Serena not sure if she’ll defend title
Serena Williams lost in her return to tennis after giving birth in September, beaten by French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and still unsure if she will defend her Australian Open title.
Williams called it a “wonderful” match despite the defeat she took the second set in a score of 6-2, 3-6 and 10-5 in a super tiebreaker.
The Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, begins Jan. 15.
“I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there,” Williams said.
“I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with my team before deciding.”
The 36-year-old Williams took time off after winning the Australian Open last January while pregnant. She gave birth to her first child, a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1.
U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson defeated Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the men’s exhibition.
DJOKOVIC SKIPS ANOTHER TOURNAMENT »
Novak Djokovic withdrew from another tournament, this time his final warm-up event for the Australian Open, saying he still has pain in his right elbow and isn’t sure when he will return to action. The elbow problem forced Djokovic to withdraw from an exhibition tournament in United Arab Emirates on Friday. The 30-year-old Serb said Saturday his elbow had not improved and he was going to miss this week’s Qatar Open.
The tournament in Qatar, where Djokovic is the two-time defending champion, was the last on his schedule before the Australian Open starts on Jan. 15.
UFC
Cris “Cyborg” Justino used power strikes and kicks to beat Holly Holm by unanimous decision and defend her featherweight belt at UFC 219 in Las Vegas. Judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, extending Justino’s (19-1) unbeaten streak to 19 with a victory over a former bantamweight champion. Holm (11-4) was trying for another marquee victory in a career highlighted by her upset of Ronda Rousey in 2015.
Earlier in the night, Khabib Nurmagomedov remained undefeated and staked a claim for a lightweight title shot with a dominant unanimous decision over Edson Barboza.
Hockey
Brett Howden scored twice, and Canada rebounded from a snowy loss to the United States to beat Denmark 8-0 and win Group A in the world junior hockey championships in Buffalo, New York. The Americans will finish group play Sunday against Finland. Sweden wrapped up Group B with a 7-2 victory over Switzerland.