Venus Williams Wins In Washington Doubles Opener After 16-Month Layoff
Venus, who does not have a ranking, won 14 major titles alongside Serena in the women's doubles, as the Williams sisters dominated the sport for many years.
She will face another American, Peyton Stearns, in the first round of the singles competition on Tuesday. When she takes the court as a wild card for her first singles match, she'll be the oldest player to compete at a WTA Tour-level main-draw match since Kimiko Date (then 46) seven years ago in Tokyo.
A victory on Tuesday Stearns, currently ranked No. 35, would make Williams the oldest to do it since Martina Navratilova (then 47) at Wimbledon 2004.
In the men's singles, Britain's Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie are through to the second round in Washington.
Evans, who won the Washington title in 2023, claimed a hard-fought win against Zizou Bergs 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 35-year-old wild card will next face 13th-seeded American Alex Michelsen.
Meanwhile, Norrie defeated British qualifier Billy Harris 6-3 7-6 (7-4) and faces French Open semi-finalist and second seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the second round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Tadej Pogačar shows unrivaled audacity to win his fourth Tour de France title in style
PARIS (AP) — The roads were dangerously slippery after heavy rain. A fourth Tour de France title was all but won anyway, so finishing safely in the pack would do fine for Tadej Pogačar. Especially considering Sunday's final stage had already been neutralized for safety reasons and he just had to complete the race. HT Image Surely there was no need to launch a seemingly pointless attack and risk crashing? But holding back or being cautious rarely appeals to Pogačar, the 26-year-old cycling star from Slovenia. He clinched his fourth Tour title in inimitably daring style on Sunday and further cemented his place among cycling's greats. Even though he really did not need to, and risked falling on oil slick-wet roads, Pogačar simply could not help himself. Against all logical opinion, he tried winning Sunday's 21st and final stage with trademark uphill attacks, only to fall short of the stage win itself. 'In the end I found myself in the front, even though I didn't have the energy,' said Pogačar, who won the Tour last year and in 2020 and 2021. 'Just speechless to win the Tour de France, this one feels especially amazing," Pogačar added. 'Just super proud that I can wear this yellow jersey.' Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vinegaard finished the overall race 4 minutes, 24 seconds behind Pogačar in second place and Florian Lipowitz was 11 minutes adrift in third. Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the 21st and last stage, which broke with tradition and featured three climbs of Montmartre hill. Because of heavy rain and the risk of crashes, organizers had earlier neutralized the times 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the end, effectively giving Pogačar the victory — providing he crossed the finish line. He did the opposite of what almost every rider would do with victory a near certainty. As the rain teemed down, he set a tremendous pace in the Montmartre climbs as fans cheered all along the cobbled Rue Lepic, with flags and fans hanging out of windows. Only five riders were left with Pogačar on the third ascension of the 1.1-kilometer Montmartre hill. After fending off American Matteo Jorgenson, he was caught cold near the top as Van Aert launched a stunning attack to drop — yes, drop! — Pogačar, the world's best climber, on the steepest section. 'Hats off to Wout, he was incredibly strong," Pogačar said. Van Aert rolled back down for a prestigious stage win on the famed Champs-Élysées. Pogačar looked weary as he crossed the line in fourth place, 19 seconds behind. But then it was time to celebrate title No. 4. Although don't expect Pogačar to make any headlines on that front. 'Everyone celebrates in their own way, I just want peace and some nice weather, not like here today," Pogačar said. "Just to enjoy some quiet days at home.' Only four riders have won the showcase race five times: Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Induráin and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault. Pogačar won four stages this year to take his Tour tally to 21 and 30 at major races, including six at the Giro d'Italia and three at the Spanish Vuelta. The UAE Team Emirates leader praised his teammates. 'I think the second week was the decisive moment," Pogačar said. 'We took more advantage.' Lipowitz, meanwhile, secured his first career podium at a Grand Tour, the alternative name given to the three major races. His performance, following his third-placed finish last month at the Critérium du Dauphiné, suggests the 24-year-old German rider could challenge in the near future. Traditionally, the last stage is largely processional with riders doing laps around Paris. The Tour broke with tradition after the success of the Paris Olympics road race, which also took in Montmartre, famous for its Sacré-Coeur basilica. It was the fifth straight year where Pogačar and Vingegaard finished 1-2 at the Tour. Vingegaard was second in 2021, before beating Pogačar the next two years with the Slovenian second. When Pogačar reclaimed his title last year, Vingegaard was runner-up. 'We've raised the level of each other much higher and we push each other to the limit," Pogačar said. 'I must say to him, big, big respect.' Pogačar has also won the Giro d'Italia, doing so last year to become the first cyclist to secure the Giro and Tour double in the same season since the late Marco Pantani in 1998. But Pogačar has not yet won the Spanish Vuelta, whereas Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx won all three major races. When Pogačar won the hilly fourth stage of this year's race, it was the 100th professional victory of his stellar career, all events combined. Pogačar is also the world road race champion. His dominant victory at the Critérium continued his excellent form the spring classics. After winning stage 4 of the Tour, Pogačar added three more stage wins, including an emphatic uphill time trial. He would love to win the Paris-Roubaix classic and Milan San-Remo. The 259.2-kilometer (161-mile) Roubaix race is called 'The Hell of the North' because of its dangerous cobblestone sections. Pogačar debut appearance at the one-day classic this year saw him seeking to become the first Tour champion to win it since Hinault in 1981. But powerful Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won it for the third straight year. Pogačar has also yet to win Milan-San Remo, with Van der Poel also beating him there this year. Expect a fired-up Pogačar next year at Roubaix and Milan-San Remo. But it's unsure whether he'll tackle the Vuelta. ___ Tour de France coverage: and
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG 4th Test: 'Ben Stokes behaved like a spoiled kid' - Ex-India cricketer
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has lambasted England captain for his conduct after he called for a draw before the final hour in Manchester. "Ben Stokes behaved like a spoiled kid," Sanjay Manjrekar said on JioHotstar. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott, however, defended Ben Stokes. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Common practice in England, and Ben Stokes' mentality is that there are no personal milestones. If you get offered to end game earlier, it's taken," Trott said. Manjrekar was quick to correct Trott and said: "Trott comes from a different culture. Whole world doesn't play as per English way of cricket." Jadeja and Washington were batting on 89 and 80 respectively before the start of the last hour of play when England skipper Ben Stokes, aware that a result was out of reach, offered to shake hands. However, with milestones around the corner, the Indian batters refused, which didn't amuse Stokes, who then introduced Brook into the attack to bowl some deliberate full-tosses, allowing both to complete their well-deserved tons. "I didn't have a problem with it. England seemed to have a problem with it. They were a bit tired, tired bowlers so they wanted to get off but two lads worked hard to get to 80s and 90s and they wanted to get Test match hundreds," Hussain said on 'Sky Sports'. "Stokes didn't have to bowl Brook and look silly at the end. We make far too much of these things. They played well and all credit to India," Hussain said. When Cheteshwar Pujara asked the same question to Washington Sundar, he sidestepped the issue. "I think everyone saw on TV what happened and they all must have enjoyed it," Washington said on JioHotstar.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
World Swimming Championships: McIntosh motors to 400m freestyle crown, Australia revel in relay golds
World record holder Summer McIntosh stormed to the women's 400 metres freestyle world title on Sunday, making a flying start to her bid for five individual crowns at the Singapore meet as American great Katie Ledecky finished with the bronze. The highly anticipated battle between McIntosh and Ledecky failed to materialise as the Canadian led from start to finish and claimed the win in three minutes and 56.26 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Chinese silver medallist Li Bingjie. Ledecky was 2.23 seconds behind McIntosh, who had only a small break before returning to qualify fastest for the 200 individual medley (IM) final in 2:07.39, less than two seconds off her world record. Triple Olympic champion McIntosh has a chance to join Michael Phelps as the only swimmer to win five individual titles at a single world championships. The 18-year-old Canadian may be hurtling towards greatness, but a pre-teen Chinese swimmer showed she could be nipping at her heels in a few years. At 12 years old, Yu Zidi qualified seventh for the 200 IM final in 2:10.22, shaving over four-tenths off her personal best in her world championships debut. ALSO READ | Yu Zidi of China reaches World Swimming Championships final aged 12 Hailing from the northern Chinese province of Hebei, Yu made the swimming world sit up and take notice at national championships in Shenzhen in May by winning the 400 IM and 200 butterfly titles. She also came second in the 200 IM in Shenzhen and is recording faster times than McIntosh did as a 12-year-old. Real joy In the men's 400 final, Olympic champion Lukas Maertens won an absolute humdinger of a race, nosing ahead of Sam Short on the final lap and holding off the Australian by 0.02 seconds to claim his first world title in a time of 3:42.35. Short won the event two years ago by the same margin from Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui, with Maertens claiming bronze. 'I thought I'd have gone a bit faster, to be honest,' said Short, who swam 3:42.07 in the heats and dedicated the silver to his aunt, who recently died of cancer. 'I won two years ago by 0.02 (seconds), then I just lost by 0.02.' Australia finished the night celebrating a sweep of the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds. Australia finished the night celebrating a sweep of the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds. | Photo Credit: REUTERS Olivia Wunsch was the hero for the Australian women as she mowed down Torri Huske in the final lap to secure the gold in 3:30.66, 0.44 seconds ahead of the United States. 'I know there was a lot of pressure on us this year, but we all put in a great swim,' said Australia's Meg Harris, who swam the second leg in 51.87. 'King' Kyle Chalmers then roared home in a scintillating anchor leg of 46.53 seconds to give Australia the men's relay gold in 3:08.97, 0.61 seconds ahead of Italy, with the U.S. finishing third. ALSO READ | USA team at World Swimming Championships battles case of 'acute gastroenteritis' Earlier, American Gretchen Walsh, the silver medallist at the Paris Olympics, topped qualifying with Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk for the women's 100m butterfly final, both recording a time of 56.07. China's former world champion Zhang Yufei was also safely through. France's Maxime Grousset was fastest into the men's 50 butterfly (22.61) final ahead of Swiss Noe Ponti and Briton Benjamin Proud.
