Sports

Serena Williams’ Wimbledon Starts Slow; Venus Wins 6-0, 6-0

Published

9 years ago

June 30, 2015

Serena Williams of the United States celebrates a point during the women’s singles first round match against Margarita Gasparyan of Russia at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday June 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer

LONDON (AP) — As has become customary for Serena Williams of late, she got off to a rocky start.

In her first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday, Williams dropped three of the first four games. She slipped and nearly did the splits, tumbling to the turf. She was warned for using foul language.

And, as has also become customary for Williams, she wound up with a victory.

The No. 1-seeded Williams extended her pursuit of a fourth consecutive major title and her bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam, too, by taking 11 of the last 13 games to beat 113th-ranked qualifier Margarita Gasparyan 6-4, 6-1. Williams has won her past 22 Grand Slam matches.

“There are a lot of expectations on her shoulders at the moment,” said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “It took her maybe six games to get going. At 3-all, she started to relax and play. And then there was no match.”

Gasparyan came in 0-3 in tour-level matches and was making her Wimbledon main-draw debut.

“When I (saw) her before match,” Gasparyan said, “I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I’m playing Serena.'”

Yet the 20-year-old Russian played unafraid at the outset, and her one-handed backhand withstood Williams’ power for about a half-hour. Then, Gasparyan explained, Williams began playing “unbelievable,” taking five straight games and 22 of 29 points in one stretch.

It was, otherwise, a mostly routine Day 1 for the biggest names on the schedule. Defending champion Novak Djokovic — and the player he lost to in the French Open final this month, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka — won in straight sets. So did 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and two other major title winners and former No. 1-ranked women, Victoria Azarenka and Ana Ivanovic.

Williams improved to 33-1 in 2015, competing for the first time since winning her 20th Grand Slam singles trophy at the French Open. En route to that title, Williams lost the opening set in four matches.

There, Mouratoglou said, “she had to dig deep to find a way to get her real level,” in part because Williams was dealing with an illness. On Monday, the cause for the poor beginning was twofold, he said: Williams hadn’t played on grass since she was at the All England Club a year ago, and she felt some nerves.

Really? Jitters?

“Of course she’s nervous, because she cares. She wants to do well. She wants to win, and she wants it really bad,” Mouratoglou said. “If after all these years, she wouldn’t be nervous, it would mean, probably, that she would not care enough to keep on playing.”

If, a fortnight from now, the 33-year-old Williams were to win Wimbledon for a sixth time, she would be the oldest women’s major champion in the Open era of professional tennis, which began in 1968. She also would complete a self-styled “Serena Slam” of four major titles in a row, something she pulled off in 2002-03.

“It’s definitely historic, I guess. But it’s also six matches away,” Williams said. “It’s definitely not guaranteed.”

And she would head to the U.S. Open with a chance to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four majors in a single season.

“It’s a pretty good chance,” Williams’ older sister, Venus, said about the prospect of a true Grand Slam. “Hasn’t been done that often. But then again, she’s done a lot of things that haven’t been done that often.”

Venus Williams, whose seven Grand Slam titles include five at Wimbledon, could say the same about herself, including Monday’s 6-0, 6-0 victory over 36th-ranked Madison Brengle of the U.S.

It was the first so-called “double bagel” at the All England Club in six years — No. 14 Andrea Petkovic added another later against Shelby Rogers of the U.S. — and first for the elder Williams on a grass court since her first match on the surface, back in 1997.

“I don’t remember that match,” she said. “I’m sure I enjoyed it.”

If she and her sister can each win twice more this week, they would face each other Monday in the fourth round. That would be their first Grand Slam meeting since Serena won the 2009 Wimbledon final, and their earliest matchup at a major in a decade.

When Serena was asked about that possibility, she said she didn’t know there could be an all-Williams match in the round of 16.

“You know what?” she said. “I’m going to just focus on right now.”

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

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Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!