(NEW YORK) — Serena Williams won her second-round match of the U.S. Open Wednesday on yet another electric night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating the WTA No. 2-ranked player Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in three sets, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2.
After the match, Williams said that “there’s still a little bit left” in the tennis superstar.
“This is what I do best. I love a challenge. I love rising to a challenge,” Williams said during a post-match interview. “The last couple matches here in New York, it’s really come together.”
Williams said she kicked it into gear after she lost the second set because she said she thought “this could be it.”
“I’m honestly just looking at [winning the U.S. Open] as a bonus. I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t have anything to win. I have absolutely nothing to lose,” Williams said. “I’ve had an ‘X’ on my back since ’99… I really enjoy just coming out and enjoying [playing], and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.”
Williams defeated 80th-ranked Danka Kovinić of Montenegro in two sets, 6-3, 6-3, on Monday night, in an electric match that could have been her last professional singles appearance. Following her win, a celebration for Williams was held at center court, including appearances from tennis legend Billie Jean King and a taped message narrated by Oprah Winfrey.
All eyes have been on Williams, 40, who had announced earlier this month in a personal essay for Vogue that she would be “evolving away” from tennis.
In her nearly three-decade-long career, Williams has won 23 major singles titles — the most in the Open Era for men or women — but is in pursuit to notch one more at Arthur Ashe Stadium, on the same court she won her first major title in 1999.
Williams will reunite with her older sister Venus Williams to play a doubles first-round match on Thursday night. Her third round singles match will be against Australian player Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Tampa Bay 2, Miami 1
Washington 5, Oakland 1
Chicago Cubs 7, Toronto 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Houston 5, Texas 3
Baltimore 4, Cleveland 0
Seattle 5, Detroit 3
Chicago White Sox 4, Kansas City 2
Boston 6, Minnesota 5
LA Angels 3, NY Yankees 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 6, Pittsburgh 1
San Diego 5, San Francisco 4
NY Mets 2, LA Dodgers 1
Atlanta 3, Colorado 2
St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 3
Philadelphia 18, Arizona 2
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Chicago 85, Connecticut 77
Las Vegas 78, Seattle,73
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 1
Columbus 1, Miami 0
New York 1, CF Montral 0
Chicago 0, New England 0 (tie)
LA Galaxy 2, Toronto FC 2 (tie)
DC United 2, New York City FC 1
Houston 2, Los Angeles FC 1
Nashville 4, Colorado 1
Orlando City 3, Seattle 2
Real Salt Lake 3, Minnesota 0
Portland 0, Austin FC 0
(NEW YORK) — Serena Williams is set to begin her second-round match of the U.S. Open against the WTA No. 2-ranked player Anett Kontaveit of Estonia Wednesday night.
Williams defeated 80th-ranked Danka Kovinić of Montenegro in two sets, 6-3, 6-3, on Monday night, in an electric match that could have been her last professional singles appearance. Following her win, a celebration for Williams was held at center court, including appearances from tennis legend Billie Jean King and a taped message narrated by Oprah.
All eyes have been on Williams, 40, who had announced earlier this month in a personal essay for Vogue that she would be “evolving away” from tennis. If she loses tonight, it will end a nearly three-decade-long dominant career in professional tennis.
But she won’t be done at the U.S. Open in Flushing: Williams will also reunite with her older sister Venus Williams to play a doubles first-round match on Thursday night.
Williams has won 23 major singles titles — the most in the Open Era for men or women — but is in pursuit to notch one more at Arthur Ashe Stadium, on the same court she won her first major title in 1999.
(SAN DIEGO) — San Diego State University officials made their first public statements addressing a civil lawsuit filed against former punter Matt Araiza and two other football players of allegedly gang-raping a 17-year-old girl.
“To be absolutely clear, we take allegations of sexual assault very seriously and do not support any actions or behaviors that cause harm to others,” Athletic Director John Wicker said Monday at a press conference.
The university officials pushed back against criticism of how the school handed the sexual assault allegations, with Wicker telling reporters, “It is absolutely not true that we swept this under the rug,” at the press conference.
Wicker defended the university’s handling of the accusations, saying because the alleged assault was said to have happened at an off-campus party, “the San Diego Police Department had the jurisdiction over this matter” and the university allowed SDPD’s request to investigate the sexual assault allegations.
“We are committed to hold accountable students who violate the universities policies,” said Head Coach Brady Hoke at the press conference.
Wicker alleged SDPD asked the university not to investigate the allegations because they felt it would “impede or negatively impact their investigation.”
The Buffalo Bills released rookie Araiza on Saturday after he was named in the lawsuit along with two of his San Diego State University teammates. The 22-year-old NFL rookie has denied the accusations.
“This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do. Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games,” Buffalo Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said in a statement posted to the team’s Twitter account on Saturday.
Beane added that the team had spoken to the accuser’s lawyer and that “we tried to be thorough, and thoughtful and not rush to judgment.”
“With the serious nature of allegations and we just can’t, we don’t have the means to put all the facts together. And there’s multiple versions of what happened and you know, he’s a football coach. I’m a GM like we don’t have access to everything. And so that’s more important than playing football. And so we want Matt to focus on that,” he said.
Beane also said the team’s investigation into the allegations is ongoing.
In a statement to ABC News, Araiza’s parents alleged a “war” was waged on their son and alleged he has been “extorted, discriminated against, harassed and the subject of multiple and continuous threats of violence and death.”
“He has been released from his job and our entire family continues to receive horrific threats of violence and death. We have all been canceled. Every member of our family. Salacious rumors grew as fact. There are multiple witness reports to deny the claims that are made against him. The legal system is designed to find the facts and make decisions. They should be allowed to do that,” Araiza’s parents said in a statement.
An attorney for Araiza told ABC News in a statement that he does not understand why the university is receiving backlash as they were just following the SDPD’s directive.
“As far as SDSU, I feel sorry that the school has been raked over the coals since this story broke. It is my understanding that the San Diego Police Department told them to back off and let them (SDPD) do the investigation, and then SDSU complied with that directive,” Kerry Armstrong, an attorney for Araiza, said in the statement.
Armstrong denied the accusations of rape against his client and alleged he has several witnesses who talked to his investigator and will “back up much of Araiza’s story.” Armstrong also said he does not know what happened in the bedroom, but alleged that Araiza was not present.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Arizona 3, Chicago White Sox 2
Minnesota 8, San Francisco 3
Kansas City 15, San Diego 7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 12, Boston 4
LA Angels 8, Toronto 3
Houston 3, Baltimore 1
Detroit 9, Texas 8
Seattle 4, Cleveland 0
Oakland 4, NY Yankees 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
LA Dodgers 8, Miami 1
Washington 3, Cincinnati 2
Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 0
Colorado 1, NY Mets 0
Milwaukee 9, Chicago Cubs 7
St. Louis 6, Atlanta 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
NY Jets 31, NY Giants 27
Pittsburgh 19, Detroit 9
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Seattle 76, Las Vegas 73
Connecticut 68, Chicago 63
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Atlanta 3, DC United 2
Orlando City 2, New York City FC 1
LA Galaxy 2, New England 1
(DURHAM, N.C.) — A Duke University women’s volleyball player targeted by a fan using hateful, racial slurs while playing a game against Brigham Young University calls the incident an “opportunity” to curate a healthy environment for Black people in collegiate athletics.
Rachel Richardson, a sophomore at Duke, said she’s not angered by the situation that occurred at last Friday’s game, but would rather show compassion and educate people using her platform to spread awareness for similar incidents in the future.
“I’m not the first person, I’m not the last person,” Richardson told ABC News Tuesday. “This isn’t an isolated incident, but it’s an opportunity for not just me, but for anyone who has an opinion, anyone who has a voice to decide that it should be the last time.”
Richardson heard the slur “every time she served,” according to former Texas county prosecutor Lesa Pamplin, who is running for county judge and said Richardson is her goddaughter in a tweet posted on Saturday.
“She was threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus. A police officer had to be put by their bench,” Pamplin tweeted. “Not one freaking adult did anything to protect her.”
Richardson didn’t condemn BYU for this incident, but singled out the alleged perpetrator.
“I know a lot of times when things like this happen, the perpetrators are met with anger. And that’s not what I want to happen in this moment,” Richardson said. “I don’t think that all of BYU should be condemned because grouping all of BYU together with the few students or non-students that were doing it would be the same thing that those people did to me, like viewing all Black people as less than. And I don’t want to sit down to a level.”
The fan, who was not a student, was sitting in the BYU student section, and was identified by Duke during the game, according to BYU. The fan has since been banned from all BYU athletic venues.
“To say we are extremely disheartened in the actions of a small number of fans in last night’s volleyball game in the Smith Fieldhouse between BYU and Duke is not strong enough language,” BYU said in a statement. “We will not tolerate behavior of this kind. Specifically, the use of a racial slur at any of our athletic events is absolutely unacceptable and BYU Athletics holds a zero-tolerance approach to this behavior. We wholeheartedly apologize to Duke University and especially its student-athletes competing last night for what they experienced.”
BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe, spoke out following the incident involving Richardson, telling their supporters to “not cross the line where you would hurt or harm anyone in any way,” and is taking the necessary steps to better educate his staff and student-athletes on ways to handle inappropriate behavior from fans in the future.
Although Holmoe spoke out against the racism, Richardson posted a statement on Twitter Sunday, claiming officials and BYU coaching staff were aware of what was happening during the game but failed to stop the fan and end the behavior.
“This is an opportunity to dig deep into closed cultures which tolerate amoral racist acts, such as those exhibited Friday night, and change them for the better,” Richardson said Sunday. “It is not enough to indicate that you are not racist, instead you must demonstrate that you are anti-racist.”
Nina King, Duke University Vice President & Director of Athletics, said Friday’s alleged incident is unacceptable and all players should be able to compete in a safe environment.
“Duke student-athletes should always have the opportunity to compete in an inclusive, anti-racist environment which promotes equality and fair play,” King said in a statement on Saturday.
As for Richardson, she plans to continue making strides and serving nets on the volleyball court and to continue spreading light and compassion on and off the court.
“It’s not that you’re just a terrible person because you made that mistake the one time, it’s that you’re ignorant and that you need to be educated,” Richardson said. “Hopefully, that person can also meet you with compassion, open their heart, and be willing to learn and be willing to share what they’ve learned, because that’s how it happens. You know, it starts with one place and then it spreads.”
(NEW YORK) — All eyes were on Serena Williams as the tennis superstar made an electric first-round appearance in her final U.S. Open appearance before retirement.
Williams defeated 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on center court in two sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Williams, 40, has been the talk of the tournament after she announced earlier this month in a personal essay for Vogue that her time as a pro was coming to a close.
Williams defeated Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open final to win her first major title in 1999 at the age of 17. Williams defeated five future Hall of Famers, including Hingis, to win that title.
In her 27 years, Williams has notched 23 major singles titles — the most in the Open Era for men or women — as well as 14 in doubles, two more in mixed doubles and four Olympic gold medals. Her 73 singles titles overall is fifth all time among women. Margaret Court holds the all-time majors record with 24. Her career began in 1960, and professional players were not allowed to compete until 1968, though she also won 11 majors in the Open Era.
Rennae Stubbs, her latest coach, longtime competitor, friend and six-time grand slam doubles winner, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that her goal was “to just keep her happy.”
“She looks great. She’s been practicing really, really hard,” Stubbs said leading up to the opening match. “One of the things I emphasized with her when I did start working with her was, ‘You got to play more sets against other players.’ She hasn’t played many matches in the last two years and had the injury at Wimbledon last year, therefore wasn’t sure if she was going to come back. And I think she got the bug to finish the way she wanted to finish, which was on her terms. And she’s done that now.”
Ticket sales skyrocketed in the days after Williams announced she would be stepping away from tennis following the U.S. Open — even before fans knew which night she would be playing.
Williams has been beset by injuries in recent years and hasn’t played 10 tournaments in a year since 2015. In the last two years, she has lost to an opponent ranked No. 100 or worse three times. She sat out the 2021 U.S. Open as well as the first two majors in 2022. She hasn’t played in a major final since 2019.
Williams is currently ranked 410th in the world and lost in the first round of Wimbledon in July.
She won her 23rd grand slam title — besting Steffi Graf’s 22 titles — in January 2017 when she was pregnant with daughter, Alexis Olympia. She and Olympia wore matching Nike outfits Monday night.
Stubbs said she “didn’t have the success that we’re used to her having” in 2022 and noted that a lack of matches “really hurts” her play.
“Through the years she’s always played so many matches, she hadn’t had to play a lot of practice sets or play with any other players, so the emphasis on her over the last couple weeks is, ‘Let’s play some sets against great players.’ At least you get that match practice, in practice, and she’s done that and embraced it. So she’s been really, really good.”
Ultimately, Stubbs said “this is going to be a human moment for her tonight.”
“To know the enormity of this match, her last ever match possibly — or if she wins how excited everyone’s going to be to see her play another match at the U.S. Open. The crowd is going to be amazing. You’re not human if you don’t feel the emotions,” Stubbs said. “There’s no doubt she will be very nervous going on the court — anxiety level will be high because she always has [high] expectations.”
Serena and her sister Venus were granted a wild card entry into the women’s doubles tournament in Queens, New York — a doubles title she’s won twice with her sister. The women’s doubles tournament opens up on Aug. 31 with the Williams sisters playing Czech players Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka in the first round.
(NEW YORK) — All eyes are on Serena Williams as the tennis superstar prepares to make her final U.S. Open appearance before retirement.
Williams, 40, has been the talk of the tournament after she announced earlier this month in a personal essay for Vogue that her time as a pro was coming to a close.
She will open her final tournament Monday night against 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on center court.
Williams defeated Martina Hingis in the U.S. Open final to win her first major title in 1999 at the age of 17. Williams defeated five future Hall of Famers, including Hingis, to win that title.
In her 27 years, Williams has notched 23 major singles titles — the most in the Open Era for men or women — as well as 14 in doubles, two more in mixed doubles and four Olympic gold medals. Her 73 singles titles overall is fifth all time among women. Margaret Court holds the all-time majors record with 24. Her career began in 1960, and professional players were not allowed to compete until 1968, though she also won 11 majors in the Open Era.
Rennae Stubbs, her latest coach, longtime competitor, friend and six-time grand slam doubles winner, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that her goal was “to just keep her happy.”
“She looks great. She’s been practicing really, really hard, ” Stubbs said leading up to the opening match. “One of the things I emphasized with her when I did start working with her was, ‘You got to play more sets against other players.’ She hasn’t played many matches in the last two years and had the injury at Wimbledon last year, therefore wasn’t sure if she was going to come back. And I think she got the bug to finish the way she wanted to finish, which was on her terms. And she’s done that now.”
Ticket sales skyrocketed in the days after Williams announced she would be stepping away from tennis following the U.S. Open — even before fans knew which night she would be playing.
Williams has been beset by injuries in recent years and hasn’t played 10 tournaments in a year since 2015. In the last two years, she has lost to an opponent ranked No. 100 or worse three times. She sat out the 2021 U.S. Open as well as the first two majors in 2022. She hasn’t played in a major final since 2019.
Williams is currently ranked 410th in the world and lost in the first round of Wimbledon in July.
She won her 23rd grand slam title — besting Steffi Graf’s 22 titles — in January 2017 when she was pregnant with daughter, Alexis Olympia.
Stubbs said she “didn’t have the success that we’re used to her having” in 2022 and noted that a lack of matches “really hurts” her play.
“Through the years she’s always played so many matches, she hadn’t had to play a lot of practice sets or play with any other players, so the emphasis on her over the last couple weeks is, ‘Let’s play some sets against great players.’ At least you get that match practice, in practice, and she’s done that and embraced it. So she’s been really, really good.”
Ultimately, Stubbs said “this is going to be a human moment for her tonight.”
“To know the enormity of this match, her last ever match possibly — or if she wins how excited everyone’s going to be to see her play another match at the U.S. Open. The crowd is going to be amazing. You’re not human if you don’t feel the emotions,” Stubbs said. “There’s no doubt she will be very nervous going on the court — anxiety level will be high because she always has [high] expectations.”
While it will be her final singles match if Williams loses Monday night, it won’t be her final pro match. Serena and her sister Venus were granted a wild card entry into the women’s doubles tournament in Queens, New York — a doubles title she’s won twice with her sister. The women’s doubles tournament opens up on Aug. 31 with the Williams sisters playing Czech players Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka in the first round.
(WASHINGTON) — A Washington Commanders rookie running back was shot in the leg during the apparent carjacking, according to the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington. D.C.
Brian Robinson Jr. was in Washington around 5:30 p.m. Sunday when he apparently was approached by two juveniles who tried to steal his car and a struggle ensued, according to police.
Robinson said on Instagram that he was out of surgery and it went “well,” and his coach Ron Rivera said on Monday the doctors are optimistic about Robinson’s recovery.
“The doctors were very positive with him and he was very positive as well,” Rivera told reporters on Monday. “He’s very fortunate. He’s doing well. It will be a matter of time before he’s back out here. There’s no timeline, but everything was very positive.”
The Washington Commanders said a statement Sunday night that the gunshot wound was not life-threatening.
“We have been made aware that Brian Robinson, Jr. was the victim of an attempted armed robbery or carjacking in Washington, D.C. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated at the hospital, where Team officials are on-site with him. We ask that you please respect Brian’s privacy at this time,” the team said.
Robinson was selected from Alabama in the third round of the 2022 draft in April.
