Isner, Zverev on collision course
Cincinnati, Aug. 16: In a week where most ATP stars are idled by injuries, the two men with multiple titles since Wimbledon — John Isner and Alexander Zverev — are on a collision course.
Isner fired 16 aces and needed only 56 minutes on Tuesday to dispatch fellow American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-3 and reach the third round at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.
“I played a good match and I’m happy to get off the court in under an hour,” Isner said.
World number 19 Isner, who won titles last month at Newport and Atlanta, could next face Zverev, who has taken titles the past two weeks at Montreal and Washington, although the 20-year-old German must get past US teen Frances Tiafoe on Wednesday.
Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal, the 15-time Grand Slam champion who returns to world number one next week after a threeyear absence, faces France’s Richard Gasquet in his opener on Wednesday after a bye. World number 10 Milos Raonic o f Canada withdrew Los Angeles, Aug. 16: Serena Williams, feeling “new power” from her pregnancy, is already preparing for an Australian Open title defence in January.
In a wide-ranging interview with Vogue touching on motherhood, body image and race, Williams said she had set herself a goal of playing Melbourne.
“It’s the most outrageous plan,” the 36-year-old Williams, who is expecting her first child next month.
“I just want to put that out there. That’s, like, three months after I give birth. I’m not walking anything back, but I’m just saying it’s pretty intense.” on Tuesday with a left wrist injury, leaving only three of the top 10 in the men’s field. Also among the missing are Roger Federer (back), British world number one Andy Murray (hip), Novak Djokovic (elbow), Stan Wawrinka (knee), Kei Nishikori (right wrist) and Marin Cilic (adductor). That offers an enticing chance for those who have never won so large a title, even with Zverev and Nadal still in. “It’s an opportunity for a lot of players,” Isner said. “I think (Zverev) recognises that as well. I think he has looked at the draw and seen that Roger is out and Milos is out.” Muguruza, Halep march ahead On the women’s side, Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza, and second-ranked Simona Halep cruised into the third round. Romania’s Halep, hoping to overtake Czech
Williams said during her pregnancy layoff she had kept a close eye on the tennis world, including her sister Venus’s run to the Wimbledon final.
And she has her eye on matching Margaret Court’s alltime record of 24 Grand Slam titles. She was already pregnant when she won her 23rd at the Australian Open last January.
“Obviously, if I have a chance to go out there and catch up with Margaret, I am not going to pass that up,” Williams said. “If anything, this pregnancy has given me a new power.”
Williams says she’s had a “love-hate relationship with
Karolina Pliskova qualifier Taylor Townsend 64, 6-1, while Spain’s sixthranked Muguruza ousted Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-0.
After trading four service breaks in the first six games, Halep took 11 of the last 12 to dispatch Townsend in 66 minutes.
US ninth seed Venus Williams downed compatriot Alison Riske 6-2, 6-0 to book a second round match with Australian qualifier Ashleigh Barty.
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia was ousted by Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic 6-4, 6-2 while Russian lucky loser Natalia Vikhlyantseva beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 63, 2-6, 6-3 to book a matchup with Czech women’s world number one Karolina Pliskova. the idea of power” as it relates to her game, sometimes irked that her skill and strategy seemed to be overlooked.
“As I’ve gotten older I’ve started to feel differently about it. Power is beauty. Strength is beauty. So now on the court I want people to think that I’m powerful,” she said.
But she’s dismayed to think that many interpret her oncourt determination as “mean” — something she believes has to do with race.
“I feel like people think I’m mean,” she says. “Really tough and really mean and really street. I believe that the other girls in the locker room will
Meanwhile, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro hit 17 aces in defeating Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-0 while Japan’s Yuichi Sugita took advantage of 43 unforced errors by Jack Sock to oust the US 13th seed 7-5, 64.
Paes, Zverev crash out New Delhi: India’s Leander Paes and his German partner Alexander Zverev went down to the Spanish duo of Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in a men’s doubles first round match to bow out of the Cincinnati Open.
The Indo-German pair fought hard before losing 6-2, 6(2)-7, 6-10 to their Spanish rivals in a closely-fought contest, which lasted an hour and 21 minutes. say, ‘Serena’s really nice.’ But Maria Sharapova, who might not talk to anybody, might be perceived by the public as nicer. Why is that? Because I’m black and so I look mean? That’s the society we live in. That’s life. They say AfricanAmericans have to be twice as good, especially women. I’m perfectly OK with having to be twice as good.”
Venus set for ‘aunt’ role Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams is preparing this week for the US Open and to become a new aunt with sister Serena giving birth to a baby soon.
But off the court, she’s doing some online shopping for Serena’s baby, and getting some valuable advice from her mother, Oracene Price, who has raised five daughters.
“I have a lot of things in my cart that I’m about to order,” Venus Williams said. “I talked to my mom yesterday. I’m like, ‘Mom, what do you really, really need?’ So she really gave me the low-down.
“So I’m going to get this stuff and as things progress I’ll see what I need after.”
“This is the first time I’ve been an aunt as an adult,” she said. “So it’s a completely different experience than before when I was a child.”