Los Angeles Times - 25.08.2019

injury that led her to retire

from a third-round match at

Indian Wells and pull out of

tournaments at Miami and

Rome. It was halted again

this month when back

spasms caused her to retire

during the Rogers Cup final

at Toronto and miss a tour-

nament at Cincinnati.

Time spent in recovery

gives her less time to sharp-

en her legendary match

toughness. Age and its evil

pal injury have become her

biggest adversaries.

Williams is seeded No. 8

at the U.S. Open, site of six

of her Slam singles titles. It’s

also the scene of her melt-

down in last year’s final,

triggered by chair umpire

Carlos Ramos’ warning her

for being illegally coached.

She called Ramos a liar and

a thief and smashed her

racket, losing a point and a

game. She won the crowd’s

favor but overshadowed

what should have been a

special occasion for sobbing

winner Naomi Osaka.

Williams later apologized

but the moment was lost for

Osaka, the No. 1 seed this

year.

It’s possible Williams,

who opens play Monday

against world No. 87 Maria

Sharapova, can tie Court’s

mark here. But it’s far from

certain.

“If you’d asked me a year

ago, I would have said yes,

and you ask me now and I’m

getting really uncomfort-

able with whether or not she

can do it. And that’s based

on seeing the last five ma-

jors and just seeing that I

don’t feel like she’s getting in

better shape, and knowing

the time clock,” Pam

Shriver, the 21-time Grand

Slam doubles champion

turned ESPN commentator,

said in a phone conversa-

tion. “With each passing

major, I just get more and

more uncomfortable.”

Williams’ best shots at

No. 24 were at Wimbledon.

She has won more than 88%

of her career matches on

grass, but Angelique Kerber

beat her 6-3, 6-3 last year

and Halep dominated her

6-2, 6-2 in 56 minutes this

year. She wasted another

potential chance at this

year’s Australian Open

when she couldn’t close out

her quarterfinal against

Karolina Pliskova after

taking a 5-1 lead in the third

set. Williams rolled her

ankle in the final set but

later said it wasn’t the rea-

son she lost.

Her uncharacteristic slip

fed Shriver’s doubts. “Los-

ing from a lead that she’d

never lost from before,”

Shriver said. “So it makes

me uneasy right now.

“It isn’t as easy to win in a

major final as it was. But

there’s only one other per-

son that’s gotten to 23, man

or woman, and that’s Mar-

garet Court. So it’s going to

be fascinating to see. I don’t

feel like she’s had enough

time, though, to get in the

kind of shape she needs to

get into. So maybe if it

doesn’t happen — and I

don’t think it will — at the

U.S. Open, I think she has

enough time to get in next-

level shape to make another

run. I think her last year to

make a really good run at it,

if she doesn’t get it this year,

is next year.”

Shriver isn’t alone in that

thought. Eighteen-time

Grand Slam winner Chris

Evert, also part of ESPN’s

coverage, initially said dur-

ing a conference call she

believes Williams can tie

Court here if Williams is

healthy. After reconsidera-

tion, Evert tempered her

optimism.

“The one added compo-

nent that she has now that I

probably overlook is ... age

and injuries. Even though

she looks unbelievable when

she plays, to play like that

for seven matches is a tough

task to ask a 38-year-old,

very much like a Roger

Federer. It’s tough to ask of

him,” Evert said.

“I still feel, though, she

has the highest ceiling of all

the players and, at her best,

she’s better than everyone.

Can she do that for seven

matches? That’s the real

question. I think her oppor-

tunities are running out and

I think this and maybe the

[next] Australian Open

could be the last two. Maybe

she has two or three more

Grand Slams and that’s it.”

Barring a new or reawak-

ened injury, Williams should

beat five-time Slam winner

Sharapova, who has strug-

gled since returning from a

15-month suspension for

using the banned drug

meldonium. Their match is

being hyped as a rivalry, but

it’s not: Williams has won 19

of their 22 matches, includ-

ing the last 18 they’ve

played. It’s intriguing,

though. “Of course, I’m

going to watch it. I know you

all are going to watch it,”

Osaka told reporters last

Friday. “I think everyone in

New York is going to watch

it.”

Osaka has had her own

challenges since she fol-

lowed her U.S. Open victory

by winning the Australian

Open. She, surprisingly,

dumped coach Sascha Bajin

in February and hired Jer-

maine Jenkins, a former

hitting partner of Venus

Williams. Osaka lost in the

third round at the French

Open and first round at

Wimbledon and retired

during a quarterfinal match

at Cincinnati because of a

painful left knee but said her

knee was better.

“I’m not sure if it’s be-

cause the last couple of

months have been kind of

turbulent, but definitely I

feel really comfortable and I

know that, despite every-

thing, I play well here every

year,” she said.

American teenager

Amanda Anisimova, 24th in

the world, withdrew from

the Open after the death of

her father and coach, Kon-

stantin, and French Open

runner-up Marketa Von-

drousova of the Czech Re-

public withdrew because of

a wrist injury. No. 2 seed and

French Open champion

Ashleigh Barty should be in

the mix, along with Indian

Wells and Canadian Open

winner Bianca Andreescu

and No. 4 seed Halep, who

exited in the first round

each of the last two years.

Madison Keys, the 2017

runner-up, opened eyes by

beating four Grand Slam

winners to prevail at Cincin-

nati last week. She’s seeded

10th, a spot ahead of 2017

winner Sloane Stephens,

who returned to coach

Kamau Murray after a split.

Coco Gauff, the 15-year-

old from Florida who got to

the fourth round at Wimble-

don, will face high expecta-

tions for the first time. “She

kind of has that competi-

tiveness that she’s not going

to choke, get that tight. I

think she’s going to be very,

very composed in the fu-

ture,” Evert said.

Gauff ’s future is unlim-

ited. Serena Williams has a

short horizon. Even the

greatest women’s tennis

player isn’t immune to the

toll of time. A lot will have to

go right for her — probably

too much — for her to stop

the clock in New York.

Williams’ window closing

[Elliott,from D1]

D10 SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 SS LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

REGISTERNOW:LA84.ORG/SUMMIT

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SportsCorrespondent,ESPN

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Champion,Philanthropist

Learnhowatennisstarisusingsports

toprepareyouthforlife.

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER10,2019

INTERCONTINENTALLOSANGELESDOWNTOWN

Lakers forwardKyle Kuzmawill not be
able to go on participating with Team USA
basketball because of a left ankle injury.
The decision, which was announced after
Team USA lost for the first time in nearly 13
years, sets the club’s roster for the upcoming
FIBA World Cup.
Kuzma was absent as Team USA lost 98-
94 to Australia in Melbourne, ending a 78-
game winning streak for the U.S.
Considered a longshot to make the roster
when camp originally commenced in Las
Vegas in early August, Kuzma benefited
from a string of injuries and withdrawals. He
also combined good performances in a pair
of exhibition games and it seemed like
Kuzma would be with the team as they travel
to China for the World Cup.
Without him, Team USA will bring
guards Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell,
Marcus SmartandDerrick White, wings
Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Jayson
Tatum, Joe Harrisand Khris Middleton
and bigs Brook Lopez, Mason Plumleeand
Myles Turnerto compete in the world cham-
pionships.
— Dan Woike

LITTLE LEAGUE

Louisiana, Curacao reach

the championship game

Ryder Planchard’s pinch-hit single
broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning as
Louisiana beat Hawaii 9-5 to advance to the
Little League World Series title game in
South Williamsport, Pa.
Louisiana earned its first championship
game appearance, while denying Hawaii a
chance to defend the title a team from Hono-
lulu won last year.
This Hawaii club is from Maui, while Loui-
siana — representing the Southwest region
— is from River Ridge.
Louisiana will face Curacao, which beat
Japan 5-4 in the international championship
game. PitcherCurley Marthahit a two-run
homer to center in the fifth inning to help Cu-
racao beat Japan.
Also, Little League Baseball said that the
World Series field is expanding.
A team from Cuba will be making the trip
to the tournament no later than 2022 under
the expanded format.
The expansion is set for 2021, bringing
the number of teams at the LLWS from 16 to

20. Also, two teams will be added to the Soft-
    ball World Series, raising that total to 12.

ETC.

Kovalev takes out Yarde,

eyes an Alvarez bout next

Sergey Kovalev(34-3-1) knocked out An-

thony Yarde(18-1) in Chelyabinsk, Russia, to

retain the WBO light heavyweight title in his

first defense since winning back the belt in

February.

He could now be heading for a big-money

bout with middleweight champ Canelo Al-

varez. “Canelo is a great fighter and if he

wants to fight, I am ready,” he said

Top-ranked Jin Young Koshot a seven-

under 65 to grab a share of the lead heading

into the final round of the CP Women’s Open

in Aurora, Colo. Ko is tied with Nicole Broch

Larsenat 18 under at Magna Golf Club. De-

fending championBrooke Hendersonof

Canada is another two shots back in third. ...

South African golfer Erik van Rooyenbird-

ied five of his last six holes to shoot a six-

under 64 and take a one-stroke lead into the

final round of the Scandinavian Invitation in

Gothenburg, Sweden. He was on 13-under

197 overall after the third round, one clear of

Matt Fitzpatrickof England (69), Ashun Wu

of China (67) and Wade Ormsby(65). ... In

Snoqualmie, Wash., Fred Couplesmade a

hole-in-one in a round of nine-under 63 and

built a five-shot lead after two rounds of the

Boeing Classic.

Authorities said the son of a former NFL

lineman wanted on murder charges in Min-

nesota for the shooting of his parents was ar-

rested in Mexico. The Todd County Sheriff 's

Office said 22-year-oldDylan John Bennett

was arrested on second degree murder

charges at a hotel Saturday in Cancun. The

bodies of 63-year-old Barry Bennettand his

wife, Carol,were found Wednesday at their

home in Long Prairie, a town of about 3,500

located 124 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Code of Honor won a stretch duel with

Tacitus and Mucho Gusto, holding off hard-

luck Tacitus by three lengths to win the

$1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga

Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Christopher Bellpulled away from the

field on a restart with two laps to go, then

held on to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series

race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

It was the sixth win of the season for Bell. ...

Takuma Satoheld off Ed Carpenterto win

the IndyCar race at World Wide Technology

Raceway in Madison, Ill.

THE DAY IN SPORTS

Injured Kuzma leaves

U.S. team as streak ends

staff and wire reports

ATLANTA — The dan-

gerous combination of golf

and lightning played out viv-

idly Saturday afternoon, as

the third round of the Tour

Championship at East Lake

was abruptly halted follow-

ing a strike that left six spec-

tators injured.

According to tourna-

ment officials, none of the in-

juries was considered life-

threatening, most resulting

from falling debris from a

tree that was struck near the

fan pavilion and hospitality

buildings behind and be-

yond the 15th green.

The third round is set to

resume at 8 a.m. Eastern

time Sunday, with Justin

Thomas in the lead at 12

under through five holes.

Rory McIlroy and Brooks

Koepka are a stroke back.

The fourth round would be-

gin shortly after the third is

completed and the field is re-

paired according to their

place on the leaderboard.

Saturday’s play was sus-

pended in the afternoon as

the storm approached.

AN INJUREDspectator receives first aid after lightning struck a tree during a

weather delay in Saturday’s third round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Erik S. LesserEPA/Shutterstock

Six injured after lightning

strike at PGA tournament

wire reports

U.S. Open facts

Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New

York, hard-court surfaces.

When: The 14-day tournament begins Monday. The women's

singles final is Sept. 7; the men's singles final is Sept. 8.

2018 women’s singles champion: Naomi Osaka of Japan. She

won her first Grand Slam trophy at age 20 by beating Serena

Williams 6-2, 6-4 in the final.

2018 men’s singles champion: Novak Djokovic of Serbia. He

won his 14th major title and second in a row with a 6-3, 7-6

(4), 6-3 victory over 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro.

— associated press

SERENA WILLIAMS vs. MARGARET COURT

WILLIAMS (23 GRAND SLAM SINGLES CROWNS) —

Australian Open (7 titles):2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010,

2015, 2017. French Open (3 titles): 2002, 2013, 2015.

Wimbledon (7 titles):2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015,

2016. U.S. Open (6 titles):1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013,


2017. 
      

COURT (24 GRAND SLAM SINGLES CROWNS)—

Australian Open (11 titles): 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965,

1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973. French Open (5 titles): 1962,

1964, 1969, 1970, 1973. Wimbledon (3 titles):1963, 1965,

1970). U.S. Open (5 titles):1962, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973.