Venus gets Tuesday opener in Silicon Valley Classic
Venus Williams, a wild-card entry into the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, drew fellow American Betthanie Mattek-Sands in the first round of the tournament.
Williams and Mattek-Sands play Tuesday night in the event that will be played at the San Jose State University tennis center.
The tournament starts Monday, with the championship next Sunday, Aug. 4.
Venus is a two-time champion of this event (2000 and 2002).
The top seeded players in Venus’ side of the draw are second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and third-seeded Elise Mertens. They both drew byes into the second round. Elina Svitolina is the top seed in the tournament.
First played in 1971, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is in its 48th year and is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza was forced to withdraw earlier this week.
Track and field
COLEMAN ROMPS TO U.S. 100 METERS TITLE >> Christian Coleman showed again he is the man to beat in the 100 meters as he cruised to victory at the U.S. nationals and world championship trials with another sub-10 second run.
World silver medallist Coleman, who holds the year’s fastest time of 9.81 seconds, won the final in 9.99 seconds after clocking 9.96 in the semifinals in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mike Rodgers and Christopher Belcher joined Coleman on the U.S. team for the Doha world championships. Both were timed at 10.12 seconds but Rodgers was runner-up by six thousandths of a second.
Justin Gatlin, who has automatic entry to the world championships as the reigning 100 champion, did not run the final after finishing third in his semifinal in 10.16 seconds.
Teahna Daniels, who turned professional this week, won the women’s 100 in 11.20 seconds with a strong last half. She had finished fourth in the U.S. collegiate championships.
World swimming championships
MANUEL RECOVERS, DEFENDS 100 FREE TITLE >> Stanford’s Simone Manuel won her second straight 100-meter freestyle title at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Relegated to Lane 1 with the slowest qualifying time, the American led all the way and touched first in 52.04 seconds, beating Cate Campbell of Australia by 0.39 seconds.
Manuel was unable to hold off Campbell on the anchor leg of the 4x100 free relay earlier in the meet, with Australia claiming gold and the U.S. silver.
“I did take that relay really hard because I didn’t feel like I did as best as I possibly could,” Manuel said. She made up for it in the 100 free. Manuel was the only woman under 25 seconds on the opening lap. She knocked 1.27 seconds off her time from the morning semifinals that landed her in the far outside lane.
Manuel became the second woman to win multiple titles in the 100 free, joining Kornelia Ender of the former East Germany, who won in 1973 and ‘75.
U.S. WINS WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP >> The U.S. women’s national team defeated Spain 11-6 in the water polo world championships final in South Korea. The title is the third straight world championship for the U.S. and sixth overall in team history. Stanford’s Kiley Neushul scored three goals, and Stanford’s Maggie Steffens added two goals.
AMERICANS INJURED WHEN BALCONY COLLAPSES >> Members of the U.S. national water polo team were in a South Korean nightclub when an internal balcony collapsed, killing two people dead and injuring 10 others. Hundreds were at the nightclub in the southern South Korean city of Gwangju when the incident occurred next to the athletes’ village, according a local anti-disaster agency.
The dead are South Korean men, while the 10 injured include four foreigners — two Americans who were in Gwangju for the world swimming championships and two Uzbekistan exchange students, an agency official said.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported none of the injured, including the Americans, are in critical condition.
“This is an awful tragedy,” said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo. “Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club.”
Ramsay said all U.S. water polo athletes were safe and accounted for.
Golf
FITZPATRICK CLIMBS TO TOP IN MEMPHIS >> Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a 6-under 64 in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the World Golf Championships event. The 24-yearold Englishman birdied the first four holes and finished with seven birdies and a bogey. He took the lead with his fifth birdie and added two more on the back nine to finish at 9-under 131 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Billy Horschel (66), Patrick Cantlay (68), Cameron Smith (68) and firstround leader Jon Rahm (71) were tied for second. Shugo Imahira (69) was another stroke back.
Top-ranked Brooks Koepka had a 67 to match 2018 FedEx Cup champ Justin Rose (68), Bubba Watson (70), Ian Poulter (69), Webb Simpson (66) and Alex Noren (69) at 5 under.
HOGE IN FRONT AT RAIN-DELAYED BARRACUDA CHAMPIONSHIP >> A hot start resulted in Tom Hoge sitting atop of the Barracuda Championship leaderboard when the second round in Reno was suspended because of lightning in the area. In the event’s Modified Stableford scoring system at Montreux Golf & Country Club, Hoge carded a plus-8 score to sit at plus-21 through two rounds.
Beau Hossler, John Chin and Cal’s Collin Morikawa are tied for second at plus-20.
More than half the field will conclude the second round today before commencing the third round.
SHORT TAKES ONE-SHOT LEAD INTO WEEKEND AT SENIOR OPEN >> Wes Short Jr. fired his second consecutive round of 3-under par 67 to take a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the Senior British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. Short stands at 6-under 134, ahead by one stroke over Scott Dunlap (68).
LEE HOLDS NARROW LEAD AT EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP >> Mi Hyang Lee holds a one-shot lead at 10-under-par 132 after shooting 67 at the Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France. Hot on her heels at 9 under are 2014 Evian champion Hyo Joo Kim (64), Sung Hyung Park (66) and Inbee Park (68).
First-round leader Paula Creamer dropped after shooting 76.