Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex wanted to break the jinx and dashed off to New York alone. She wanted to cheer on her longtime friend Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open women's singles final. The Tennis veteran had to fight it out against a much younger rival Bianca Andreescu from Canada and it turned out to be an easy win for Bianca. She won in straight sets 6-3 7-5 to deny another feather in the cap of Serena who wanted to secure a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam.
The Sun UK says Meghan never expected to see such a result from an all-time great.
The worst part is that this was the third time Serena lost in three successive tournaments in front of Meghan. Both are great friends and she attended Meghan’s wedding. The Duchess of Sussex had watched Williams win at Wimbledon in 2016 – that was before her marriage to Prince Harry. However, she lost to Simona Halep in 2019's Wimbledon. Before that, it was a loss against Naomi Osaka at the 2018 US Open and against Angelique Kerber Wimbledon in 2018.
Meghan Markle cuts a casual look in £130 high street dress at the US Open #USOpen #Royals https://t.co/fF6tBrarIm pic.twitter.com/qpJXq40yVB
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) September 8, 2019
It was a hurried trip for Meghan
Neither Prince Harry nor baby Archie accompanied Meghan Markle on this trip to New York.
It was her first trip to the city after the baby shower in February. She had watched Serena advance to the semis and when she won, Meghan decided to go and see her in action. In fact, she literally made a last-minute dash to the airport and took a flight to the States to be present in person to cheer Serena Williams on at the 2019 US Open final.
The only persons to accompany her were her royal protection police officers. She left her son Archie in charge of his father and a nanny. Incidentally, the Duchess traveled on a commercial flight from London Heathrow and not a private jet.
See Meghan Markle Cheer on Pal Serena Williams at US Open Final in New York https://t.co/hWGfoRI3uM
— People (@people) September 7, 2019
The Sun UK mentions those present at the venue.
There was Serena's husband and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. There are reports that the tennis star’s coach was "worried" over the presence of Meghan. This is because sportspeople are superstitious. Anyway, Serena’s fans who commented on Meghan’s presence should realize that Serena is past her prime and it's difficult to compete against an opponent who is not yet 20. One’s reflexes slow down with age. The seniors admit that and eventually, make way for the younger generation.
There were other celebrities present
According to Express UK, Serena’s coach felt the presence of Meghan Markle could be unlucky for the tennis great who was eyeing her 24th Grand Slam.
Before the start of the match, Meghan interacted with members of Serena’s family that included her husband Alexis Ohanian and her mother Oracene Price. Also present was Serena’s sister, the former tennis star Venus Williams. Other Celebrities present were director Spike Lee, model Gigi Hadid, and model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne. Unfortunately, there was disappointment all around from the loss. If she had won, it would have been her first Grand Slam since her daughter Alexis was born in September 2017.