Venus Williams is back in tennis and wishes Serena would come out of retirement to join the fun
'I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,' Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racket. 'But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know.'
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Venus Williams' bid for her first winning streak since 2019 ends in a loss to Magdalena Frech in DC
Venus Williams reacts during a match against Magdalena Frech, of Poland, at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) WASHINGTON — When Venus Williams' bid for her first winning streak since 2019 ended with one last forehand that landed long, the spectators at the D.C. Open's main stadium Thursday night gave her a standing ovation. She responded with a smile and the sort of pirouette and wave she usually reserves for celebrating wins. Williams hadn't competed anywhere in more than a year, and so even if this tournament was over for her after a 6-2, 6-2 loss to 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech in the second round, just being back out there was big for the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion — and her many fans. 'Oh, I had so much fun. Definitely not the result I wanted, but still a learning experience. The part about sport (and) life is that you never stop learning,' the 45-year-old Williams said. 'I got to play a lot of matches here and that definitely was a plus. The fans in D.C. are just epic. I couldn't have been happier with my first week back.' Her victory in the first round Tuesday against 35th-ranked Peyton Stearns made Williams the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova was 47 in 2004. That was Williams' first win in singles since 2023, and she joked afterward that she was motivated to succeed because she wanted to be able to renew her access to the WTA's health insurance plan after being inactive for so long. This hard-court tournament was the first event for Williams since March 2024; she missed time because of surgery for uterine fibroids. 'Health care is so important — and access to health care and being able to see the right and the best doctors for whatever you're going through,' Williams said. 'Obviously it's a fun and funny moment, but it's an issue that people are dealing with, so it is serious.' She won a doubles match in Washington, too, and playing a total of four matches — two each in singles and doubles — across four days finally caught up to her. 'I feel like I ran out of gas today, unfortunately,' Williams said. 'I tried to find the energy, and I didn't find it.' The last time Williams won at least two matches in a row was in August 2019, at the Cincinnati Open, where she put together three consecutive victories before losing to Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. Williams began well against Frech, going up 2-1. But from there, Frech claimed seven straight games to own the first set and lead 2-0 in the second. Frech is a 27-year-old from Poland whose best Grand Slam showing was a run to the fourth round at the 2024 Australian Open before losing to Coco Gauff. 'I can't even imagine how she pushes herself,' Frech said about Williams. 'It's really amazing.' The show under the lights on this evening was all about Williams, whose greeting was much louder when she walked out on court toting a green exercise band. Every time Williams unfurled one of her booming groundstrokes — and make no mistake, she still can hit the ball hard — the crowd in the main stadium let out a roar. The problem for Williams: She frequently was unable to properly calibrate those shots, including when she sailed a forehand way out after rushing forward to get to a short ball off Frech's racket. That gave Frech a 3-2 lead. Williams would drop her head or slump her shoulders after some misses, and she had 14 unforced errors in the opening set, more than twice as many as Frech. Fans often responded with an 'Awwww' right away, before trying to give Williams a boost by yelling support. There were clap-accompanied chants of 'Venus!' when she broke to get within 4-2 in that set. But Williams didn't get another game. 'There's so many learnings from here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve,' said Williams, who also accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the Cincinnati Open next month. 'The good news is I'm always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in.' In other action Thursday, top-seeded Jessica Pegula lost to 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, and Emma Raducanu dominated her first career matchup against Naomi Osaka, winning the showdown between past U.S. Open champions 6-4, 6-2. Seeded men advancing included No. 1 Taylor Fritz, No. 4 Ben Shelton, No. 6 Frances Tiafoe, No. 7 Alex de Minaur, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev, No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and No. 14 Brandon Nakashima. ___ AP tennis: Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Culling of infected cows leads to shortened 19th stage of Tour de France
The stage from Albertville to La Plagne was meant to be 129.9 km long but trimmed to 93.1 km Published Jul 25, 2025 • 1 minute read Britain's Adam Yates, Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, Britain's Oscar Onley, and Slovenia's Primoz Roglic, climb during the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 km with start in Vif and finish in Courchevel Col de la Loze, France, Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Bernard Papon / AP LA PLAGNE, France — The 19th stage of the Tour de France was shortened on Friday after cows infected by a contagious disease were culled in an area along the mountainous route. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The stage from Albertville to La Plagne was meant to be 129.9 kilometers (80.5 miles) long but trimmed to 93.1 kilometers (57.7 miles), according to the official Tour website's stage map on Friday. Two of the five climbs were removed, including the 13.7 kilometer Col des Saisies — where an outbreak of nodular dermatitis affected a herd of cows, race organizer ASO said. 'The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis (lumpy skin) affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies necessitated the culling of the animals,' ASO said in a statement. 'Given the consternation of the breeders concerned, and in order to maintain the calm of the race, it was decided, in agreement with the authorities, to modify the route of the 19th stage and not to cross the Col des Saisies.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The start time of the stage was pushed back by one hour to 2:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT), with an expected finishing time of around 5:30 p.m. Three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia led overall heading into the stage, with two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark 4 minutes, 26 seconds behind him in second place. Stage 19 represented Vingegaard's last realistic chance of overtaking Pogačar and taking the yellow jersey, with the race finishing on Sunday. Vingegaard and his Visma_Lease a Bike team had not been able to take time off Pogačar in this year's mountain stages. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA World Sunshine Girls
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
HR exec Kristin Cabot resigns after getting caught on Coldplay kiss cam with then-CEO Andy Byron
Article content The female executive who was caught on camera embracing the CEO of her company at a Coldplay concert in a moment that went viral has resigned, according to news reports. Article content Multiple news outlets reported that Kristin Cabot, the executive in charge of human resources at tech company Astronomer, has resigned. Article content Her departure follows the resignation of CEO Andy Byron, who quit after the company said he was being put on leave pending an investigation. Article content As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met. Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and… — Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 19, 2025 Article content Article content Cabot and Byron were caught by surprise when singer Chris Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his 'Jumbotron Song' during the concert last week at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Article content They were shown cuddling and smiling, but when they saw themselves on the big screen, Cabot's jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera while Byron ducked out of the frame. Article content 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked in video that spread quickly around the internet. Article content When the video first spread online it wasn't immediately clear who they were, but online sleuths rapidly figured out their identities. The company has previously confirmed the identities of the couple in a statement to the AP. Article content Article content Article content Article content Astronomer was a previously obscure tech company based in New York. It provides big companies with a platform that helps them organize their data. Article content Online streams of Coldplay's songs jumped 20% in the days after the video went viral, according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company. Article content
