Beats Venus in day-one upset
ous levels of youth tennis, including reaching the US Open junior final at 13 and winning the French Open junior title at 14.
‘‘The sky’s the limit,’’ Williams said. ‘‘It really is.’’
Gauff, who is black, long looked up to Williams and her younger sister, Serena, the first African American women since Althea Gibson in the 1950s to win a grand slam singles championship. Asked about Gauff over the weekend, Serena said she reminds her of Venus.
When they spoke after yesterday match, Gauff said she thanked Venus ‘‘for everything she did’’.
‘‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her,’’ said Gauff, who joined the crowd in applauding for Venus as she walked off the court. ‘‘And I was just telling her that she’s so inspiring. Like, I always wanted to tell her that. And even though I met her before, I guess now I have the guts to.’’ The brother of New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker has been released after being detained at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago following a physical altercation. It is understood John Parker assaulted at least one member of the public after being removed from a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles due to a ticketing issue. The 25-year-old was also involved in a physical incident with a member of Joseph Parker’s extended management team at a Chicago hotel the previous night. Parker’s entourage have suggested that ‘‘mental health issues’’ were a factor.
Nathan Nukunuku
Black Sox captain is yet to decide if he will be back to try to regain New Zealand’s world softball title. The Black Sox – winners of a record seven world championships – surrendered their crown in Prague last week, finishing fourth after losing a bronze medal playoff to
Canada. The next world championships are only
19 months away – in
February 2021 in
Auckland – but Nukunuku said still it is ‘‘too early’’ to make a call on his playing future. Standing in the dugout at Prague, he thought ‘‘losing the bronze medal game isn’t the way I wanted’’ to end a 20-year international career. ‘‘That was my initial thought,’’ Nukunuku, 39, said yesterday. ‘‘But I also realised it would be purely selfish to stay on just for me. I need to make the best decision for the team. ‘‘I’ll give myself a month or so and let the campaign sink in before I really start to knuckle down [and make a decision].’’