Venus Williams handed US Open wild card aged 45
The seven-time grand slam winner made a surprise comeback to tennis earlier this summer after more than a year out of the sport.
Williams showed she can still compete after beating fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round at the Washington Open.
Now the former world number one is set to become the oldest singles player to compete at Flushing Meadows since Renee Richards, aged 47 in 1981.
It will be Williams' 25th appearance at the New York major, 25 years after she first won it in 2000.
She is also on the entry list for the new-look mixed doubles event alongside another American, Reilly Opelka.
Williams' sister Serena, who won six US Opens among her 23 grand slam titles, retired after the tournament in 2022.
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New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Will Josh Allen play in preseason? Bills takeaways from joint practice with Bears
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Buffalo Bills knew what they were getting into as they arrived at Halas Hall on Friday. These types of practices usually provide chippiness, and one week prior, the Chicago Bears hosted the Miami Dolphins for a joint practice. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he broached the topic with his team ahead of the session. Advertisement 'We talked about it a little bit. Really nothing specific other than we're coming out here with a purpose,' he said. 'It's for us to grow a little bit closer as a team and also for us to take another step as it relates to on the field as a team. It's a physical sport. It's going to be physical. From what I hear, it was rather physical against the Dolphins when they were out here. And so I would say that we should probably expect the same.' The expectation was the reality. Throughout the practice, there were several instances of after-whistle activity. Sometimes, a block was held a bit too long for someone's liking. Other times, there were borderline late hits, and then wars of words led to physical escalation. In the end, neither the Bills nor the Bears suffered any injuries from the post-whistle activity, as both teams now prepare for a doubleheader with their preseason matchup at Soldier Field on Sunday night. What stood out from the practice, and how does it relate to the Bills' roster decisions? Here are several pertinent notes from Friday. One of the biggest topics of conversation each preseason is how much the Bills intend to play star quarterback Josh Allen. McDermott has usually favored getting Allen work in a game, but the joint practice with the Bears presented an excellent opportunity for him to work with many of the receivers he'll throw to during the season, except Khalil Shakir, who is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. McDermott was asked before practice if he would like Allen to get game reps — whether Sunday against the Bears or next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 'I would love to, if you could put him in a bubble (and) guarantee me that he wasn't going to get hurt,' McDermott said. 'For every player, you'd love to be able to say, 'Hey, let's get out there and let's play three good games, and we'll ramp you up each game and so on and so forth.' It's just really hard to say that. Advertisement 'So in Josh's case, really using practice to see where he's at and how he feels. And I'm giving him some ownership as well, which I think is important. He knows by now what he needs in order to be ready. Then this other piece over here is his time with healthy receivers. I think that's probably kind of that next chapter of the book right now.' Given the controlled atmosphere of a joint practice, facing another team's defense with a quick whistle to end the play, there was a chance that if McDermott saw what he needed to see from Allen on Friday, Allen might stay on the sidelines for all three preseason games. The coach didn't entrust anyone other than himself to ensure Allen's safety, as he was firmly planted on the quarterback's field, with a whistle in hand, at all times. It wasn't an outstanding start for Allen in seven-on-sevens, as he threw an interception, but he looked much sharper in team drills. In 11-on-11 work, Allen completed 14 of 20 passes not negated by a penalty. He had two touchdown passes in a red zone drill, then threw a pretty ball deep down the field to the front corner of the end zone to Keon Coleman for a touchdown. In team drills, Allen connected with Joshua Palmer on three passes, Elijah Moore on three, Coleman on two, tight end Dalton Kincaid on two and Dawson Knox on two, while running backs Ray Davis and Ty Johnson had one each. The four receivers who lined up most with Allen throughout team drills were Coleman, Palmer, Moore and Tyrell Shavers. Allen's rapport with Palmer, Coleman, Moore and Kincaid might be the most meaningful in McDermott's decision. Allen completed all but three passes to that group during team drills, and one was a drop by Kincaid. McDermott will need to review the film and talk it over with the staff, but Friday's work might be enough to satisfy McDermott, along with practice next week, to keep Allen out of harm's way until Week 1. Advertisement With the cut deadline on Aug. 26, the time to make final impressions is now for many players trying to make the 53-man roster. Previously, we pointed out how the wide receiver room appears wide open past the first three spots. That includes Curtis Samuel, the team's oft-injured No. 4 wide receiver in 2024, who has not participated in a complete practice since the second day of training camp. We outlined why he might be on the roster bubble. He began the third practice July 25, hurt his hamstring and has not been a full participant since. He has yet to take a single rep in team drills in full pads. The good news for him, though, is Samuel returned to practice Friday for the first time since suffering the hamstring injury. He went through positional drills early in practice, but he did not take a single rep in seven-on-seven, 11-on-11 or special teams. Samuel was limited with an exclamation point. Even with his return, this could be a clear case of falling too far behind the rest of the group. McDermott had some pointed comments when asked about Samuel. 'You know he's been out really most of camp, so the urgency needs to be there for all these guys, and Curtis is no different,' McDermott said before practice. 'We need to see how he fits into our offense this year. Availability is important, as well as special teams. When you're not wide receiver No. 1, that's true of everyone.' A few things could put Samuel in trouble at the final cutdown. The first is uncertainty about how he fits in the Bills' offense this year, because, frankly, they have no idea right now. He ended the 2024 season strong, and there was some offseason optimism, but missing most of training camp for a second straight year due to injury has likely frustrated the Bills. Meanwhile, Moore, Shavers and others have been on a clear upward trajectory since Samuel's injury stint began. The second, is McDermott's availability comment. Samuel has had a difficult time being available. It's the same conversation the Bills probably had about linebacker Baylon Spector, who was waived with an injury settlement last week. The team needs players it can depend on to be available when it matters most. Even though Samuel played in 14 games last year, his injury definitely limited how much they could use him. Lastly, the special teams comment. That was perhaps McDermott's most pointed statement. When the Bills signed Samuel in the 2024 offseason, they saw him as someone who could be one of their top three receivers. By the end of the year, he was somewhere between fourth and fifth. Now with three clearly ahead of him in Coleman, Palmer and Shakir, and Moore looking like he's become really dependable, Samuel might be looking at fifth at best. He also does not play special teams, making McDermott's comments land even harder. Advertisement Shavers can play special teams, even if he's not asked to do a ton of it. He also plays all three receiver positions, whereas Samuel is best suited to one, with some occasional work in the slot. However, Moore is a better fit at slot receiver than Samuel. On top of it all, the Bills' cap situation changed after the James Cook contract. The deal opened up around $2.5 million of cap space this year, which allows them to make whatever roster decisions they would like, rather than having their hand forced by a situation such as Samuel's contract. Samuel's $6.9 million base salary is guaranteed, but because we're beyond June 1, any remaining dead cap would carry over to next season if he's released. Replacing Samuel's deal with Shavers would add just over $500,000 to the cap, which the Bills could pretty easily clear with a couple of other moves. Samuel looks like he's, at best, No. 5 on the depth chart and has a lot of work to do, with only a few practices remaining to prove he would be more of an asset to the final roster than others. That includes Shavers, whom the Bills raved about, and Laviska Shenault, who has touched every special teams unit under the sun over the last two weeks in a multitude of roles. There is a clear path to the Bills moving on from Samuel at final cuts. It all depends on how next week goes. Near the conclusion of training camp practices at St. John Fisher University, fifth-round rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock spent all his time at safety. The Bills had explained it as a matter of numbers, as starters Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop had missed time due to injuries. That carried into the first preseason game, where neither starting safety played, opening the door for an impressive full-time debut at safety by Hancock. It feels incredibly notable that during the joint practice with the Bears, Hancock remained a full-time safety despite Rapp and Bishop appearing close to returning. Hancock lined up beside Damar Hamlin for most of practice with the second unit and even subbed in on the first-team defense when the Rapp and Bishop duo needed a few rest reps. The rookie Hancock seems to have clearly passed veteran Darrick Forrest, too. Hancock has been an ascending player at safety since it recently became his default position. The Bills said this week they hadn't decided on Hancock's position, but how they used him, with everyone they had available, sure seems like a loud statement. Although it wasn't an overwhelming day for backup quarterback competitor Mitchell Trubisky in his return to Halas Hall, he saw his lead for the backup QB job grow, as Mike White struggled against the Bears in team drills. Trubisky completed 10 of 14 passes and kept the offense moving. Advertisement On the other hand, White threw an interception on his first pass attempt and followed it up by taking a sack. The interception was a big mistake, as he didn't see the zone defender in front of his intended target and put it on a silver platter for the defensive back. White didn't complete his first pass in team drills until his third set of reps. He finished the day 4 of 7 with the interception and two sacks. It wasn't a perfect day for Trubisky, though, as he fumbled a snap in team drills. Trubisky appears to be the leader in the clubhouse, and another win on Sunday over White could go a long way toward locking up the job. Did not practice: WR Khalil Shakir (ankle), OT Tylan Grable (concussion), C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf), CB Maxwell Hairston (knee), NCB Cam Lewis (calf). Left practice early: DB Te'Cory Couch (hamstring), RB Darrynton Evans (hamstring). (Photo of Josh Allen, right, and Joe Brady: Bryan Bennett / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Saturday's 11-game NFL preseason slate features Browns-Eagles, Jets-Giants. How to watch, odds
We'll continue tapping the sign: no injuries, no injuries, please, no injuries. We got it embossed with a cool typeface and everything. The outcomes of this weekend's preseason previews don't matter, so long as both sides leave without further medical hardship. If all goes right, Saturday's audience will get a light look at multiple new head coaches. Pete Carroll's Las Vegas Raiders host the second of four out-of-market TV games, while Aaron Glenn's New York Jets scrimmage against their crosstown rivals in the Meadowlands. Below is the broadcast info for all 11 games, plus training camp roundups and best 'fusion' players from each NFL Network matchup. Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub. Out-of-market fans can stream regional preseason games with an NFL+ subscription. The Browns got football fans all riled up last weekend, after Shedeur Sanders broke out in Charlotte for his unofficial NFL debut. The rookie quarterback was injured on Wednesday, and he's unlikely to play come Saturday. Julian Okwara, an edge rusher who has been in the league since 2020, notched two sacks in Cleveland's 30-10 preseason win. Advertisement The defending Super Bowl champs won their preseason opener 34-27 against Cincinnati. Tanner McKee was fantastic under center; he completed 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards and totaled three TDs. Jake Elliott hit both of his field goal attempts and converted all three extra points. Expect more McKee in this game, if only to increase his trade value. Philly will save Jalen Hurts for the requisite tush pushing. Best player to wear both jerseys (by Approximate Value): Carl Hairston (62 AV with Eagles, 41 with Browns) 'Shedeur Sanders' momentum has been halted. Dillon Gabriel was back to full participation. Joe Flacco's hot streak in recent practices ran into quality competition against the defending Super Bowl champions. Wednesday's first joint session was an important evaluation day for both sides. It also marked another shift in the Browns' quarterback calendar, as Sanders suffered what the team is calling a strained oblique muscle early in practice. He did not throw in any competitive periods, and his week is likely done. The team is calling his availability day to day.' — Zac Jackson 'This was an Adoree' Jackson day with the first-team defense. He took almost all of the first-team reps while the Eagles try to determine who will start opposite Quinyon Mitchell. This was more of a run-heavy day for the Browns offense, so Jackson was not tested often. He allowed a completion to Jerry Jeudy down the left sideline when he tried to undercut the pass. There still is no separation at cornerback, and it will be interesting to see how much Jackson and Kelee Ringo play on Saturday. Jakorian Bennett is also in the mix.' — Zach Berman 'Since the Eagles held [Saquon] Barkley out of team drills on a rest day, Will Shipley received the lion's share of reps with the first-team offense. The 2024 fourth-round pick built on what's already been a promising summer for him. Shipley's prowess as a pass-catcher is most notable. During an up-tempo red-zone series, Shipley kept his balance along the left sideline while snagging a throw from Hurts. On the next play, a simulated third down, Shipley separated from his coverage defender with a hard cut toward the left sideline and caught a first-down reception from Hurts.' — Brooks Kubena San Francisco held a 9-0 lead after the first quarter of its preseason opener. It ended up allowing 30 unanswered points to Denver. Mac Jones threw an interception and took two sacks while going 4-for-7. Fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins looked good last time out; he promptly sprained his ankle and is now sidelined for a month. Pete Carroll made a quiet summer return to Seattle last weekend, and his Raiders tied the Seahawks at 23 apiece. Daniel Carlson stayed busy, at least, trying five field goals and making three of them (good from 56 and 51 yards out). Best player to wear both jerseys (by Approximate Value): Jerry Rice (216 AV with Niners, 32 with Raiders) 'When OTAs began, Tre Brown was the 49ers' top nickelback, and [Chase] Lucas was working with the third-stringers. Now that's reversed. Of course, the pecking order is skewed by the fact rookie Upton Stout, who seems most likely to start at nickel, is dealing with a minor calf issue. But Lucas has momentum, especially after a head-turning performance against Denver. Still, Brown has an advantage in terms of experience and versatility, and [Robert] Saleh made it clear Tuesday that to make the roster, Lucas must be more than a backup corner. That is, he must keep his momentum going.' — Matt Barrows Advertisement 'Without [Nick] Bosa and [Mykel] Williams, the 49ers defensive line wasn't able to get much traction on what could be an underrated Raiders offensive line. Left tackle Kolton Miller easily handled Bryce Huff, while guard Dylan Parham didn't have any trouble with the Raiders defensive tackles. One thing about rookie Alfred Collins, though. While he got off to a slow start and is still a work in progress, the 6-foot-6, 333-pound defensive tackle takes up a lot of space and often takes two offensive linemen to move him.' — Vic Tafur 'Toward the end of practice, receiver Tre Tucker started to find a groove. He got open during red zone drills for a quick touchdown. After struggling to move the ball during 11-on-11 drills, that period was easily the best for the Raiders' offense. [Geno] Smith also connected with Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and [Jakobi] Meyers for touchdowns. Tucker caught another touchdown on a fade route during 11-on-11 drills toward the end of practice. The Raiders are going to need him to be more consistent — and get more from all their non-Meyers receivers — to have an effective passing attack this year.' — Tashan Reed Jaxson Dart was sharp in his first pro tuneup: 12 completions on 19 attempts, with a healthy 154 yards through the air and this six-point dime: Jaxson's FIRST‼️ 📺: NBC4/NFL Network — New York Giants (@Giants) August 9, 2025 Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito all led drives in the Giants' 34-25 win at Buffalo. They now host the Jets, who definitely enjoyed seeing new QB Justin Fields find the end zone on his lone drive last weekend. The Jets scored in all four quarters and won Glenn's preseason debut 30-10 up in Green Bay. Best player to wear both jerseys (by Approximate Value): Don Maynard (132 AV with Jets, 0 with Giants despite playing 12 games) Advertisement 'Rookie wide receiver Arian Smith had the play of the day for the Jets offense on Wednesday, high-pointing a deep throw from Adrian Martinez. Smith has been trending up since the start of camp and it's going to be hard for the Jets to keep him off the field, especially since he brings a speed element nobody else in the wide receiver room offers. He had a cornerback beat against the Packers in the preseason opener too, but Martinez overthrew him. The Jets don't have anyone outside of Garrett Wilson who strikes any sort of fear into an opposing secondary; Smith's ascension could help him earn a bigger role than expected.' — Zack Rosenblatt 'Jaxson Dart, again working exclusively with the second-team offense, completed 4 of 6 passes on a run-heavy day. The limited attempts made for few highlights. Dart's best pass was a deep connection with fellow rookie wide receiver Beaux Collins. After Dart's first read was covered, he went into scramble mode and signaled to Collins to run deep. Collins obliged and slipped behind the defense for an easy touchdown. Dart also scored a 12-yard touchdown on a zone-read keeper that fooled the Jets defense. He took off around left end with tight end Thomas Fidone leading the way against the lone Jets defender on that side of the field. Dart was sacked twice — once when an overload blitz got home immediately, and another time when Jets edge rusher Braiden McGregor didn't bite on a bootleg.' — Dan Duggan 'On the other field, the Giants defensive front carried over its domination from Tuesday, giving Jets quarterback Justin Fields and his offensive line plenty of problems. Camp stats are subjective, especially when it comes to sacks, but the Giants appeared to get to Fields for four sacks. Similar to Tuesday, there were moments when it was hard to tell exactly who was causing problems as the Giants sent multiple bodies in the backfield. Fields, who went 7-of-11 on the day, had a few overthrows on plays that likely were sacks. Outside linebacker Brian Burns especially stood out, notching at least one sack.' — Charlotte Carroll Arizona bested Kansas City last weekend by a 20-17 final. Kyler Murray completed seven of his eight passes, with one awkward misread going for a pick: EXCELLENCE IN EVERY PHASE 🔥 — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 10, 2025 Third-year running back Bam Knight busted out on a 27-yard rush, and his backfield teammate Emari Demercado took a screen pass all the way to the house. On the other end, Bo Nix underwhelmed with Denver's starters in preseason Week 1, but Jarrett Stidham lit it up in relief. He wrapped up with a line of 14-of-15, 136 yards and two touchdowns. Best player to wear both jerseys (by Approximate Value): Charley Johnson (58 AV with Cardinals, 35 with Broncos; he just tops Jake Plummer, who totaled 92) 'Practice is a bit of a useful nightmare for [Jonathan] Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Gannon's defense, which improved last season to 14th in DVOA from its bottom-of-the-league status in 2023, is in a way a reflection of [Drew] Petzing's offense. Many plays, including shifts and rotating coverages and a variety of pressures, come out of indiscernible pre-snap looks. It is a perfect creative playground against which [Trey] McBride can practice being anywhere, on any given play, and both sides are challenged in the process. Out of that spawns new ideas for all of the coaches.' — Jourdan Rodrigue Advertisement 'Bo Nix began the final period of Thursday's joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals — a got-to-have-it, hurry-up scenario — by targeting Courtland Sutton in the middle of the field. The pass was just off the mark, setting up a second down. Undeterred, Nix threw to Sutton again on the next play, this time hitting the veteran Broncos wide receiver for a first down with a tight throw along the sideline. Two plays later, Nix found Sutton once again on an out route. The pair hooked up for a first down on the next snap, too. By the time the Broncos finished the drive with the field goal they were chasing in the structured scenario, Nix and Sutton had completed an impressive, competitive practice for Denver's offense highlighting the connection between the second-year quarterback and his top target.' — Nick Kosmider All times ET Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams, 1 a.m. Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans, 3:30 a.m. New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings, 6 a.m. Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles, 9 a.m. Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys, 5 p.m. New York Jets at New York Giants, 8 p.m. Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Jaxson Dart: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to watch Liberty vs. Lynx: WNBA's best square off for third time this season
It's another WNBA Finals rematch on Saturday as the Minnesota Lynx (27-5) host the New York Liberty (21-12) in a matchup of two of the best teams in the league. Last weekend, the Lynx topped the defending champions 83-71 in New York to take the second of four regular-season games between the two squads. Minnesota did it without MVP front-runner and leading scorer Napheesa Collier, who is listed as doubtful for Saturday's game with a right ankle sprain. Advertisement Live coverage is also available on Paramount+. The Lynx, who have been without Collier since she was injured on Aug. 2, have not played since last Sunday's win. The Liberty, on the other hand, have played twice, splitting two road games against the Los Angeles Sparks (a 105-97 win) and Las Vegas Aces (a 83-77 loss). New York will also be without superstar Breanna Stewart as she continues to recover from a knee injury. Fortunately, the Liberty still have their top scorer, Sabrina Ionescu (19.3 points per game), to pick up the slack. Ionescu, who led the conference in scoring (21.4) and assists (6.6) in July, was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for her efforts. After Saturday, the 2024 WNBA finalists square off one more time this regular season on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in New York. With about one month left in the season, the Lynx and Liberty both look to finish strong and secure optimal playoff seeding. Minnesota is 6.5 games ahead of the Liberty for the best record in the WNBA. The Atlanta Dream (21-12) are also hanging around near the top of the league standings. Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride: Ishika Samant / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
