Williams could face Sharapova
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson says Chiefs halfback Brad Weber was entitled to fire off an angry tweet at Israel Folau but he doesn’t expect there will be any extra animosity when the pair square off in Hamilton tonight.
Gibson also praised Folau for not letting off-field drama affect his onfield performances, saying the star fullback is playing some of his best rugby.
Last month, Weber tweeted his anger at Folau’s comment on Instagram that god’s plan for gay people was ‘‘hell’’.
‘‘Kinda sick of us players staying quiet on some of this stuff,’’ Weber tweeted. ‘‘I can’t stand that I have to play this game that I love with people, like Folau, who say what he’s saying. To think that I play against someone that says they’ll go to hell for being gay disgusts me.’’
Weber’s comment was the first by a current player directed at Folau and potentially lit the fuse for this weekend’s Super Rugby clash.
Folau was given a frosty reception two weeks ago when the Waratahs arrived in Christchurch before their clash with the Crusaders. A protester at the airport held a sign up that read: ‘‘To Hell With Your Small Mind Folau’’.
New Zealand journalists peppered Folau with questions – which he declined to answer – while Gibson was asked to give his take on the matter as the squad loaded their Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova could meet in the fourth round of the French Open thanks to the draw yesterday.
But a matchup between threetime champion Williams and twotime champion Sharapova is far from guaranteed.
Williams resumes her comeback after maternity leave following two consecutive losses in March. She will open against 70th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova, of the Czech Republic.
This will be Williams’ first grand slam event since giving birth to her daughter in September. She hasn’t played at a grand slam since winning the Australian Open in January 2017 while pregnant.
Ranked No 453, Williams entered Roland Garros under the WTA’s protected ranking rule but has not been granted a seed by organisers. Without a seeding, Williams was drawn in the same quarter as Sharapova, who was seeded 28th.
While nobody really knows what to expect from Williams, Sharapova had a chance to fine-tune her claycourt
Daryl Gibson
luggage onto the team bus.
Some believe Folau will be heckled again before and during the match against the Chiefs, but Gibson was adamant it wouldn’t be a big issue.
‘‘Brad Weber, he was entitled to his opinion,’’ Gibson said. ‘‘We don’t see that as an issue. That’s been put behind us and we’re looking forward to that game. We certainly haven’t spoken about that.’’
Since the Folau furore blew up, the Waratahs fullback has scored game last week in Rome and made it to the semifinals, beating reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and losing a three-setter to top-ranked Simona Halep
Halep will open against Alison Riske, and Ostapenko will take on Kateryna Kozlova, of Ukraine.
Ostapenko, who last year became three tries in as many games and has clearly shown his ability to focus on the task at hand. Even Gibson has been impressed by what Folau has been able to produce.
‘‘It has been extraordinary,’’ Gibson said. ‘‘His performances the last three weeks have been outstanding. It’s probably some of the best rugby he’s played. It’s remarkable mental strength.’’
Coming off a comprehensive 29-point win over the Highlanders, the Waratahs will be aiming to extend their lead at the top of the Australian conference.
There has been evidence of steady improvement throughout the past three matches against Kiwi opposition and if New South Wales play to their potential, they are every chance of making it seven wins from their past nine games against the Chiefs.
‘‘We want to continue that trajectory we’re on,’’ Gibson said. ‘‘As much as that was a good performance last week, it means nothing if you don’t follow it up. That’s where we’re at around consistent performance and improving every week.’’ the first unseeded player to win the women’s title since 1933, was handed a tricky draw as she could face former No 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round.
The tournament Monday.
In the men’s draw, 10-time champion and overwhelming favourite Rafael Nadal will open against Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Nadal is arriving in Paris on the back of another impressive claycourt season. He is 19-1 on his favoured surface, having lost just one match in the Madrid quarterfinals this month against Dominic Thiem.
‘‘Having enjoyed the success I had over the last couple of weeks helps to be here with a bit more confidence,’’ Nadal said at the draw.
The seventh-seeded Thiem, who ended Nadal’s streaks on clay of 21 wins and 50 sets won, will face a qualifier in the first round. He is in second-seeded Alexander Zverev’s quarter and can’t meet Nadal before the final.
Former champion Novak Djokovic was drawn in the same half as Thiem and Zverev. He will open against a qualifier. Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 24 points and his steal on Golden State’s last possession secured a 98-94 victory yesterday that gave the Houston Rockets a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.
The Rockets head into Game 6 tomorrow in Oakland one win away from knocking off the defending champions and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 1994-95.
Chris Paul scored 20 points and James Harden struggled for his 19 but Paul had to leave the game in the