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{blackbabes} 'Clueless' Star Stacey Dash Arrested for Domestic Violence

 

Stacey Dash was arrested for domestic violence in Florida over the weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the "Clueless" actor was busted Sunday in Pasco County -- where she owns a home -- after getting into a squabble with her new husband, Jeffrey Marty, and allegedly putting hands on him.

We're told cops were called to a home around 7:45 PM to respond to a domestic dispute between Stacey and Jeff. Our sources say Stacey allegedly pushed and slapped him and that's when officers arrived ... they saw scratches on his left arm.

Stacey was taken into custody, where she's currently being held on $500 bail. We're also told in these types of incidents, the local authorities often hold people for a 24-hour cooling-off period.

The couple just got hitched last spring in a secret wedding ceremony down in the Sunshine State. Not much is known about her hubby of 1 year, other than the fact that he's a lawyer. It's Stacey's fourth marriage.

We've reached out to Stacey's camp ... so far, no word back.

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{blackbabes} ‘RHOA’ star Eva Marcille gives birth to third child, son Maverick

 

Eva Marcille is a proud new mama of three.

On Friday, the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star welcomed her third child, son Maverick, Us Weekly confirmed.

Maverick is Marcille's second child with husband Michael Sterling, whom she married last year, as the couple also shares a 1-year-old son, Michael Todd Sterling Jr. The "America's Next Top Model" alum, 34, also has a daughter, Marley, with ex Kevin McCall.

After announcing in May that she was expecting, Marcille revealed the gender of her then-baby-to-be a month later.

"Yeah, it's a boy… and I haven't told anyone," Marcille told Extra at the time. She later added: "Life is good. I can say life is good."

A rep for Marcille did not immediately return our request for comment.

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{blackbabes} ‘Into The Dark’: Kerr Smith, Reign Edwards Among 6 Set For ‘Pilgrim’ Installment Of Hulu Horror Event Series

It's going to be a terrifying Thanksgiving. Hulu's horror event series Into the Dark has set Kerr Smith (Riverdale), Reign Edwards (Snowfall), Peter Giles (Man Seeking Woman), Courtney Henggeler (Cobra Kai), Taj Speights (Grey's Anatomy) and Antonio Raul Corbo (Broke) for the "Pilgrim" installment of the Blumhouse Television series.

Into the Dark includes 12 feature-length episodes, released each month over one year and inspired by a holiday, featuring Blumhouse's signature genre/thriller spin on the story. Marcus Dunstan directed "Pilgrim" and co-wrote it with Patrick Melton as well as Noah Feinberg. It will premiere on November 1.

"Pilgrim" is inspired by true events and follows Ms. Anna Barker, who invites Pilgrim re-enactors to her family's Thanksgiving in an effort to remind them of their privilege and help them bond. When the "actors" refuse to break character, the Barker family learns that there is such a thing as too much gratitude.

Previous installments of Into the Dark include the April Fools' Day-themed "I'm Just F*cking With You"; the Mother's Day-themed "All That We Destroy"; July's "Culture Shock" as well as "School Spirit", "Pure", "Treehouse", "They Come Knocking" and "Down".

Smith is repped by The Gersh Agency and Link Entertainment. Edwards is repped by Hyperion, Management 360 and attorney Morris Yorn. Giles is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency and Artists First. Henggeler is repped by The Gersh Agency and Teitelbaum Artists Group. Speights is repped by The Osbrink Agency and Untitled Entertainment. Corbo is repped by The Osbrink Agency and Eileen O'Farrell Management.

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{blackbabes} Photo: Serena Williams poses with Rey and Vi Moradi during a visit to "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" at Walt Disney World in Florida.

 
Serena Williams poses with Rey and Vi Moradi during a visit to "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" at Walt Disney World in Florida.

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{blackbabes} ‘Little Fires Everywhere’: AnnaSophia Robb & Tiffany Boone Among 6 Cast For Flashback Episode Of Hulu Series

AnnaSophia Robb Tiffany Boone

AnnaSophia Robb (The Act), Tiffany Boone (The Hunt), Alona Tal (SEAL Team), Mathew Barnes, Andy Favreau (Single Parents) and Luke Bracey (Hacksaw Ridge) have been cast in the flashback episode of Hulu's upcoming limited series Little Fires Everywhere, based on Celeste Ng's bestselling book. It stars Reese Witherspoon (Elena Richardson), Kerry Washington (Mia Warren), Joshua Jackson (Bill Richardson), Rosemarie DeWitt (Linda McCullough), Jade Pettyjohn (Lexie Richardson), Jordan Elsass (Trip Richardson), Gavin Lewis (Moody Richardson), Megan Stott (Izzy Richardson), Lexi Underwood (Pearl Warren) and Huang Lu (Bebe).

Robb will play Young Elena, a young mother with four children under four, Elena struggles to reassert control over her life after her youngest child is born.

Boone is Young Mia. After learning her scholarship is being revoked, Mia is willing to go to extreme lengths to stay in art school and pursue her dreams.

Tal portrays Young Linda. Elena's best friend, Linda and her husband Mark long for a child of their own while enduring heartbreaking loss and the grief of infertility.

Barnes is Young Bill, a Shaker Heights attorney who hails from modest means, Bill must choose between his dream job in the public defender's office and a more lucrative career in the private sector to support his growing family.

Favreau plays Young Mark, Linda's husband and a close friend of the Richardsons, Mark and his wife grapple with the heartache of infertility as they struggle to conceive a child of their own.

Bracey is Jamie Caplan, Elena's college boyfriend, Jamie reminds Elena of the future she could have had, had she not been so bent on rule following.

Developed and written by Casual's Liz Tigelaar, the series hails from Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, Washington's Simpson Street and ABC Signature Studios. Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Witherspoon and Washington star in the series, with Tigelaar serving as executive producer and showrunner. Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter will executive produce for Hello Sunshine, along with Washington and Pilar Savone for Simpson Street, and Lynn Shelton. Ng serves as producer.

Robb is repped by CAA, Untitled and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham. Boone is repped by ICM and Link Entertainment. Tal is repped by Innovative and McKeon/Myones Entertainment. Barnes is repped by J Pervis Talent Agency and JR Talent Group. Favreau is repped by Innovative and Main Title Entertainment. Bracey is repped by CAA, Fourward and Bloom Hergott Diemer.

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{blackbabes} Serena Williams admits she was ‘terrified’ to give birth

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Serena Williams may be all business when it comes to her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, but her personal life has inspired some major decisions in creating her portfolio.

"I met with this company, 'Mommy and Me' — which I invested in a while ago — and they are really bringing help and information to moms after they [give] birth," the tennis icon told the crowd during an Advertising Week panel on Tuesday. "You get so much information before [having a baby], I was overloaded by what to do — so much so that I was frightened when it came time to give birth."

"I was like, 'You know what, I'm just not gonna do it.' I was late, I was at my dad's house and I was killing time. I think I was one of the few people who wanted to keep the baby inside," she recalled. "I was so terrified, but one of the things that this particular company is doing is helping women, so that's just a touch of what's in our portfolio … it's been fun to work on."

The firm, which the 37-year-old got up and running in 2014, has also invested in food delivery brand Daily Harvest and tampon subscription service Lola. When starting out as an investor, Williams was specifically drawn to companies with female founders that she can relate to, she explained.

With stroller brand Colugo, she again credited being a mom to now-2-year-old Alexis for being a hands-on kind of investor.

"They just want design feedback and I throw my baby in it and I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is so much better than that other stroller that I started to hate with all my heart. I don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to work a stroller,'" she joked.

But to live up to the champion's standards, hopeful entrepreneurs need to show their work ethic up front.

"You have to trust your instinct," she said while chatting alongside Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan at the industry event. "We meet with different founders and if they don't seem like they're a reputable individual and they're just in it for a quick run or they're just in it because it's cool to raise money or start a company — it's so not cool, it's a ton of work — if we see that you're not really ready to put in those 20 hours sometimes a day, we understand that they may not be the company we want to invest in."

In addition to her diverse investment portfolio, Williams also launched her fashion line — S by Serena Williams — last year and saw it recently get the New York Fashion Week treatment.

"That went beyond anything we could have ever dreamt of," she said of seeing her designs on the coveted runway. "It was last minute, they were like, 'We want you in New York Fashion Week,' and I was like, 'I get to show at New York Fashion Week! This is a dream come true! OK, how to do I get to Milan?'" she recalled thinking. "You know, I'm always thinking on the next level, so it's been some tough days and some great days, but it's business."

Williams also sits on the boards of Verizon Media, Survey Monkey and Poshmark.

 

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{blackbabes} Dishing with Digest - 9/20/19 - Mishael Morgan

 
Mishael Morgan Opens Up About Her Y&R Return

Listen / download: https://www.podbean.com/site/EpisodeDownload/DIR6D72506G8IKI

Mishael Morgan talks about her return to Y&R in a new role, her experience playing Hilary, her reunion with Bryton James and more with Digest's Stephanie Sloane and Mara Levinsky. Plus, we talk about other actors who have come back to their shows in different roles.

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{blackbabes} ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’: Ronen Rubenstein & Sierra McClain Land Leads In Fox’s Spinoff Series

9-1-1 spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, has cast its 9-1-1 operator and Rob Lowe's son. Ronen Rubenstein (Dead of Summer) and Sierra McClain (Mindhunter, Empire) have been cast in lead roles opposite Rob Lowe, Liv Tyler and Jim Parrack in Fox's spinoff series 9-1-1: Lone Star.

9-1-1: Lone Star hails from 9-1-1 creators/executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear. Set in Austin, it follows Owen (Lowe), a sophisticated New York firefighter who, along with his son (Rubenstein), relocates to the Texas capital and must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in his own life.

Rubenstein will play TK Strand, the firefighter son of Capt. Owen Strand (Lowe), who follows his father to Austin, TX.

McClain is Grace Ryder, an Austin-based 9-1-1 call center operator and wife of firefighter Judd Ryder (Parrack). On the mothership series, the 9-1-1 operator has been played by Connie Britton in Season 1 and by Jennifer Love Hewitt since Season 2. Hewitt's Maddie also is related to one of the firefighters, she is Buck's (Oliver Stark) sister.

Murphy, Falchuk and Minear serve in the same capacity on the offshoot. Lowe is co-executive producer. 9-1-1: Lone Star will premiere on January 19, following the NFC Championship Game, and will air in the mothership series' Monday 9 PM slot during its midseason hiatus.

Rubenstein was a series regular in the Freeform horror-drama series Dead Of Summer. His recent credits include a series regular role in the Hulu pilot Less Than Zero, the lead in Tim Hunter's The Smiley Face Killers written by Bret Easton Ellis, and a supporting lead role in Will Wernick's Follow Me.

Ronen most recently recurred as Nessa on Empire and Tanya on Mindhunter.

Rubenstein is repped by ICM Partners, Management Production Entertainment and Lichter Grossman. Ronen is repped by ICM Partners, Our Brand and Morris Yorn.

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{blackbabes} Jesse Plemons & ‘The Deuce’ Actress Dominique Fishback Join Daniel Kaluuya & Lakeith Stanfield In WB’s Black Panthers Pic ‘Jesus Was My Homeboy’

Jesse Plemons (The Post) and The Deuce actress Dominique Fishback are joining Warner Bros' and MACRO's anticipated Black Panthers pic Jesus Was My Homeboy, starring Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta).

The Ryan Coogler-produced film will follow the rise and untimely demise of iconic Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton (Kaluuya) as seen through the eyes of William O'Neal (Stanfield), the man who betrayed him to the FBI. It will explore how the FBI infiltrated the Black Panthers, the psychology of their informant and the notorious assassination of the young political leader who died aged only 21. Production is due to start in mid-late October.
Fishback, the female lead, will play Hampton's lover Deborah Johnson, the mother of activist Fred Hampton Jr. Plemons will star as Roy Mitchell, one of the primary FBI agents assigned to pursue Hampton and get intelligence from O'Neal.
Black Panther director Coogler and Charles D. King's (Mudbound) MACRO are producing with finance coming from Macro and Warner Bros. Shaka King (Newlyweeds) will direct and also produce from a script he wrote with Will Berson (Sea Oak).
Plemons, well known for TV roles in Black Mirror, Fargo and Friday Night Lights, and movies Game Night, The Post and Vice, will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things and Disney's Jungle Cruise.
Rising actress Fishback will next star as the female lead opposite Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Netflix's sci-fi feature Power. She recently appeared in Fox 2000's The Hate You Give and Jordana Spiro's indie drama Night Comes On, which won the NEXT Innovator award at Sundance 2018 and the jury prize at Deauville. She also starred in HBO's The Deuce and Random Acts of Flyness.
Plemons is repped by TalentWorks and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman. Fishback is repped by UTA, Management 360 and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

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{blackbabes} Good Trouble Reunites Entire Fosters Family for Christmas Special — PHOTO

Good Trouble Christmas Special

Christmas is a time for family, so Good Trouble is very fittingly bringing together Callie and Mariana's entire Fosters clan (and then some!) for its upcoming holiday special, TVLine has learned exclusively.

The two-hour event will feature the returns of Teri Polo and Sherri Saum (as moms Stef and Lena), plus David Lambert and Hayden Byerly (as siblings Brandon and Jude). And although Noah Centineo (Jesus) is not pictured in TVLine's exclusive photo, rest assured that The Internet's Boyfriend will be part of the festivities. While each family member already visited Callie and Mariana's new digs during the spinoff's first season, the special marks the first time all of the Adams Fosters will be reunited since the original series ended its run last year.

On top of that, the Christmas gathering will also include a number of in-laws who made their debut on The Fosters: Brandon's wife Eliza, her parents Jim (Robert Gant) and Diane (Susan Walters), and her brothers Jamie (Beau Mirchoff) and Carter (Spencer List). Of course, Jamie is no stranger to Good Trouble, where he recurs as Callie's boyfriend. As for Carter, he previously clicked with Jude on The Fosters, so this reunion could be quite interesting.

"Look who's coming to town. It's not Santa, but our beloved Adams Foster family will be bringing plenty of cheer," co-creator Joanna Johnson tells TVLine. "Tune in to see who's been naughty or nice and for all the drama and hijinks of a Foster family/Coterie holiday mashup!"

The holiday special — written by Johnson and directed by co-creators Bradley Bredeweg (Hour 1) and Peter Paige (Hour 2) — is slated to air this winter. Viewers can catch up on all episodes of Good Trouble on Hulu. 

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{blackbabes} ‘Beyonce Presents: Making The Gift’ Special Explores Making Of ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ Album

 

The making of The Lion King: The Gift, an album that saluted the Disney classic, will be unveiled Monday in an hour-long documentary exploring the behind-the-scenes work on the music.

The special will air at 10 PM ET/PT on ABC and offers candid footage and interviews. The album came out July 19 in conjunction with Walt Disney Pictures live-action remake of the animated classic. Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records teamed up on the album, which brought together some of the most important African artists of the day with well-known American talent to reinterpret the story and themes of the film with authentic sounds of Africa.

Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift was written, directed and produced by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, with co-director and collaborator Ed Burke. Executive producers are Steve Pamon and Erinn Williams.

Parkwood Entertainment is a film and production company, record label and management firm founded by Beyoncé in 2010. 

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{blackbabes} Lupita Nyong'o to Star in HBO Max's Americanah, With Danai Gurira Writing

 

HBO Max is hosting a Black Panther reunion of sorts: Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o is set to star in the streamer's adaptation of Americanah, to be penned by Walking Dead star Danai Gurira.

Based on the bestselling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah — which just earned a straight-to-series order from HBO Max — follows a Nigerian woman named Ifemelu (Nyong'o) and "her extraordinary experiences with love, heartache, adversity and self-discovery" as she travels to America, per the official synopsis. The pilot for the 10-episode limited series will be written by Gurira, who just scored a Tony nomination for writing the Broadway show Eclipsed. She will serve as showrunner, and she and Nyong'o will also serve as executive producers.

"Americanah has been a passion project for me since I read Chimamanda's beautiful novel in 2013," Nyong'o said in a statement. "It's a tale that is simultaneously timely and timeless. HBO Max is the perfect partner to bring this profound and celebrated story to life, and I'm thrilled that Danai will bring to the project her intelligence, wit, and understanding of the stories and the worlds of Americanah."

This is a rare TV role for Nyong'o, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave. She and Gurira co-starred together in last year's Marvel blockbuster Black Panther. Gurira, meanwhile, is about to wrap up a lengthy run as Michonne on AMC's The Walking Dead, as she's announced she'll be exiting the show during the upcoming Season 10.

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{blackbabes} black-ish to Host Girlfriends Reunion

Girlfriends UPN The CW Tracee Ellis Ross

Tracee Ellis Ross is getting together with some of her old Girlfriends: Ross' co-stars from the UPN/CW sitcom will join her in an October episode of black-ish.

Ross confirmed the news on Twitter with a video that features her and Girlfriends castmates Jill Marie Jones, Persia White and Golden Brooks and touts the "epic TV reunion" as "a must-see episode."

In the episode, set to air Oct. 8, Ross' Bow takes daughter Diane to meet the women in her feminist group, and brings along three of her girlfriends to join the group as well in a bid to make it more inclusive.

"We haven't all been together on camera since 2006," Ross tells Entertainment Weekly about her Girlfriends co-stars. "Being able to merge the worlds of black-ish and Girlfriends was surreal for me — and so much fun. These are women I grew up with and love deeply, and it was easy to tap back into the magic of our chemistry and how much we love each other. It was giggles on top of giggles on top of giggles."

Ross starred alongside Jones, White and Brooks on Girlfriends, which debuted on UPN in 2000 and moved to The CW in 2006, wrapping up an eight-season run in 2008.

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{blackbabes} Serena says her poor effort 'inexcusable' in US Open final

 

New York (AFP) - Serena Williams is wondering when she will start playing like a 23-time Grand Slam champion again in a major final, calling her poor showing in Saturday's US Open final loss "inexcusable."

Williams fell to 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the same court where she won her first Grand Slam title 20 years ago, nine months before Andreescu was born.

"I love Bianca. I think she's a great girl. But I think this was the worst match I've played all tournament. It's hard to know that you could do better," Williams said.

"Bianca obviously played well. I think her returns make me play better and put pressure on my serve.

"At the same time it's inexcusable for me to play at that level."

Williams had 33 winners but just as many unforced errors. She hit nine aces but misfired eight double faults and hit only 44 percent of her first serves. She dropped 30 of 43 points on her second serve.

"I believe I could have played better. I believe I could have done more. I believe I could have just been more Serena today," Williams said.

"I honestly don't think Serena showed up. I have to kind of figure out how to get her to show up in Grand Slam finals."

Williams, who remains one Slam title shy of matching Margaret Court's all-time record, has lost the past two Wimbledon and US Open finals since returning after having a baby two years ago.

And she's struggling to find answers for bad performances in the biggest matches.

"All of it honestly, truly is super frustrating," Williams said. "I'm so close, so close, so close, yet so far away.

"I don't know what to say. I guess I got to keep going if I want to be a professional tennis player. And I just got to just keep fighting through it."

Williams, who turns 38 later this month, downplayed the pursuit of Court's record.

"I'm not necessarily chasing a record. I'm just trying to win Grand Slams," she said. "It's definitely frustrating, but for the most part I just am still here. I'm still doing what I can do."

Williams fell behind 5-1 in the second set, sounding somewhat embarrassed and humbled at her situation before saving a match point in the seventh game to begin a fightback.

"I was just thinking, honestly at that point, 'Wow, this is terrible. You got to play better. I have to do better,'" Williams said.

"I just couldn't go down like that, so I just wanted to play a little bit better."

- Serena seeks answers -

Most spectators in the crowd of 26,191 cheered on Williams, helping revive her to level the set at 5-5 before Andreescu broke again in the 12th game to win the title.

"Well, I was thinking, 'OK, Serena, you didn't miss a serve, you lost serve maybe twice in the whole tournament, and you didn't hit a first serve in today,'" she said.

"So that was obviously on my mind: 'How do I play at a level like this in a final?'"

As her recent Slam finals losses go, she rated the effort superior to that against Simona Halep in dropping last July's Wimbledon final -- "I definitely did better than I did against Halep" -- and discounted last year's Wimbledon loss to Angelique Kerber, saying, "Kerber doesn't count because I was exhausted. My baby was eight months, and that's tough."

Williams, who has not won a Slam since the 2017 Australian Open while she was pregnant with daughter Olympia, said the time after her loss was spent pondering why she played so woefully.

"I'm not really happy, but I have to take it one moment at a time," she said. "I honestly didn't play my best. I could have played better. That's the only solace that I can take."

Williams figures time will heal the pain, but it won't be any time soon.

"In 20 years, I definitely will be like, 'Wow, that wasn't so bad,'" she said. "It's very hard right now in the moment to take this and say, 'You did OK,' because I don't believe I did."

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{blackbabes} Crowd helped Serena fight but she wished for better showing

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New York (AFP) - Serena Williams took energy from 24,000 cheering fans Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but in the end it was not enough to enable her to defeat Bianca Andreescu in the US Open final.

The 19-year-old Canadian defeated Williams 6-3, 7-5 to capture her first Grand Slam title, but only after battling Williams deep into a tough second set.

"It was fantastic tennis out there," Williams said. "I wish I could have played a little bit better."

Williams was denied in her attempt to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. It's the fourth Slam final in a row, this year's and last year's finals at the US Open and Wimbledon, where Williams came up short with a chance to equal the mark.

Down 5-1 in the second set, Williams faced a match point but answered with a forehand winner to foil Andreescu. She broke in the seventh game and again in the ninth at love and pulled level at 5-5 as the crowd roared with delight, hoping to see history made.

"I was just fighting at that point, just trying to stay out there a little bit longer," Williams said.

"The fans started cheering so hard it made me start playing a little bit better and fighting a little bit more."

But her fightback came up short as Andreescu held and broke on a forehand winner. Williams finished with 33 winners but also 33 unforced errors to only 17 by Andreescu.

"Bianca played a wonderful match," Williams said. "I just feel really honored to be out here and competing at this level."

Andreescu said she was "really proud with how I dealt with everything" and a major item on that list was "definitely the crowd."

"I know you guys wanted Serena to win," she told the fans after the match. "And I'm so sorry."

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{blackbabes} Serena Williams faces 19-year-old Andreescu in US Open final

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Getting to Grand Slam finals has not been the hard part for Serena Williams since returning to tennis after having a baby.

It's what comes next that's been the problem.

Despite repeated injuries, despite a lack of proper preparation, Williams keeps putting herself in position to earn a 24th major championship, which would equal Margaret Court for the most in tennis history. Williams gets her latest chance at the U.S. Open on Saturday, when she will face 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Canada for the trophy.

This will be Williams' fourth final in the past six majors. But she is 0-3 in those others, losing against Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon in July 2018, to Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows in September 2018 - who could forget that one? - and to Simona Halep this July.

''There's so many different emotions in finals,'' Williams said after her 6-3, 6-1 semifinal victory over No. 5 Elina Svitolina. ''It just brings out so many highs and lows, nerves and expectations. It's a lot.''

The difference this time, according to Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, is that she should feel better about her game now. Unlike for those past three finals, she is healthy, she is in good shape, she has been able to put in the right amount of work.

And therefore, he explained, it'll be easier for her to deal with the emotions and pressure in this final than in those others.

''If you feel weak or not as strong as you wish you would, it's more difficult to beat the pressure. When you don't move well, you can't be as confident as you should be because if your 'A' game doesn't work, you don't have any other option. And for me, that's what happened,'' he said Friday. ''It's a totally different situation now because now she can move. If she needs to play the rally, she can play the rally. ... So there is no panic if she misses a bit more than usual. No problem.''

Mouratoglou's conclusion?

''It's difficult for us to realize because she was in three finals, so you feel she's ready. But she was in the three finals because she's the best competitor of all time,'' he said, ''not because she was ready.''

The match against Osaka quickly devolved after Williams argued with chair umpire Carlos Ramos about a warning over receiving signals from Mouratoglou. Eventually, as things escalated, Williams was docked a point for breaking her racket, then a game for calling Ramos a ''liar'' and a ''thief.''

''Obviously there's a lot of things that I've learned in the past,'' she said, ''but I just have to go out there (and), above all, most of all, just stay relaxed.''

It might help that she got a look, if a brief one, at Andreescu just last month in the final of a tuneup event in Toronto, in front of the youngster's home fans. Williams was trailing 3-1 when she retired from the match, citing back spasms. That might have helped Andreescu, too, of course.

Andreescu has been a revelation this season, going 33-4, including 7-0 against top-10 opponents, and hasn't lost a completed match since March 1. She was sidelined by injuries for part of that time, particularly to her right shoulder.

She has a varied style, an in-your-face attitude - her coach, Sylvain Bruneau, called her a ''street fighter'' - and an ability to come through in the clutch, going 13-3 in three-setters this year.

Just one year ago, Andreescu was losing in qualifying in New York. Now she is the first woman since Williams' older sister, Venus, in 1997 to get all the way to the final in her U.S. Open main-draw debut.

This is only the fourth major tournament of her career.

''I definitely was not surprised,'' No. 15 Belinda Bencic said after her 7-6 (3), 7-5 semifinal loss to Andreescu. ''I don't think anyone should be.''

What about Andreescu herself? Is she shocked by this sudden success?

Well, yes and no.

On one hand, this is all a bit dizzying for someone never before even past the second round at a Slam, which is why she kept asking, ''Is this real life?'' after her quarterfinal win. On the other, she says she's been visualizing this since she was 16 and wrote herself a fake check with what a U.S. Open champion earns - and has updated the figure as the real top prize has climbed to $3.85 million (about $5 million in today's Canadian dollars).

That the final comes against Williams makes it all the more special.

''I remember always telling my team I would have always wanted to play her right before she retires,'' said Andreescu, who was born the year after Williams won her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows at age 17. ''I'm really looking forward to it.''

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{blackbabes} 20 years after the Serena Williams era began, she faces a potential new revolutionary in Bianca Andreescu

 

There is a nice symmetry in the way Serena Williams has returned to the US Open final at the age of 37, exactly 20 years after she triumphed over Martina Hingis in her first major showpiece on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Because, just as Williams's emergence heralded a new era of mighty serving and all-court athleticism, so her teenage challenger on Saturday night – 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu – feels like a game-changer in her own right.

This new generation has already thrown up some superb stories, including Naomi Osaka's capture of the last two hard-court slams, Ashleigh Barty's transformation from wallflower to major champion and Coco Gauff's sudden escalation into the biggest draw-card in the game.

But Andreescu is a different animal entirely. In a year where the first three slams have been won by introverts (Osaka, Barty and Simona Halep), she has a ferocity about her, both in her competitive zeal and her varied and muscular game-style.

We would be talking more about her precociousness were it not for the extraordinary Gauff – who is still just 15 and already threatening to reach the second week of slams. But even so, Andreescu only turned 19 in June, and thus must have been conceived at around the time that Williams was bundling the underpowered Hingis out of her path in that first US Open final.

Just as Williams represented a different style of tennis, bringing the curtain down on a time of slice backhands and delicate net-play, so Andreescu has the feel of a revolutionary in the way she shapes her groundstrokes.

Tennis players usually strike a balance between hitting the ball quickly and imparting it with heavy topspin. Most lean one way or the other, but Andreescu manages to do both, almost defying the physics of the game. Even if she is on the short side for the tour, standing 5ft 7in, she makes up for it with a feline explosivity. And her willpower is equally startling.

Against Belinda Bencic on Thursday night, Andreescu was trailing 5-2 in the second set – a double-break down – when she switched on the afterburners that have brought her 23 straight victories in completed matches. Her extra attitude carried her through five straight games as she completed her 7-6, 7-5 win.

It has been a remarkable sequence. Admittedly, there was an anomaly in Miami in late March, when Andreescu was forced to pull out midway through her fourth-round match because of a shoulder injury. (This would later rule her out of both the French Open and Wimbledon.) But the last person to actually convert a match point against her was Sofia Kenin of the USA, all the way back on March 1.

Williams and Andreescu also contested the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto three weeks ago – another match that didn't go the distance. Williams retired with a back injury at 3-1 down in the first set, and sat weeping on her chair, whereupon Andreescu showed her outgoing personality by rushing round the net to offer consolation.

"She really knows how to mix up the game and play different shots in different ways," said Williams of Andreescu. "She serves well, moves well, has a ton of power. Above all, I just like her as a person. She's amazing."

If Andreescu showed her fire against Bencic, Williams never really needed to in her own semi-final against Elina Svitolina, who faded after failing to convert six break points in the first few games. This was a statement victory, by a 6-3, 6-1 scoreline, which occupied only 70 minutes.

The upshot was that, for the fourth time in the last 14 months, Williams stands within a single victory of a 24th major title – which could carry her level with Margaret Court's record and end any real debate about her status as the greatest champion of all.

Watching Williams's semi-final, Amazon Prime commentator Martina Navratilova suggested that this was "the best I've seen her play in a long, long time". But after a series of disappointments in major finals, it will be interesting to see how the home favourite responds to the fans' expectations.

As Andreescu acknowledged on Friday night, "For sure, the crowd's going to be for Serena. I just have to deal with that."

Venus Williams in Auckland in Janury – and beaten the lot.' data-reactid="85">At least the pattern of her short career suggests that she will rise to the occasion. Andreescu has played seven top-ten players – the first one being Serena's sister Venus Williams in Auckland in Janury – and beaten the lot.

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