Tennis great Evert reveals she has cancer
Former tennis star Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, has an early form of ovarian cancer, she said in a story posted on ESPN.com.
The stage 1C cancer was detected after a preventive hysterectomy, and it has not spread elsewhere in her body, according to the story. Evert, 67, who began the first of six rounds of chemotherapy this week, is an analyst for ESPN.
The cancer was removed during the hysterectomy, and there is a greater than 90% chance it won’t return, according to the story.
“I’ve lived a very charmed life,” Evert said in the story. “Now I have some challenges ahead of me. But, I have comfort in knowing the chemotherapy is to ensure that cancer does not come back.”
Evert is one of the most celebrated players in tennis history. She became the first player, male or female, to win 1,000 singles matches and was ranked first or second in the world from 1975 to 1986, according to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Dr. Joel Cardenas, a doctor for Evert, said in the story that an early diagnosis is more likely if a patient is current on doctor visits, understands her family history and has a good relationship with her gynecologist.
“Women should know the risk factors, too — endometriosis, history of breast cancer and infertility are among them,” he said. “The average age for ovarian cancer diagnosis is 63.”
Genetic testing and counseling are encouraged if a patient has a family history of ovarian cancer, Cardenas said.
Evert’s younger sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, also a professional tennis player, died of ovarian cancer in February 2020 at age 62.
Ovarian cancer can run in families, and one’s risk is increased if a mother, sister or daughter has had the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
Golf
MATSUYAMA RALLIES, WINS SONY IN PLAYOFF >> Hideki Matsuyama made up a five-shot deficit on the back nine and then won the Sony Open in a playoff with one of the best shots he never saw, a 3-wood into the sun to 3 feet for an eagle to beat Russell Henley.
The eighth career PGA Tour victory for Matsuyama tied him with K.J. Choi for most tour victories by an Asian-born player.
“I got on a roll,” said Matsuyama, who shot 31 on the back nine while Henley made eight pars and a bogey. “I’m glad it came out this way.”
Matsuyama hammered a driver on the par-5 18th in regulation to set up a twoputt birdie for a 7-under 63 and got into a playoff when Henley missed a 10foot birdie putt and closed with 65.
Back to the 18th for the sudden-death playoff, Matsuyama this time hit 3-wood off the tee with Henley in a fairway bunker. That left him another 3-wood, and he immediately held up his hand to shield the sun and search for the ball.
He didn’t need to see it. One of the larger Sunday galleries at Waialae erupted with cheers as the ball landed about 10 feet in front of the back pin and rolled out to 3 feet for the eagle.
Henley, after having to lay up out of the sand, sent his lob wedge from 85 yards bounding over the green and he made bogey.
At that point, it didn’t matter. Matsuyama tapped in his putt for his second win this season. Both times, he finished with an eagle, only he needed this shot. His eagle at the Zozo Championship in Japan gave him a five-shot victory.
Matsuyama knew his Sony Open history. It was where Isao Aoki became the first Japanese player to win on the PGA Tour in 1983 when he holed out from the fairway for eagle.
“To follow him up, I’m over the moon,” Matsuyama said.
They finished at 23-under 257. Matsuyama had his 13th consecutive round in the 60s dating to the final day at the CJ Cup at Summit in Las Vegas.
Kevin Kisner (64) and Seamus Power of Ireland (65) tied for third, four shots behind.
College basketball
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA WOMEN BEAT ARKANSAS >> Aliyah Boston and Destanni Henderson each scored 19 points and No. 1 South Carolina beat Arkansas 61-52.
Boston also had 13 rebounds for South Carolina (17-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference). The Gamecocks have won five straight since falling at Missouri on Dec. 30
Makayla Daniels led Arkansas (11-6, 1-3) with 17 points. Amber Ramirez added 14.
In other women’s games, Kianna Smith scored 18 points, Hailey Van Lith added 16 and No. 3 Louisville beat Boston College 63-53 on the road.
The Cardinals (15-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) haven’t lost since dropping their opener to Arizona in overtime. Taylor Soule led Boston College (12-5, 3-3) with 17 points.
• Elissa Cunane scored 23 points and No. 4 North Carolina State beat Duke 84-60 to remain unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Jada Boyd added 10 points and seven rebounds to help N.C. State (16-2, 7-0) win its 15th straight game against conference opponents dating to last season.
• Rae Burrell and Keyen Green each scored 14 points points and No. 5 Tennessee beat No. 19 Kentucky 84-58 at home to remain the only unbeaten team in Southeastern Conference play.
The Lady Volunteers (17-1, 6-0) won after losing 6-foot-6 junior Tamari Key in the second quarter with right ankle injury.
• Grace Berger scored 24 points, Aleksa Gulbe added 21 and No. 6 Indiana rallied to beat Purdue 73-68 in overtime for its ninth straight victory.
The Hoosiers (14-2, 6-0 Big Ten) overcame an eightpoint deficit in the final 3 ½ minutes of regulation.
• Maddie Nolan scored 21 points — all on 3-pointers — and No. 11 Michigan routed No. 8 Maryland 6949 at College Park, Md.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese guided the team after her father, Bill, died of cancer Sunday morning.
Nolan set a career high with her seven 3-pointers and tied her career high in scoring. Leigha Brown added 15 points for Michigan (15-2, 6-1 Big Ten).
• Alexis Morris scored 20 points, Khayla Pointer had 10 of her 17 points in a pivotal third quarter and No. 12 LSU (17-2, 5-1 SEC) pulled away to beat Vanderbilt 82-64.
NO. 14 VILLANOVA MEN ROUT BUTLER >> Collin Gillespie hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Justin Moore scored 15 points to lead No. 14 Villanova to its sixth straight win, 82-42 over Butler.
The Wildcats (13-4, 6-1 Big East) are rolling again since dropping their conference opener and never let Butler get comfortable at the Wells Fargo Center.
Butler (9-7, 2-3) had given coach Jay Wright’s Wildcats fits more than any other team in the Big East since 2016. The Bulldogs’ five wins over that span were the most of any team against Villanova over that span.
• E.J. Liddell scored 19 points and No. 16 Ohio State defeated Penn State. Ohio State (11-4, 5-2 Big Ten) won despite shooting just 38.6% overall and going the final 5:07 without a basket.
The Nittany Lions (87, 3-4) trimmed multiple 10-point deficits in the second half and pulled within four with seven seconds to go.
JOE B. HALL, WHO LED KENTUCKY TO NCAA TITLE, DIES >> Joe B. Hall, who succeeded Adolph Rupp and guided Kentucky to a national championship in 1978, has died. He was 93.
The program announced Hall’s death in a social media post Saturday morning after the coach’s family notified current Wildcats coach John Calipari. Hall and Calipari were close, and Hall was a a frequent presence at Kentucky practices and games. The retired coach would sometimes provide the “Y” when cheerleaders spelled out the state name during timeouts.
Hall went 297-100 in 13 years with Kentucky. Born 20 miles north of the Lexington campus in Cynthiana, the former UK player and longtime assistant to Rupp assumed the monumental task of succeeding his boss in 1972 after Rupp was forced to retire because he turned 70.
College football
IOWA COACH DISBANDS DIVERSITY GROUP >> Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has disbanded an alumni advisory committee that was created after a 2020 investigation found evidence of racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants.
The Gazette reports that Ferentz’ decision to end the committee came shortly after its leader, former offensive lineman David Porter, suggested it was time for Iowa to part ways with Ferentz. But Ferentz said he had decided to overhaul the committee last fall before Porter made his comment to other committee members in a text message.
“I have come to a decision that this is an appropriate time to dissolve our committee as it stands currently,” Ferentz wrote in an email to the 10-member committee on Tuesday. “As we start a new calendar year and prepare to move forward with our preparation for the 2022 season, I am giving thought to how we restructure the committee/ board in a way that best serves our program moving forward.”
In 2020, the university hired the Husch Blackwell law firm to review the program after dozens of former players, most of them Black, spoke out on social media to allege racial disparities and mistreatment.
Their activism came as protests against racial injustice swept the nation following the death of George Floyd and after attempts to raise concerns inside the program resulted in only minor changes.