Latest news with #all-American
United News of India
4 hours ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Venus Williams makes winning return to tennis aged 45
New York, July 23 (UNI) Venus Williams enjoyed a winning return to competitive tennis after 16 months away, as she reached the quarterfinals of the women's doubles at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste. The all-American pair defeated compatriot Clervie Ngounoue and the retiring Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 16 for Williams' first victory on the WTA Tour since August 2023, when she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. Williams, 45, gave her signature twirl after the match as she took in the adulation of the capacity crowd, reported CNN. After the win, Williams joked that her and Baptiste should have partnered up much sooner. Williams, who accepted wild cards to compete in the singles and doubles, will make her return in the singles competition when she faces American Peyton Stearns in the opening round on Tuesday. UNI XC SS
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Diallo advances to third round at Citi Open with win over Marozsan
WASHINGTON – Montreal's Gabriel Diallo advanced to the third round of the Citi Open hardcourt tennis tournament with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Hungary's Fabian Marozsan on Tuesday. Diallo, who had a first-round bye as the 15th seed in Washington, had 10 aces and broke Marozsan twice on seven chances. Marozsan, who committed six double faults, failed to convert the only chance he had to break Diallo's serve. Gabriel Diallo of Canada reacts after winning the fourth set against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. during their second round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Diallo improved to 2-0 against Marozsan, with his other win coming earlier this year in a Davis Cup qualifier. He will next face the winner of an all-American match between fourth seed Ben Shelton and wild card Mackenzie McDonald. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Mike McIntyre | On Sports Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Diallo, who entered the tournament with a career-high world ranking of No. 35, is seeded 30th at the men's National Bank Open in Toronto. The Masters-level event starts with qualifying on Saturday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
18 hours ago
- Sport
Venus Williams wins a doubles match at Washington in her first tournament in more than a year
WASHINGTON -- Competing at a tournament for the first time in more than a year, and in doubles for the first time in nearly three, Venus Williams hit a big serve on her initial delivery at the DC Open on Monday and, curiously, it was wiped out by a foot-fault call. The 45-year-old Williams, an owner of 21 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles, smiled incredulously, as did the other three players involved in the match in front of a full crowd that eventually included NBA star Kevin Durant. And then Williams carried on, displaying her trademark power on some strokes while teaming with Hailey Baptiste for a 6-3, 6-1 victory against 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. 'It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago,' said Williams, who spoke in an interview with NBC earlier this month about having a procedure to remove fibroids from her uterus. 'At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. So it definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer.' Her most recent match had been at the Miami Open in March 2024, and she said Sunday she had two goals in Washington: to have fun and to win. She did both — winning, yes, and contributing plenty to the cause, but also having a good time, high-fiving or fist-bumping Baptiste after some of their best points, laughing after others and waving to an appreciative group of fans that roared over and over for Williams. She and Baptiste hugged when it ended. 'The crowd was insane. From the moment we stepped out of the players area, you could kind of feel the buzz. Walking onto the court, just felt all the love for the both of us,' said Baptiste, a 23-year-old from Washington. 'I was obviously very nervous to play with her. I didn't want to let her down, first match back and everything." It was full at 3,000-seat John Harris Court, where Durant showed up late in the first set, while across the way at the 7,500-capacity main stadium, only a few dozen spectators were scattered in the stands for an all-American singles match in which Reilly Opelka defeated Murphy Cassone. Asked to comment about the court assignments, tournament director Daniel Vallverdú said: 'The tournament works to balance full singles and doubles ATP and WTA schedules, while coordinating with broadcaster requests for court assignments.' When Williams, wearing a white visor as she so often has, was introduced before participating in doubles for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open — when her partner was younger sister Serena — the stadium announcer mentioned that Venus has 'one of the best serves in the history of the game,' that she 'turned pro in the last century' and 'has won everything.' That includes seven major singles trophies — five at Wimbledon, two at the U.S. Open — and an additional 14 in doubles with Serena, plus four Olympic gold medals. 'She's 14 years older than me and still plugging away,' said Bouchard, 31, a former top-five player who announced that next week's tournament in Montreal will be the last of her career. 'I have nothing but respect for her. She's such a legend. That was a pretty cool crowd for a doubles match.' They sure were into it Monday, standing with phone cameras raised high when Venus first appeared at the court — and again when it ended. There will be other opportunities to see her this week: In singles, Williams was scheduled to play Tuesday night against Peyton Stearns, a 23-year-old American currently ranked No. 35 who won NCAA singles and team championships at the University of Texas.
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Venus Williams wins a doubles match at Washington in her first tournament in more than a year
Competing at a tournament for the first time in more than a year, and in doubles for the first time in nearly three, Venus Williams hit a big serve on her initial delivery at the DC Open on Monday and, curiously, it was wiped out by a foot-fault call. The 45-year-old Williams, an owner of 21 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles, smiled incredulously, as did the other three players involved in the match in front of a full crowd that eventually included NBA star Kevin Durant. And then Williams carried on, displaying her trademark power on some strokes while teaming with Hailey Baptiste for a 6-3, 6-1 victory against 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. 'It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago,' said Williams, who spoke in an interview with NBC earlier this month about having a procedure to remove fibroids from her uterus. 'At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if your health is not there. So it definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer.' Her most recent match had been at the Miami Open in March 2024, and she said Sunday she had two goals in Washington: to have fun and to win. She did both — winning, yes, and contributing plenty to the cause, but also having a good time, high-fiving or fist-bumping Baptiste after some of their best points, laughing after others and waving to an appreciative group of fans that roared over and over for Williams. She and Baptiste hugged when it ended. 'The crowd was insane. From the moment we stepped out of the players area, you could kind of feel the buzz. Walking onto the court, just felt all the love for the both of us,' said Baptiste, a 23-year-old from Washington. 'I was obviously very nervous to play with her. I didn't want to let her down, first match back and everything.' It was full at 3,000-seat John Harris Court, where Durant showed up late in the first set, while across the way at the 7,500-capacity main stadium, only a few dozen spectators were scattered in the stands for an all-American singles match in which Reilly Opelka defeated Murphy Cassone. Asked to comment about the court assignments, tournament director Daniel Vallverdú said: 'The tournament works to balance full singles and doubles ATP and WTA schedules, while coordinating with broadcaster requests for court assignments.' When Williams, wearing a white visor as she so often has, was introduced before participating in doubles for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open — when her partner was younger sister Serena — the stadium announcer mentioned that Venus has 'one of the best serves in the history of the game,' that she 'turned pro in the last century' and 'has won everything.' That includes seven major singles trophies — five at Wimbledon, two at the U.S. Open — and an additional 14 in doubles with Serena, plus four Olympic gold medals. 'She's 14 years older than me and still plugging away,' said Bouchard, 31, a former top-five player who announced that next week's tournament in Montreal will be the last of her career. 'I have nothing but respect for her. She's such a legend. That was a pretty cool crowd for a doubles match.' They sure were into it Monday, standing with phone cameras raised high when Venus first appeared at the court — and again when it ended. There will be other opportunities to see her this week: In singles, Williams was scheduled to play Tuesday night against Peyton Stearns, a 23-year-old American currently ranked No. 35 who won NCAA singles and team championships at the University of Texas. 'I have been training for months to get to this moment,' Williams said.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Golf-Dominant Scheffler cruises to British Open title
Golf - The 153rd Open Championship - Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Northern Ireland, Britain - July 20, 2025 Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. putts on the 10th green during the final round REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -American Scottie Scheffler delivered a command performance to win his first British Open title by four shots after a closing 68 at Royal Portrush on Sunday. The world number one, four clear of the field overnight, picked up three early birdies before his only significant error when he failed to get out of a bunker at the first attempt on the way to a double-bogey at the eighth hole. Scheffler was never seriously threatened, however, as he claimed his fourth major crown and second of the year after winning the PGA Championship in May. The 29-year-old finished on 17 under par, with Harris English and Chris Gotterup completing an all-American top three. (Reporting by Ed Osmond, editing by Toby Davis)
