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sports Diahuebs 3 Juni 2021

Trial in former NBA player's killing set for January 2022

(AP) — A Tennessee judge lege basketball at the Univer-
Wednesday set a 2022 trial sity of Memphis.
date for a man charged
with conspiring with Wright's ex-wife, Sherra
the ex-wife of Lorenzen Wright, entered a surprise
Wright to kill the former guilty plea to facilitation of
NBA player nearly 11 murder in July 2019. Coffee
years ago in Memphis. sentenced her to 30 years in
prison. She could be a wit-
Shelby County Criminal ness in Turner's trial.
Court Judge Lee Coffee told Turner, 50, has already plead-
Billy Ray Turner that his trial ed guilty to possessing a
in Wright's slaying is sched- weapon as a convicted felon.
uled to begin Jan. 31. Prosecutors say Turner had
two guns when he was arrest-
Turner's trial had been set ed in Wright's killing. Turner
for October 2020, but it was was sentenced to 16 years in
postponed after the Tennes- prison on the separate gun
see Supreme Court suspend- charge.
ed trials last year because of
the coronavirus pandemic. During a brief court hearing
The state's high court said in Wednesday, Coffee apolo-
February that trials could re- gized to Turner for the delay
sume after March 31. in his trial, which could take
A trial in Wright's slaying in to charges of first-degree was found riddled with bul- A Memphis native, the two weeks.
Memphis would involve one murder and conspiracy is- let wounds in a swampy field 6-foot, 11-inch Wright played
of the most highly publicized sued in a December 2017 in- in east Memphis on July 28, 13 seasons for the Mem- Turner told the judge that he
murder cases in the city's his- dictment. He could face life 2010. Wright, 34, had been phis Grizzlies and four other has been in jail awaiting trial
tory. in prison if convicted of first- missing for 10 days before his NBA teams. He was retired for years and that he is eager
degree murder. body was discovered. from the league when he was to "prove my innocence and
Turner has pleaded not guilty Wright's decomposing body killed. Wright also played col- get back to my family."

Zverev keeps it short, advances to 3rd round at French Open

(AP) — Down 4-1 in A 25-shot rally in the final tie- Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 loss to Daria Kasat-
the third set, Alexander breaker epitomized Zverev's Zverev was joined in the 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. The 23rd-seed- kina, while Katerina Sinia-
Zverev decided it was combative attitude. First on third round by qualifier ed Khachanov was treated by kova saved two match points
time to shorten his match the defensive, Zverev turned Henri Laaksonen, who hit 53 a trainer in the fifth set af- to oust 29th-seeded Veronika
at the French Open. it around and won the point winners to upset 11th-seeded ter cutting his right middle Kudermetova 7-6 (7), 5-7,
with a passing shot. He took Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, finger by hitting his racket 7-5.
He was determined to avoid the next five points to seal the 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. The 29-year- strings in anger.
another lengthy fight fol- match and extend his perfect old Swiss had never beaten a Ahead of the French Open,
lowing a five-set battle in the record against qualifiers to top 20 player before. Nishikori extended his re- Siniakova made a deep run in
previous round, so he applied four matches on the Paris cord in five-set matches to Parma, where she upset top-
pressure on qualifier Roman clay. "I was not expecting that I'd 26-7. seeded Serena Williams.
Safiullin. The sixth-seeded win today," Laaksonen said.
German won the next game Zverev, the 2020 U.S. Open "It's a great result. I want to In the women's draw, 2019 Bencic struggled with her
at love, broke back by push- runner-up, has been in ex- improve my game and let's runner-up Marketa Von- serve throughout and was
ing his rival into unforced er- cellent form in the buildup see what happens." drousova reached the third broken four times by her
rors and was nearly flawless to the clay-court major. He round with a 6-1, 6-3 win Russian rival. The Swiss
in the tiebreaker. is among the top contenders Kei Nishikori of Japan was over wild-card entry Harmo- player has never progressed
in Paris following his title in taken to five sets for the sec- ny Tan. Earlier, 10th-seeded past the third round at the
The reward was a 7-6 (4), Madrid, where he beat Rafael ond consecutive match be- Belinda Bencic's campaign at French Open in five appear-
6-3, 7-6 (1) victory to ad- Nadal. fore downing the big-hitting Roland Garros ended with a ances.
vance into the third round at Kasatkina made it to the quar-
Roland Garros. terfinals in Paris in 2018, but
it's the first time this season
"I'm happy to be through in that she has won consecutive
three sets. I'm happy not to matches on clay.
have played another five-
setter," Zverev said. "I think Williams was scheduled to
it's going to be important for play later Wednesday against
me during the course of this Mihaela Buzarnescu of Ro-
tournament." mania. The 23-time Grand
Slam champion will try to
Zverev, facing a rival he has get back to the third round
known since their days in the at Roland Garros a year after
boys' categories, dropped his she withdrew from the tour-
serve three times on Court nament before her second
Suzanne Lenglen but man- match because of an injured
aged to catch up with Safiul- left Achilles.
lin. It wasn't smooth — he
hit 10 double-faults and chal- Also advancing to the third
lenged several calls — but he round were 15th-seeded Vic-
kept his cool when it mat- toria Azarenka and No. 33
tered. seed Paula Badosa.