Sports

Serena’s Bid for 20, Other Things to Know About French Open

Published

10 years ago

May 22, 2015

In this May 28, 2014, file photo, Serena Williams of the U.S. covers her face after missing a return against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza during a second round match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer

The very day that Serena Williams won this year’s Australian Open for her 19th Grand Slam championship, she was thinking ahead.

“I would love,” Williams said then, “to get to 22.”

Her next chance to move closer to that goal — equaling Steffi Graf’s Open era record for major singles titles — comes at the French Open, which begins Sunday.

Another trophy at Roland Garros would allow the 33-year-old Williams to become the third player in the history of tennis to reach a total of 20 majors. Margaret Smith Court holds the all-time record of 24.

First things first, though.

It takes seven consecutive match victories to take home a Grand Slam title. In two of Williams’ past three appearances at the French Open, she didn’t even manage to win two in a row.

Last year, in wind and rain, Williams absorbed the most lopsided loss of her Grand Slam career — 6-2, 6-2 in the second round against 35th-ranked Garbine Muguruza. And in 2012, Williams’ unbeaten streak of 46-match first-round wins at majors ended with a three-set loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano.

Then again, in between those early exits, Williams won the 2013 championship.

“You just don’t know with her,” 18-time major title winner Chris Evert said in a telephone interview. “She lost to players that I don’t want to say she had no right losing to, but she had bad losses for her. … She can’t win because of her power on clay. She has to be patient. She has to be a little bit of a grinder out there. And she can.”

Here are other things to know about the French Open:

SHARAPOVA AND CO.: Who other than the No. 1-ranked Williams has a shot at the title? A good place to start would be No. 2 Maria Sharapova, who has appeared in the past three finals, winning twice and losing to Williams once. “I have respect for Maria, if she’s on top of her game,” Evert said. Other possible contenders: No. 3 Simona Halep, who pushed Sharapova to three sets in last year’s title match, and No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro, never past the quarterfinals at a major but terrific on clay and 17-4 in three-set matches this year.

NADAL’S SLUMP: A year ago, Rafael Nadal lost clay-court quarterfinals at Monte Carlo (to David Ferrer) and at Barcelona (to Nicolas Almagro), and plenty of folks figured he had lost his way on his favorite surface. Then he showed up in Paris and complained about a bad back. And then, just like in nine of the past 10 years, he won the French Open. So maybe he’ll turn things around in time at Roland Garros again, even though he comes in this year with his most losses on clay since 2003. He’s ranked No. 7, out of the top five for the first time in a decade.

DJOKOVIC’S STREAK: No. 1 Novak Djokovic has won 22 consecutive matches heading into the only major tournament he hasn’t won. If he finally breaks through in Paris — where six of his 10 losses have come against Nadal, including in the 2012 and 2014 finals — Djokovic would become the eighth man with a career Grand Slam.

YOUNG BLOOD: There’s a new generation on the way in the men’s game, and the four teenagers ranked in the ATP top 100 are the most in eight years. Keep an eye on Croatia’s 18-year-old Borna Coric and Australia’s 19-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis. Also of note: Another Australian, 20-year-old Nick Kyrgios, who beat Nadal at Wimbledon last year and Federer at Madrid Open this month. And then there’s Frances Tiafoe, a 17-year-old from Maryland who earned a U.S. Tennis Association wild-card berth. The last time an American that age played in the men’s main draw in Paris was 1989, when Michael Chang won the title (after beating Pete Sampras in the second round).

___

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

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

3 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok