NEWYORK (Reuters) - In the excitement of Serena Williams' latest bid for American glory, some out-of-court news has buzzed the rumor about Flushing Meadows Square: a duchess had come to Queens.
Meghan Markle, wife of British Prince Harry, was sitting in Williams' box as she faced Canada's Bianca Andreescu in Saturday's women's final.
The presence of the Duchess of Sussex has an even greater significance for what could be a memorable occasion in tennis, as Williams seeks to add her name to the record by matching the number of Margaret Court titles in 24 Grand Slam titles.
Although royalty at Wimbledon is as widespread as strawberries and crème fraîche, the appearance of Markle in New York will not fail to surprise even among the crowds of stars who flock regularly to the tournament.
She is not, however, the first royal to participate in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Princess Beatrice of York attended the men's semifinal between Rafa Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro in 2017 and Queen Sofia of Spain attended the 2013 men's final to support Nadal, tournament organizers said.
Markle stands out as one of the most recognizable faces in the world after his wedding in 2018 with Prince Harry, an event that has made the world one of the world's foremost.
"I used to Callyouméghan"
Williams has a long-standing and well-documented friendship with Markle. The six-time US champion participated in her royal wedding last year and, according to many media, she co-hosted her baby shower in New York.
She celebrated the publication of Markle's cookbook a year ago in a Twitter post that drew the curtain on her friendship with the former actress.
"I used to call you Meghan (and I always do), but dear Duchess of Sussex, your first project" Together, "a cookbook of women from all cultures. I could not be more excited about that and proud of you, "she tweeted.
Markle, appearing as an equally devoted friend, made the last-minute decision to fly off to the Big Apple after seeing Williams beat Elina Svitolina in the semifinals, according to the Times.
On Saturday, it occupies one of the most popular spots of the sport.
The demand for tickets to see if Williams could capture an elusive record, equaling the 24th major title, was at a level similar to last year when she fell in the final against Naomi Osaka.
According to StubHub, the demand for tickets for this year's big show was 33% higher than in 2017 when Williams did not play in the final.
The retailer showed tickets costing hundreds of dollars just to enter the Flushing Meadows facilities on Saturday.
(Report by Amy Tennery, edited by Toby Davis)
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