Serena jumps to 17
Serena Williams got a bit of a boost in the seedings for the U.S. Open by being placed at No. 17, nine spots above her current ranking.
The U.S. Tennis Association’s decision, announced yesterday along with all the other seeds for the main draws of women’s and men’s singles, means Williams avoids a possible matchup against one of the top eight players in the third round.
It also sets up a possible matchup at that stage against her older sister, Venus, who is No. 16, her ranking this week.
Indeed, all of the other seeds — 32 women, 32 men — were positioned based on the WTA and ATP rankings, as usual.
This will be the third Grand Slam tournament of Williams’ return to competition since her daughter was born during the 2017 U.S. Open last September. Williams dealt with health complications from childbirth, including dangerous blood clots.
The USTA already had said in June that it would institute a policy that would take into account if a pregnancy affected a player’s ranking. The issue arose when Williams, a 23time major champion and former No. 1, was not seeded when she returned to action at the French Open in May, her first Grand Slam tournament in nearly two years. She was, however, seeded at Wimbledon, put at No. 25 while ranked 183rd.
Ex-nFLer accused
Former NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito bonded out of an Arizona jail yesterday after being arrested on charges he threatened to shoot employees of a funeral home a day earlier, authorities said.
Police in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale said Incognito had been booked on suspicion of misdemeanor charges of threats and disorderly conduct.
Incognito, 35, posted a $20,000 bond. He has an Aug. 27 pretrial conference in Scottsdale Municipal Court. It was unclear yesterday if Incognito had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Police said Incognito was at the Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary to make arrangements for his father, who died last weekend.
Sens asst. GM quits
Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee resigned amid charges of harassment stemming from an incident at the NHL scouting combine in May. The team announced Lee’s resignation and added a search is underway to find his replacement. The team said it would have no further comment.
Newly acquired Nets forward Kenneth Faried was arrested in Bridgehampton, N.Y., early Sunday and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, the Southampton Town Police Department said . . . .
IndyCar driver Robert Wickens had titanium rods and screws placed in his spine to stabilize a fracture associated with a spinal cord injury suffered in a weekend crash at Pocono Raceway. IndyCar said in a statement the severity of the spinal cord injury was unknown. Wickens is expected to undergo more surgeries to treat fractures in his lower extremities and right forearm. He remains in stable condition . . . .
Texas Tech running back Da’Leon Ward has been arrested on a theft charge. Ward was arrested in Lubbock, Texas, on a charge of theft between $2,500 and $30,000 . . . .
Authorities in Dallas say LSU offensive lineman Ed Ingram was arrested on sexual assault charges in early August, around the same time the projected starter was suspended from the Tigers’ football program for an unspecified violation of team rules . . . .
Authorities say Arizona sophomore forward Ira Lee was cited and released for driving under the influence last weekend . . . .
Former Kansas State basketball player Amaad Wainright has pleaded guilty to felony charges related to a road-rage shooting in Olathe, Kansas . . . .
The city of Mobile is refusing to put $10 million into an on-campus stadium for the University of South Alabama. City Council members voted against the proposal by a 4-3 margin . . . .
A Mickey Mantle jersey from the 1964 World Series has been sold at auction for $1.32 million.