D2 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 , 2021
COLLEGES
Hoyas men’s soccer
advances in NCAAs
Dante Polvara and Zach
Riviere scored 13 minutes apart
in the second half, lifting third-
seeded Georgetown to a 2-0
home victory over Georgia State
on Sunday in the second round of
the NCAA men’s soccer
tournament.
The Hoyas (17-2-0) had big
advantages in shots (10-1) and
corner kicks (7-0) in the first half
against the Panthers (13-7-0)
before Polvara converted a
penalty kick in the 70th minute
and Riviere scored in the 83rd.
“At halftime, we knew we had
done everything we hoped to do
statistically, except score,” Coach
Brian Wiese said. “The first goal
was going to be massive.”
In their third meeting this
season, the Hoyas will host Big
East rival Providence in the
round of 16 on Nov. 28. The Friars
(12-4-4) scored in extra time to
upset No. 14 Marshall, the
reigning national champion, 2-1.
— Steven Goff
Troy fired football coach Chip
Lindsey with one game left in his
third season.
Athletic Director Brent Jones
announced the firing of Lindsey,
who was 15-19. Defensive
coordinator Brandon Hall will
finish out the season as interim
coach.AUTO RACING
Lewis Hamilton inched closer
to the Formula One
championship lead with a
dominating victory in the
inaugural Qatar Grand Prix to
earn back-to-back wins and chip
away at Max Verstappen’s points
advantage.
Hamilton, who also won last
week in Brazil, has trimmed 11
points from Verstappen’s lead in
the title race in seven days.
Verstappen still holds an eight-
point lead with two races
remaining in one of the most
dramatic F1 title fights in at least
a decade.
“The last two weeks have been
fantastic, just amazing,”
Hamilton said. “There’s no time
for celebration. I don’t really have
too much emotion. But it’s been
amazing to be able to get so many
points in these past two races.”
The seven-time champion
started from the pole for
Mercedes and was never
challenged on the LosailInternational Circuit as
Hamilton earned his 102nd
career win. It was his seventh
victory of the season.
Verstappen finished second for
Red Bull, nearly 25 seconds
behind Hamilton.TENNIS
If Alexander Zverev’s
performance this weekend is any
indication, a lot can be expected
from the third-ranked German in
2022.
Zverev beat the top two players
in consecutive matches to earn
his second title at the ATP Finals
in Turin, Italy.
After eliminating No. 1 Novak
Djokovic over three sets in the
semifinals, Zverev put on a
dominant performance in the
final, beating No. 2 Daniil
Medvedev, 6-4, 6-4.
The title culminates quite a
year for Zverev, who also won the
gold medal at the Tokyo
Olympics and f inished 2021 with
more wins on tour — 59, one
more than Medvedev — than
anyone else.
The main thing missing in
Zverev’s trophy collection is a
Grand Slam title; he lost an epic
final to Dominic Thiem in last
year’s U.S. Open final.BASEBALL
Japanese outfielder Seiya
Suzuki will be posted Monday by
his Japanese club and will be
available for bidding by the 30
Major League Baseball teams.
MLB told its teams that the
posting will start Monday
morning and run through 5 p.m.
Eastern time D ec. 22.
The 27-year-old, Japan’s 2019
Home Run Derby champion, has
spent nine seasons with the
Central League’s Hiroshima Toyo
Carp. Suzuki hit .319 with 38
home runs and 88 RBI this
season and has a .315 career
average with 182 homers and 562
RBI.WINTER SPORTS
Madeleine Egle of Austria
won the first World Cup women’s
singles luge gold medal of her
career, prevailing in the season
opener on the track built for this
winter’s Beijing Olympics.
USA Luge got its first medals
of the World Cup season, with the
team of Ashley Farquharson,
Tucker West and the doubles
sled of Chris Mazdzer and
Jayson Terdiman taking silver in
the team relay behind Austria.
— From news services
and staff reportsDIGEST
TELEVISION AND RADIO
NFL
8:15 p.m. New York Giants at Tampa Bay » ESPN, ESPN2, WJFK (106.7 FM)
NBA
7 p.m. Charlotte at Washington » NBC Sports Washington, WTEM (980 AM)
7 p.m. Brooklyn at Cleveland » NBA TV
10 p.m. Philadelphia at Sacramento » NBA TV
NHL
8 p.m. Vegas at St. Louis » NHL Network
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
2 p.m. Maui Invitational, quarterfinal: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin » ESPN2
2:30 p.m. Naples Invitational, quarterfinal: George Washington vs. Wright State
» FloHoops
4:30 p.m. Maui Invitational, quarterfinal: Butler vs. Houston » ESPN2
6 p.m. Fort Myers Tip-Off, semifinal: Ohio State vs. Seton Hall » Fox Sports 1
6:30 p.m. Cornell at Penn State » Big Ten Network
6:30 p.m. Hall of Fame Classic, semifinal: Illinois vs. Cincinnati » ESPNews
7 p.m. Hofstra at Richmond » NBC Sports Washington Plus
7 p.m. Charleston Southern at Georgia Tech » ACC Network
7 p.m. Legends Classic, semifinal: Virginia vs. Georgia » ESPNU, WSBN (630 AM)
8:30 p.m. Western Michigan at Iowa » Big Ten Network
8:30 p.m. Fort Myers Tip-Off, semifinal: Florida vs. California » Fox Sports 1
9 p.m. The Citadel at Duke » ACC Network
9 p.m. Hall of Fame Classic, semifinal: Arkansas vs. Kansas State » ESPNews
9 p.m. Maui Invitational, quarterfinal: Oregon vs. Chaminade » ESPNU
9 p.m. Winthrop at Washington State » Pac-12 Network
10:30 p.m. SoCal Challenge: TCU vs. Santa Clara » CBS Sports Network
11 p.m. Empire Classic: Gonzaga vs. Central Michigan » ESPNU
11 p.m. Dixie State at Southern California » Pac-12 Network
11:30 p.m. Maui Invitational, quarterfinal: Saint Mary’s vs. Notre Dame » ESPN2
1 a.m. (Tues.)SoCal Challenge: Pepperdine vs. Fresno State » CBS Sports Network
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Noon Battle 4 Atlantis, championship game: South Carolina vs. Connecticut
» ESPN2
2:30 p.m. Battle 4 Atlantis, third-place game: Oregon vs. South Florida » ESPNU
TENNIS
6 p.m. World Team Tennis: Orange County vs. Springfield » Tennis Channel
9 p.m. World Team Tennis: San Diego vs. New York » Tennis ChannelBY LES CARPENTERInternational Olympic Com-
mittee President Thomas Bach
had a half-hour video call with
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai,
the Olympic governing body said
Sunday, amid global concerns
about Peng’s safety.
In announcing the call on its
website, the IOC showed a picture
of Bach speaking with Peng, who
is visible on a monitor. The IOC
said Bach was joined on the call
by IOC Athletes Commission
chair Emma Terho and IOC board
member Li Lingwei, a friend of
Peng’s who is in China.
Worries about Peng’s safety
have grown in recent weeks after
she accused a former high-levelChinese official of sexual assault
in a social media post Nov. 2. In
the days after making the accusa-
tion, Peng’s name could no longer
be found on Chinese search en-
gines and she was not seen in
public for more than two weeks.
Photos and videos of her posted
on social media by Chinese state-
run media in recent days have
done little to assuage fears for her
well-being, with human rights
researchers saying the images
only raised more questions.
In Sunday’s announcement,
the IOC said Peng “explained that
she is safe and well, living at her
home in Beijing, but would like to
have her privacy respected at this
time.”
It went on to say: “That is whyshe prefers to spend her time with
friends and family right now.
Nevertheless, she will continue to
be involved in tennis, the sport
she loves so much.”
“I was relieved to see that Peng
Shuai was doing fine, which was
our main concern,” Terho said in
the statement. “She appeared to
be relaxed. I offered her our
support and to stay in touch at
any time of her convenience,
which she obviously appreciat-
ed.”
The IOC did not explain why
Peng chose to speak with the
organization Sunday despite hav-
ing not spoken to other sports or
international entities, including
the Women’s Tennis Association,
whose chairman and CEO, SteveSimon, has been demanding
proof that she is safe and not
facing punishment from Chinese
officials for her allegation.
In a statement later Sunday, a
WTA spokesperson said: “It was
good to see Peng Shuai in recent
videos, but they don’t alleviate or
address the WTA’s concern about
her well-being and ability to com-
municate without censorship or
coercion. This video does not
change our call for a full, fair and
transparent investigation, with-
out censorship, into her allega-
tion of sexual assault, which is the
issue that gave rise to our initial
concern.”
Peng’s recent disappearance
has brought fresh criticism to the
IOC for holding the 2022 WinterOlympics in Beijing despite Chi-
na’s recent record of human
rights abuses. President Biden
said Thursday that his adminis-
tration is “considering” a diplo-
matic boycott of the Games,
which would allow U.S. athletes
to compete but keep government
officials from attending.
On Friday, IOC executive Dick
Pound told Reuters that the crisis
over Peng’s whereabouts “may
spin out of control” and force the
IOC into taking a harder stance.
According to the IOC’s state-
ment Sunday, Bach invited Peng
to dinner along with Terho and
Lingwei when he arrives in Bei-
jing in late January and Peng
accepted the invitation.
[email protected]IOC says Bach h ad video call with missing tennis player PengFROM NEWS SERVICES
AND STAFF REPORTSManchester United’s 4-1 loss
Saturday against Watford deter-
mined the fate of Ole Gunnar
Solsk jaer, who was fired as the
team’s manager Sunday after its
fifth loss in seven Premier League
games.
The Glazer family, which owns
the club, made the announcement
hours after the loss contributed to
reports that it was imminent.
The club said that Michael Car-
rick, a former player who was on
Solskjaer’s staff, will take over un-
til an interim manager is appoint-
ed for the rest of the season.
The pressure on Solskjaer in-
creased after Manchester United,
one of the world’s most popular
and valuable clubs, added star
power over the summer, bringing
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho
and Raphael Varane onto the ros-
ter.
But the loss to Watford, which
sits 16th in the 20-team Premier
League — nine spots behind Man-
chester United — accelerated the
owners’ decision.
— Cindy Boren
Conte earns first Spurs win
Tottenham delivered a second-
half performance more in new
manager Antonio Conte’s image
as goals by P ierre-Emile Hojbjerg
and Sergio Reguilon secured a 2-1
win over visiting Leeds United.
It was its first Premier League
win under Conte since the Italian
took over as manager....
Joao Cancelo’s latest brilliant
assist and a long-range thunder-
bolt from Rodri led host Man-
chester City to a 3-0 win over
Everton.
l FRANCE: A Ligue 1 game be-
tween Lyon and Marseille was
abandoned with the score at 0-0
after Marseille midfielder Dimitri
Payet was hit on the head by a
bottle of water thrown from the
stands while he was taking a cor-
ner kick....
Amine Gouiri scored twice as
Nice rallied past Clermont, 2-1....
Brest earned a third straight
win by stunning Lens, 4-0.
l ITALY: Serie A leader Napoli
lost for the first time this season as
Inter Milan reinvigorated its title
bid with a 3-2 win....
Felix Afena-Gyan scored twice
for Roma in a 2-0 win at Genoa.
l SPAIN: Real Madrid kept its
momentum, cruising to a 4-1 win
over 10-man Granada to reclaim
first place in La Liga....
Getafe beat Cádiz, 4-0, at home
to move off the bottom of the table.
l GERMANY: Eintracht
Frankfurt secured a 2-0 win at
third-place Freiburg in the
Bundesliga....
Mainz and visiting Koln drew,
1-1.
l MLS: Golden Boot winner Va-
lentín Castellanos, Alexander Cal-
lens and New York City FC beat
visiting Atlanta United, 2-0, in the
first round of the Eastern Confer-
ence playoffs.
In the Western Conference
playoffs, Sebastian Blanco scored
the go-ahead goal and the Port-
land Timbers eliminated Minne-
sota United with a 3-1 opening-
round victory.
— Associated Press
SOCCER ROUNDUP
Solskjaer
fired after
United’s
latest loss
BY LIZ CLARKEThere were moments during
the production of “King Richard”
that Isha Price was so struck by
the slight stoop in the posture of
actor Will Smith and his distinc-
tive Shreveport, La., dialect that
she almost called him “Daddy.”
That, after all, was what she
and her four sisters, including
younger siblings Venus and Sere-
na, called their father, Richard
Williams. And because Smith,
who portrays Williams, never
slipped out of character while on
set, he addressed Price as “Miss
Isha” each time they spoke be-
cause that’s what her father called
her.
“It was surreal. He was com-
mitted to doing an unbelievable,
authentic job,” said Price, 46, who
as an executive producer on the
film served as an on-set adviser to
director Reinaldo Marcus Green
and the cast.
A pledge of authenticity was a
requisite, Price explained in a
recent interview, before the fam-
ily agreed to give its blessing to
the film, which is in theaters and
available on HBO Max.
The Williams family had been
pitched countless book and film
projects over the years by authors
and artists eager to tell the story
of how two Black sisters rose from
the public parks of Compton,
Calif., to reach world No. 1, claim
30 Grand Slam titles between
them and revolutionize women’s
tennis in the process.
Granting such license isn’t
easy, noted Price, who is a lawyer.
But after an initial reading of
Zach Baylin’s script at the urging
of a former William Morris En-
deavor executive, she agreed to
meet the producer and screen-
writer and came away impressed.
“Their willingness and desire
to get it right, and to understand,
was really critically important,”
Price said. “That is what I took
back to my family and said, ‘This
is an opportunity for us to partici-
pate and tell a bit of our story our
way.’
“People are complicated, and
they’re nuanced,” she added.
“They don’t always make the right
decision, and they don’t always
have the answer. And that’s okay.”
The result is “King Richard,”
which chronicles one of the more
stunning achievements in sports
history: how Richard Williams,
with his wife, Oracene Price, de-
veloped their two younger daugh-
ters into world champions largely
by following a script and a faith oftheir own.
The film spans Venus’s and
Serena’s early childhoods, open-
ing with their father drilling them
daily, rain or shine, on Compton’s
rutted public courts, and closing
with Venus’s pro debut in 1994, at
14.
It isn’t so much a dissection of
the 85-page blueprint Williams
wrote for building tennis champi-
ons before his youngest daugh-
ters were born as it is a celebra-
tion of the values at the core of his
champion-building philosophy:
love, sacrifice and unrelenting be-
lief.
“In the end, it ends up being a
love letter of sorts — a complicat-
ed one — to my dad,” said Price,
who is joined as an executive
producer on the film by Venus
and Serena. “He wasn’t perfect,
but he was who he was. And
everything he did was coming
from the best possible place.”
Throughout the film, Wil-
liams’s primary drive is to protect.
The threat he sought to shield
his daughters from wasn’t just the
gun violence in Compton, which
ultimately led to the death of the
eldest sibling, Yetunde, in 2003.
Williams also shields them from
threats within the sport as Venus
rises up the ranks — skeptical
journalists whose questions
sowed doubt; coaches who
robbed her joy; corporate spon-
sors who lowballed her worth;
and myriad ways, subtle and
overt, in which the tennis estab-
lishment signaled that a Black
family didn’t belong in its country
clubs and elite academies.
At nearly every turn, Williams’s
refusal to follow convention
proved prescient, including yank-
ing Venus from the junior circuit,
repelled by what he viewed as
emotionally abusive tennis par-
ents.
“He was a man who was willing
to fight and do whatever it is he
had to do to ensure the success of
his daughters,” Price said. “He
came across as this crazy guy who
was always yelling at people, but
that is not who he was. He was
always super loving toward us. No
matter what happened outside in
the world, in our house, it was,
‘Love you, Daddy!’ And he loved
us. That is not anything we ever
had to doubt — that we had a
person that would fight for us, no
matter what.”
As production of the film got
underway, Price was charged by
her family to be their voice on the
set. She shared little-known anec-
dotes with the screenwriter anddirector, and she conveyed nu-
ances of each family member to
the cast.
In the case of Saniyya Sidney,
who portrays Venus, Price em-
phasized the regal bearing that
her sister had, even as a preteen.
“I’d say: ‘You’ve got to lift that
head up, girl! Venus did not walk
with her head down at all!’ ” Price
recounted. “Her carriage has al-
ways been very royal.”
Smith, who packed on roughly
20 pounds for the role, peppered
Price with questions such as:
“How would your dad have re-
sponded to...? How would he
have said this?”
Aunjanue Ellis, who portrays
Oracene, had similar questions
about the mother’s less volublebut formidable demeanor.
“My mom wanted to make sure
we displayed in the film the good,
bad or indifferent,” Price said.
“Families go through stuff. Par-
ents don’t always get along. Her
biggest thing was: It has to be
real. It has to be true.”
“King Richard” has been well
received at film festivals and ad-
vance screenings, including three
in Washington, where the family
has strong ties.
Price attended the Nov. 5
screening at the Southeast Tennis
and Learning Center in Ward 8,
which was preceded by a clinic for
40 local youngsters and included
the donation of $10,000 of equip-
ment from Wilson, as well as a
$15,000 donation to the YetundePrice Resource Center in Comp-
ton.
The SETLC was founded by
Cora Masters Barry, a longtime
friend of the Williams family. Ve-
nus and Serena attended its 2001
opening, and their niece Justus
Bobbitt, who attended Howard, is
the center’s director.
The U.S. Tennis Association
Foundation and Warner Bros.
hosted a Nov. 10 screening in
downtown Washington attended
by youngsters enrolled in Nation-
al Junior Tennis and Learning
chapters in the area. Among them
were two pairs of sisters who train
at College Park’s Junior Tennis
Champions Center: Lauryn and
Camille Hall and Ameera and
Aqeela Malik.
Afterward, the Halls marveled
at the confidence Venus and Sere-
na showed so early in their ca-
reers. Lauryn, 18, who has com-
mitted to Morgan State, said she
appreciated Williams’s effort to
preserve the sisters’ childhood,
taking them to Disney World in
one scene to break up the monot-
ony of training.
The Maliks said they were
shocked to learn that the Wil-
liams family had dealt with gangs
in their early years, and it gave
them a deeper appreciation of
what they overcame. But they
instantly related to the powerful
bond between the sisters.
“Off the court, we care for each
other,” said Ameera, 17. “But in
matches, there is no mercy.”
[email protected]Williams family values an authentic storyThat was the only way they would agree to ‘King Richard,’ the movie about Venus and Serena’s improbable riseCHIA BELLA JAMES/WARNER BROS. PICTURESSHANNON FINNEY/GETTY IMAGES
TOP: “King Richard” chronicles how Venus and Serena Williams
were developed into tennis champions. ABOVE: Venus Williams,
left, and Isha Price, center, were executive producers on the film.