Serena Williams is pregnant, says spokeswoman
It’s another love game for Serena Williams: She is pregnant — and, based on the timeline she offered, she already was when she won the Australian Open.
A spokeswoman for Williams, Kelly Bush Novak, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday: “I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall.”
Earlier in the day, Williams posted a photo of herself on Snapchat with the caption “20 weeks,” sparking all sorts of speculation on social media about whether she was, indeed, with child.
The 35-year-old Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in January — a little less than 12 weeks ago. She has not competed since, citing a knee injury when withdrawing from tournaments at Indian Wells, Calif., and Key Biscayne, Fla.
She announced in late December that she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Broncos relieved that Talib escapes suspension
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Members of the Denver Broncos “No Fly Zone” secondary are relieved that star Aqib Talib won’t face a suspension over the shooting in Dallas last year in which the all-pro cornerback admitted he accidentally shot himself.
“Absolutely,” safety Darian Stewart said Wednesday. “You can’t replace Talib. He’s a hell of a player, an All-Pro player year in and year out and a guy we count on week in and week out.”
Talib received a letter from the league recently informing him he wouldn’t be suspended or fined over the shooting.
However, the NFL also notified Talib that he “must complete a firearm safety course and must supply the league a list of all firearms he owns,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Juventus reaches semis of Champions League
BARCELONA, Spain — Juventus made sure there were no more miracles at Camp Nou on Wednesday, as the Italian visitors held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw and advanced to the Champions League semifinals.
The second-leg stalemate sealed a 3-0 win on aggregate and came six weeks after Barcelona’s historic 6-1 thrashing of Paris Saint-Germain, when the home side become the first team to ever overturn a 4-0 loss in the competition.
Juventus showed all the poise and experience that PSG had sorely lacked in the previous round.
True to the Italian tradition of defending an advantage, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon had little work to do until late in the game, as Massimiliano Allegri’s side expertly absorbed Barcelona’s high-paced passing attack.
Juventus joins Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Monaco in the semifinal draw on Friday.
Teenage racer has legs amputated after F4 crash
LONDON — More than $220,000 has been donated to help a British racing driver who has had both legs amputated while in an induced coma after being involved in a high-speed crash.
Billy Monger, a 17-year-old Englishman, was left fighting for his life after his car collided with a Finnish rival’s during a British F4 race at Donington Park on Sunday.
Onboard footage from a camera on Monger’s car showed him seeming to run into the back of Patrik Pasma’s stationary car in the FIA-sanctioned series. After being trapped in his car for an hour and a half at the central England circuit, Monger was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Nottingham.
British F4 officials say Monger is in a “critical, but stable condition.”
“Due to the injuries sustained and despite every effort, Billy has sadly had both lower legs amputated,” they said in a statement. “He has been kept in an induced coma while undergoing surgery, from which he is expected to be woken in the next few days.”
ROCKETS 115, THUNDER 111
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 35 points and the Houston Rockets overcame 51 points from Russell Westbrook in a triple-double, clawing back from a double-digit deficit for a 115111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Westbrook set a franchise playoff scoring record and added 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the most points ever scored in a post-season tripledouble. It was the sixth career playoff triple-double for Westbrook, who had an NBA-record 42 in the regular season.
But the Rockets contained him long enough in the fourth quarter to surge ahead, then hold on.
Game 3 is Friday night in Oklahoma City.
WIZARDS 109, HAWKS 101
WASHINGTON — In a rough-and-tumble, foul-filled game, Bradley Beal took over in the fourth quarter with 16 of his 31 points, including a key late 3-pointer, helping the Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-101 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
John Wall earned chants of “M-V-P!” while finishing with 32 points and nine assists, including the dish to Beal for his shot from beyond the arc with 38 seconds remaining that sealed the win for the hosts.
Washington, which trailed 78-74 entering the final period, won despite only a combined seven points from starting forwards Markieff Morris and Otto Porter Jr., who were both in foul trouble early.
The series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Saturday.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder scored 23 points. But Dwight Howard had only seven rebounds, half his Game 1 total, and six points.