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Daughter of Bills, Sabres owners into all-US QF in Australia
United States' Jessica Pegula celebrates after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. “I’m just happy I’m here; she's been playing some good tennis, solidifying herself as a top player.”AdThe 61st-ranked Pegula beat No. “A lot of people were complaining, and I told myself I wasn’t going to complain,” Brady said. Also on that half of the draw, Rafael Nadal moved closer to a men's-record 21st Grand Slam trophy by overwhelming No. “I’m super excited for her making her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
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Venus finishes Australian Open loss on injured ankle, knee
United States' Venus Williams reacts as she injures her leg during her second round match against Italy's Sara Errani at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)MELBOURNE – This was, in some ways, rather difficult to watch: 40-year-old Venus Williams gasped and groaned as she limped around the court at the Australian Open on an injured right ankle and left knee. The oldest woman in the field, she was playing in her 21st Australian Open and 88th Grand Slam tournament overall, a record for the professional era. Errani was in control of the match when Williams twisted her right ankle and landed awkwardly on her left leg, which already was bandaged with athletic tape and buckled. Action was halted, and a trainer treated Williams on the sideline, first taping the troubled ankle, then the knee.
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Djokovic holds off Tiafoe; Venus hobbles out in Australia
Serbia's Novak Djokovic makes a forehand return to United States' Frances Tiafoe during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. 1, had never beaten anyone in the Top 5, and now he'd just won a tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic to level their second-round match at the Australian Open. But it wasn't quite enough to beat the eight-time Australian Open champion, who won the 3 1/2-hour afternoon match 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 6-3. AdAnother U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, needed only an hour to sweep Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3. 29 Ugo Humbert 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in a rollicking night cap full of turns and twists.
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Djokovic: "makes my heart full" to see Aussie Open crowd
Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating France's Jeremy Chardy during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. I really, really appreciate your support in coming out tonight." 7 Aryna Sabalenka, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, French Open winner Iga Swiatek and 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, returning from 15 months on the sidelines. Playing in her 21st Australian Open, the elder Williams beat Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2. Two weeks in hard lockdown didn't help 2016 Australian Open winner Angelique Kerber, who lost to Bernarda Pera.
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The Latest: Shapovalov edges teenage Sinner in 1st round
The 10th-seeded Frenchman is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, but he can't seem to win anywhere at the moment. ___4:55 p.m.U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem has moved into the second round at the Australian Open, where he was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic a year ago. Thiem had been 0-3 in Grand Slam finals until emerging for the championship at Flushing Meadows in September. The first tournament of this year’s Grand Slam season began after a three-week delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. Serena Williams begins her latest bid for a 24th Grand Slam singles title in the following match against Laura Siegemund.
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Serena Williams, Osaka drawn in same half at Australian Open
United States' Serena Williams makes a forehand return to compatriot Danielle Collins during a tuneup event ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. 3 Naomi Osaka, the U.S. Open champion. Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta and Elina Svitolina are also in Kenin's quarter. Williams already has won seven Australian Open titles and her 23 major titles is a record in the Open era. In the top half, Djokovic’s bid for a third consecutive Australian title — and ninth overall — could get tricky.
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From Kobe to Maradona, a year of staggering losses in sports
FILE - In this Nov. 14, 1993, file photo, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula is carried on his team's shoulders after his 325th victory, against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Not long after came a seismic jolt, the helicopter crash of Kobe Bryant in the fog-shrouded California hills that reverberated across sports and across continents. Football lost a big piece of its heart: Don Shula, Gale Sayers, Paul Hornung, Bobby Mitchell. The losses, of course, came against a backdrop of a pandemic, its number of fatalities rolled out daily on TV screens. Kurt Thomas in 1978 became the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world title but lost an Olympic shot in 1980 because of the boycott.
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Wawrinka routs Murray in Slam champ matchup at French Open
Murray and Wawrinka met in the 2017 semifinals in Paris and neither has been quite the same since. “To me, also.”But 2015 French Open champion Wawrinka’s road back from two procedures on his knee has been less arduous than Murray’s journey. VENUS DONE FOR 2020Venus Williams finished 2020 with an 0-3 record in Grand Slam matches, adding a first-round exit at the French Open to those she had at the Australian Open and U.S. Open. So I’m looking forward to that.”She is a seven-time major champion and was the 2002 runner-up at the French Open to her younger sister, Serena. The 20-year-old American’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open and was the runner-up at the 1992 French Open; his mother, Regina, reached the top 30 in the WTA rankings.
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The Latest: US Open runner-up Zverev wins 1st match in Paris
The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that does not use tiebreakers in the final set. 9 seed Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3 at Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday. ___7:30 p.m.Stan Wawrinka made quick work of Andy Murray in their reunion of sorts at the French Open. One of his coaches is Wolfgang Thiem, the father of fellow Austrian Dominic Thiem — the U.S. Open champion, and French Open runner-up the past two years. The 20-year-old Korda beat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
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No chill for Coco: Gauff ousts 9th seed in French Open debut
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – Prepping in the relative warmth of a gym before heading out with leggings and long sleeves to make her French Open debut against the tournament’s No. I realized it’s just a tennis match. Such a far cry from last year’s French Open: Gauff failed to make it out of qualifying, while Konta was making her way to her third Grand Slam semifinal. She also made it to the fourth round at this year’s Australian Open, beating 2019 champion Naomi Osaka en route. The lack of match play coming in.
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The Latest: A 1st for Venus: She loses in 1st round of Open
___7:10 p.m.Serena Williams began her latest attempt to win a 24th Grand Slam singles trophy by beating Kristie Ahn in the first round at the U.S. Open. 3 and hoping to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Pella reached the third round of the U.S. Open in 2018 and the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year. She is a seven-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, including at the U.S. Open in 2013 and 2018. He's the first unranked player to win a Grand Slam match since Nicolas Kiefer at Wimbledon in 2007.
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Naomi Osaka into W&S final after calling for racial justice
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, returns a shot from Elise Mertens, of Belgium, during the semifinals at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK – After two days of little sleep and unexpected stress, Naomi Osaka rose to the moment. Osaka won the 2018 U.S. Open and will be coming off a successful week — in many ways — heading into this one. The Western & Southern Open was moved from Mason Ohio to the U.S. Open site in Flushing Meadows because of pandemic precautions, creating a two-tournament event without spectators. Osaka will face resurgent Victoria Azarenka, who beat Johanna Konta 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Western & Southern final for the first time since 2013, when she beat Serena Williams.
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Serena and Venus win, now Williams sisters play each other
LEXINGTON, Ky. Serena Williams was calm in a return more dramatic than some might have expected even after a long layoff. Williams needed to rally to win in her comeback following a six-month layoff, beating unseeded American Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Tuesday's first round of the Top Seed Open. Williams advanced to a second-round showdown against older sister Venus, who dispatched Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2. The Croatian-born Pera eventually evened the set and had Williams down 0-40 at 4-4 before Williams, 38, rallied to stay on serve. She played really well.Williams needed another rally to win the next game before getting a hard-earned break to force a third set.
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Serena Williams is fit and ready to play after 6-month break
FILE - In this May 27, 2019, file photo, Serena Williams of the U.S. plays a shot against Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. If the French Open were being held as scheduled right now -- instead of postponed to September because of the coronavirus pandemic, Williams again would have had a shot at her 24th major to pull even with Margaret Court for the most in history. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
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Serena Williams is fit and ready to play after 6-month break
(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)LEXINGTON, Ky. – Serena Williams flexed and then kissed a sinewy right bicep to show down time well spent in training even without bench pressing. Williams now looks to flex her muscles on a tennis court for the first time in six months. Serena Williams, ranked No. If the results from Williams’ previous comeback from a long break are any indication, she has something to look forward to. Her husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, built a tennis court for her.
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Fans welcomed to World TeamTennis matches in West Virginia
WTTs nine teams have come together The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for their three-week season. It was awesome to have some people out there to get behind the tennis, Sandgren said. The WTT season started just as confirmed coronavirus cases were soaring nationally. Anyone who wasnt a competing athlete wore a mask inside the tennis stadium and fans had their temperatures checked prior to entering. Sandgren later won matches in men's doubles with James Ward and mixed doubles with Jessica Pegula.
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Venus Williams joins World TeamTennis; season starts in July
Venus Williams has signed up to play World TeamTennis for the 15th time, the league announced Thursday. Williams has since spoken about how she turned to a plant-based diet and learned other ways to get by. The American is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, with five titles at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open. She also has paired up with her younger sister Serena to win 14 Grand Slam trophies in doubles. Other players who have committed to participating include 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and twins Mike and Bob Bryan, who have won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
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AP Was There: Serena Williams tops Venus to win French Open
(AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)EDITORS NOTE -- Every French Open features matches that are memorable for one reason or another. One historic accomplishment came when Serena Williams played sister Venus at Roland Garros in the first of four consecutive all-in-the-family major finals. -By HOWARD FENDRICHAP Tennis WriterPARIS (AP) The French Open was hers, no more shots to chase or winners to produce. Still, Serena Williams didnt want to look her opponent in the eye. In the second game of the second set, Venus hit a forehand return that landed near the baseline and was called out.
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Stretch it out: Serena, Venus Williams offer fans yoga tips
Serena Williams is looking forward to getting back to competing when the coronavirus pandemic permits it, in part because she’s “feeling better than ever.”Her older sister, Venus, is looking forward to hanging out at a rooftop bar. Under normal circumstances, the Williams sisters might have been in action this week at the Italian Open, a clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros. And now I’m feeling better than ever. I’m feeling more relaxed, more fit. After the yoga was done, they asked each other some questions, and then Venus stayed around to take queries from viewers.
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'Didn't do it for the hype': Kenin stops Coco in Australia
Like Gauff, Kenin is a young — although, at 21, not quite as young — American and she reached her first major quarterfinal with the victory. “I want to show who I am, show my best tennis, show why I'm there, why I belong,” the 14th-seeded Kenin said. When it ended, appropriately enough, on a missed backhand by Gauff, Kenin dropped her racket at the baseline and covered her face as tears welled in her eyes. “Anyone would get pretty emotional for the first time,” said Kenin, who next faces another woman making her Slam quarterfinal debut, 78th-ranked Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Kenin laughed as she described the scene this way: “She's like, ‘Good job.’ I'm like, ‘You, too.'

Serena Williams dominates Maria Sharapova at US Open
Serena Williams clashed with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, culminating when he docked her a game for calling him a "thief." A laser-focused Serena Williams entered the stadium to roars from the crowd. The results were also the same as the last 15 years: Serena Williams, seeded eighth, won 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour, improving her record against the Russian to 20-2 as she seeks her 24th major title. After the match, Serena Williams addressed the crowd during her interview with ESPN. Venus Williams, Djokovic, Federer winOne of those former champions is Venus Williams, who dominated China's Zheng Saisai 6-1, 6-0.

Gauff handed wild card to play at US Open
Cori Gauff returns a shot to Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan during Day 2 of the Citi Open at Rock Creek Tennis Center on July 30, 2019, in Washington, D.C.(CNN) - Cori "Coco" Gauff will compete in her second career grand slam later this month after US Open organizers handed the 15-year-old a wild card entry. The American teenager became an overnight sensation in July when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, beating the likes of idol Venus Williams in the process. Earlier this month, Gauff won the Citi Open women's doubles title, where she partnered 17-year-old Catherine McNally. Gauff recently old CNN Sport she was looking forward to playing in the US Open and believed she had the potential to win the tournament. More to follow...The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

15-year-old Cori 'Coco' Gauff extends remarkable run at Wimbledon
Cori Gauff beat Magdalna Rybrikov in the second round of Wimbledon. "I don't even know how I played, if I played better or not," Gauff said. We'll know more over the coming days but one thing is already certain: Wimbledon fans are head over heels for the player nicknamed "Coco." It was an 'A' performance from Gauff, who took a science test during her qualifying run while reaching the main draw. As she neared victory and chased another drop shot, another fan encouraged her to "run, run, run."

15-year-old Gauff downs Venus Williams at Wimbledon
Cori Gauff shakes hands at the net with Venus Williams after winning her Ladies' Singles first round match during Day 1 of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 1, 2019, in London. (CNN) - She wasn't even born when Venus Williams won her first grand slam title, but 15-year-old American Cori Gauff downed the five-time champion on her Wimbledon debut Monday. "I don''t really know how to feel, this is the first time I've cried after a match, after winning," Gauff told the BBC afterward. Gauff is the 12th youngest overall to play at the Wimbledon main draw, but the 11 others didn't make it through qualifying. This year, she became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam qualifying match in the French Open.