that it reminds her that there is so much to sports than competing.

VIDEO: Retired American tennis player Leslie Allen

Leslie Allen is a retired American tennis player and keeper of the legacy of tennis champion, Arthur Ashe, through the Arthur Ashe Foundation.

The mission of the foundation is HIV/AIDS education. The foundation carries out its primary mission by training medical professionals from around the world in the latest protocol at Cornell Medical Center.

Money for the Arthur Ashe Foundation has been raised at the U.S. Open for the past 21 years by selling tennis artifacts and many are signed by tennis players. The donated tennis products can also be purchased by bidding on the foundation website, www.ArthurAsheAIDSendowment.org.

Also at the U.S. Open, the Arthur Ashe Kids Day is exposing a lot of kids to tennis, Arthur Ashe's legacy, and to fun.

Ms. Allen represents the top 20 tennis players as a member of the World Tennis Association's board.

Through her organization, Win 4 Life (www.LeslieAllen.net), Ms. Allen introduces young people to the behind-the-scenes careers in tennis. Every year, she also has young people working the Arthur Ashe Foundation booth at the US Open.