Serena set for French Open
Serena Williams’ coach says she will play the French Open beginning in two weeks.
The tournament will mark the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s first major since returning to the tour from maternity leave.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou tells the WTA tour’s website, “Serena will play the French Open to win it.”
Williams returned to the tour briefly this year, after a 14-month absence to give birth to her daughter. But she withdrew from last week’s Madrid Open and this week’s Italian Open.
Williams, a three-time French Open champion, has not played since a first-round loss to Naomi Osaka in March at the Miami Open.
The French Open starts on May 27.
GOLF
Marquette's Hunter Eichhorn and Matt Murlick each turned in 2-over-par 74s and were tied for 37th place after Monday's opening round of the NCAA Bryan Regional, hosted by Texas A&M at Traditions Club.
Texas A&M's Chandler Phillips and Brandon Smith, and Baylor's Cooper Dossey are tied for the lead after carding 68s.
Eichhorn and Murlick are competing as individuals in the 54-hole regional, which includes a 13team, 75-player field. Only six strokes separate the leaders at 4-under-par and the six players tied for 37th.
Stricker set for Senior Open: Madison’s Steve Stricker, who has 12 PGA Tour victories and has been a member of three U.S. Ryder Cup teams, has filed an entry as a fully exempt player for the 39th U.S. Senior Open Championship.
He will compete in his first Senior Open on The Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 28-July 1.
SOFTBALL
The University of Wisconsin earned a spot in the Big Dance for the second straight season.
Wisconsin (28-21) was selected to play in the Alabama Regional and will face Oregon State (2826) on Friday at 6 p.m.
Regional host No. 12-seeded Alabama (33-18) opens against Middle Tennessee (39-20) on Friday at 8:30 p.m.
TRACK AND FIELD
Wisconsin sophomore Ollie Hoare won the 1,500-meters at the Big Ten outdoor championships Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
The Sydney, Australia native crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 49.97 seconds.
The Badgers finished eighth in the men’s meet.
TENNIS
Former U.S. Open finalist Roberta Vinci bid an emotional farewell following the final match of her career at the Italian Open in Rome.
Having already announced that this would be her final tournament, the 35-year-old Vinci was beaten by Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3, in the first round.
SOCCER
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero was banned from playing at the World Cup because of a positive doping test.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it has upheld an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency to extend Guerrero’s six-month FIFA ban, which expired this month. He is now banned until January.
The 34-year-old Guerrero was set to captain Peru at its first World Cup appearance since 1982.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A highly sought, five-star basketball recruit has signed a national letter of intent to play at Nevada next season.
Jordan Brown, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound power forward from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., is only the second McDonald’s All-American to ever sign with the Wolf Pack. The other was Luke Babbitt, who now plays for the Miami Heat.
Brown averaged 23.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game last season. He picked Nevada over California and Arizona.