Jill Craybas, of East Greenwich, remembers a win over Serena as a career highlight

NEW YORK — The last match of Serena Williams’ legendary tennis career was played this week at the U.S. Open. There were tributes and celebrations galore.

But there was at least one woman at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center whose greatest career triumph came in a match that Williams lost.

Seventeen years ago, Rhode Island's Jill Craybas strolled onto Court No. 2 at Wimbledon and proceeded to stun the sports world, knocking the future legend out of the tournament with a straight sets win.

For Craybas, who enjoyed a long and successful career on the WTA Tour, peaking at No. 39, the Serena win is what she’s remembered for most.

“It was one of my best moments, definitely,” she said. “My first WTA title I’m very proud of, and I had a good win against (Kim) Clijsters in Miami. But the Serena match stands out.

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“Her career has been so amazing, and she deserves all the tributes and things she got this week,” Craybas added, from this year's U.S. Open. “I think the only disappointing thing is like what she said, that she wishes she had started (the comeback) earlier this year, so she would’ve had more matches under her belt when she came here.”

Craybas retired in 2013, but she still stays very close to the game as a broadcaster for the World feed at tennis tournaments across the world, including at the U.S. Open. Craybas works both men’s and women’s matches and laughed that it’s hard to tell friends and family how to listen to her.

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“Basically our feed goes out to any station that has an English-speaking channel, but we really don’t know exactly who’s picking it up,” Craybas said, adding she’s been doing TV broadcasts for five years. “Sometimes we’re on USOpen.org, or the app, but sometimes we’re not. But I love doing it. We have so much fun together that even when we’ve been in the same place for 10 hours straight, we go back to the hotel and still want to hang out.”

Craybas got into broadcasting almost by accident. She recalled that in one of her final years as a pro she was asked to go to the commentary booth “and I loved it right away. I was a communications major at Florida, and it was always something I liked.”

As a player, Craybas was known for her consistency on the court, and her durability. She once played 45 major tournaments in a row, a stretch of more than 11 years of health.

“I’m smaller in stature, and my coach would say you’re lower to the ground, your center of gravity is lower. Other bigger players are bending more and getting hurt more,” said the 5-foot-3 East Greenwich native. “But it’s really about managing yourself. If I had a small little injury I took care of it right away instead of ignoring it.”

Kathy Rinaldi, former competitor and longtime friend of Craybas, said she always admired Craybas’ tenacity.

“She wasn’t the biggest or the strongest but she always fought and didn’t beat herself,” said Rinaldi, now the USTA’s Head of Women’s Tennis. “She was always a very smart player so I’m not surprised she’s a strong broadcaster.”

When she’s not traveling, Craybas lives in Southern California with her husband Raj Chaudhuri. Together, they own Alltruist Chocolates, a confections company she founded that’s in two California stores. She makes all the sweet treats herself and is looking to expand into more areas in the future.

Rhode Island is never far from her mind, as Craybas’ parents still live in East Greenwich, and she visits several times a year.

“I had such a great upbringing there, and I love being from Rhode Island,” she said. “People say, “oh you’re from California and I say no, I’m from Rhode Island. I love saying I’m from there.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Jill Craybas cherishes win over Serena Williams at Wimbledon