Serena closes out marathon with perfect tiebreaker
Her yells of “Come on!” filling a stadium devoid of spectators, Ser- ena Williams was pushed to the brink of a stunning loss in her longest match since 2012 before pulling away with a perfect tiebreaker and edging Arantxa Rus 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (0) Monday at the Western & Southern Open.
Rus, a Dutch qualifier ranked No. 72, served for the match at 6-5 and was two points from victory.
She wouldn’t win another point. A double-fault gave Williams a break chance, and an errant groundstroke sent the match to the concluding tiebreaker.
Showing the strokes and grit that carried her to 23 Grand Slam titles — against an opponent who has never won so much as one tour-level singles title of any sort — Williams ran away with it, ending the 2-hour, 48-minute match with a forehand, celebrating most points with a yell and a clenched left fist.
It marked the first exhausting day in what could be a three-week tennis marathon for Williams, who will be hoping her long search to win an elusive 24th grand slam title — and equal Margaret Court’s record tally — will end on Sept. 12 with victory in the U.S. Open final.
The 38-year-old American is seeded third at the Western & Southern Open, which normally is held in Ohio but was moved to the site of the U.S. Open in New York this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Andy Murray claimed the biggest win of his comeback and a place in the final 16 of the Western & Southern Open, taking out fifth seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
NHL
ISLANDERS 4, FLYERS 0 >> Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, Andy Greene scored his first playoff goal in a decade, and New York opened its second-round series with a win in Toronto. Greene scored in the first period, and Varlamov was sharp all night in his second shutout of the 2020 playoffs.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anders Lee and Devon Toews scored in the third period. Game 2 is Wednesday. KNIGRTS 5, CANUCKS 0 >> Robin Lehner recorded his first career playoff shutout, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Vancouver Canucks late Sunday in the first game of their secondround playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta. Lehner turned aside 26 shots.
Game 2 is tonight. Lehner is 9-1 since being acquired at the trade deadline in a three-team deal including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks and appears to have displaced Marc-Andre Fleury as the starter.
AVALANCRE MISSING KEY PIECES WITR INJURIES >> The Colorado Avalanche could be without two important players for the rest of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars. Coach Jared Bednar said goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Erik Johnson are out indefinitely with injuries.
The Stars won the opener. Game 2 was late Monday night.
Golf
MICKELSON LEADS WITR 61 IN CRAMPIONS DEBUT >> Phil Mickelson rode a late string of five consecutive birdies to shoot a 10-under-par 61 and build a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Mickelson turned 50 in June and decided to make his Champions tour debut after missing the cut at The Northern Trust on Friday. That ended his 2019-20 season on the PGA Tour.
Mickelson holds a one-shot lead over David McKenzie. A group of four players another two shots off the pace at 7 under includes Rocco Mediate, Tim Petrovic, K.J. Choi and Rod Pampling.
Protests
WISCONSIN SPORTS TEAMS SPEAK OUT AFTER POLICE SROOTING >> Wisconsin’s three major professional sports teams wasted no time speaking out after the police shooting of a Black man sparked violent protests in the Milwaukee suburb of Kenosha.
A video that went viral on Sunday showed 29-year-old Jacob Blake getting shot, apparently in the back, as he leaned into his SUV while his three children sat inside the vehicle.
“A Black man was shot and his life is in peril, and it frankly shouldn’t be,” Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said as he wore a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt before his team’s game Monday with the Cincinnati Reds. “We’ve got a systemic problem that we need to address, and we all need to educate ourselves. Whether you agree or disagree with what I’m saying, I think it’s important that we continue to think, we continue to pursue policy change, we continue to act, because there’s violence happening that just absolutely should not be happening. We can’t stay quiet about it.”
The NFL’s Green Bay Packers and NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks also issued statements offering support for Blake and his family.
Soccer
RING’S GOAL LIFTS NEW YORK CITY FC OVER COLUMBUS >> Alexander Ring’s goal in the 59th minute was enough for New York City FC to defeat Columbus 1-0 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, for the Crew’s first defeat.