NEW YORK -- Back in May, in the aftermath of early losses for both at the French Open, good friends Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki -- who also was about a week removed from the end of her engagement to golfs Rory McIlroy -- flew from Paris to Miami and hung out. They went to the beach, to a basketball playoff game -- and put photos of the good times on social media. "Serena is a fun girl. Shes so nice to hang out with. Always makes me laugh and makes everyone around her laugh," Wozniacki said. "Definitely a very inspiring person to be around." A few months later, here Williams and Wozniacki are, back at the top of their tennis games and back together, facing one another Sunday for the U.S. Open championship. On Saturday night, Wozniacki re-posted a photo from the night the Miami Heat clinched the NBAs Eastern Conference championship, showing her and Williams wearing caps that read, "The Finals." Wozniacki wrote on Twitter: "The hat says it all ohh yeah!! ... cant wait!!" So when they were palling around in Florida, did they discuss the idea of turning their seasons around? "No. Not at all. Not even once," said Williams, who is bidding for Grand Slam trophy No. 18, and U.S. Open title No. 6, including three in a row. "We never talk tennis so much, since we spend so much of our life on the court. Same with me and (older sister) Venus. Last thing on our minds is tennis. If anything, its to NOT think about a forehand or a backhand." They did chat right before play began at Flushing Meadows, noting that the draw placed the top-seeded Williams and 10th-seeded Wozniacki on opposite sides of the bracket. "It was like, Oh, it would be much better to play each other in the final than earlier on. I was just glad we werent on the same side of the draw this tournament," Williams said. "Of course, we were like, That would be great if we could see each other in the final, because we both, you know, hadnt had the greatest Grand Slam year." That is true. Williams has not dropped a set the past two weeks while stretching her U.S. Open winning streak to 20 matches. But she lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open, the second round at the French Open, and the third round at Wimbledon. Wozniacki, whose reputation as a counter-puncher is a complete contrast to Williams power-based style, exited in the third round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the first round at the French Open. Heres a key difference: Williams is not used to leaving such tournaments so early. Shes reached at least one Grand Slam final in each of the past eight seasons, winning 10 major titles in that span. Wozniacki, meanwhile, will be participating in only the second major final of her career; she lost to Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open. "I have definitely learned a lot in those years," said Wozniacki, whose high-profile relationship with McIlroy ended while the wedding invitations were in the mail. "I would love to ... have a Grand Slam under my belt," Wozniacki said. "It would definitely have the media stop talking about my lack of a Grand Slam, so that would be nice." No matter how close theyve become, neither Williams, who turns 33 this month, nor Wozniacki, a 24-year-old from Denmark, expects their off-court buddy-buddy status to have any effect on what happens in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. "The friendship, while we are on court, is put aside. We are both competitors," said Wozniacki, who has lost eight of nine previous meetings against Williams. "After the match, one of us is going to congratulate the other and were going to be friends again. Its fine." Williams, of course, has plenty of experience forgetting her feelings about an opponent during a match: She has faced her sister 25 times, including in eight Grand Slam finals. "If I can play Venus, I can play anybody. I grew up with Venus. We actually lived together going on 33 years," Williams said with a laugh, "which is kind of sad." Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . TSN 1290s game day coverage begins on Monday, June 9 at 5:30pm ct as the Blue Bombers take on the Toronto Argonauts in pre-season action. Bombers game day broadcasts on TSN 1290 are hosted by Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Famers Troy Westwood and new addition Chris Walby, alongside beat reporter Darrin Bauming, who delivers regular reports on the team for TSN 1290 all-season long. Jordan Roland Jersey .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. https://www.cheapmlbjerseysjustwholesale.com/. - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. Nike Baseball Jerseys . At 11:06 of the first period, Neal struck Marchand with his knee when Marchand was down on the ice. Marchand remained in the game. Neal was assessed a kneeing penalty for his hit on Marchand. Authentic MLB Jerseys ." Bach is in Rome for the European Olympic Committees general assembly and meetings with Pope Francis. He also visited with Italian Premier Enrico Letta. "The prime minister appeared to be interested in a bid from Italy for 24, because he has realized that the games can serve as a catalyst for development for a city and a country," Bach told The Associated Press on Saturday.DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Marin Cilic continued his mastery against American players, beating John Isner 7-6 (5), 6-3 to advance to the finals of the Delray Beach Open. The victory was Cilics 21st straight against American opponents dating to 2008. The seventh-seeded Croat has reached three straight finals for the first time in his career. He beat Tommy Haas to win at Zagreb earlier this month, and then lost to Tomas Berdych at Rotterdam last week. "Its probably the best three weeks Ive played in my life," said Cilic, who reached his 20th career ATP final. "I couldnt be happier. Im enjoying these moments." Isner, the second seed, was trying to reach his second final of the year. He won the title in Auckland in January. The start of the night match was delayed nearly three hours becaause of rain, not finishing until the early morning Sunday.dddddddddddd Cilic will face Kevin Anderson of South Africa in the final. The fourth-seeded Anderson, who won this event in 2012, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Steve Johnson in the earlier semifinal. Anderson had 13 aces and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points. "Im pleased with the way I executed that part of my game," said Anderson, who has a 7-2 record this year. He was 0-3 in finals last year. Johnson admitted having some nerves playing in his first ATP semifinal. The American had beaten the top-seeded Haas and sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez to reach the semis. "I definitely was a little uptight in the beginning, but credit (Anderson). He played very well," Johnson said. ' ' '
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