Page 17 - ARUBA TODAY

A17
Tuesday 16 January 2018

United States’ Venus Williams
makes a forehand return to
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic
during their first round match
at the Australian Open tennis
championships in Melbourne,
Australia, Monday, Jan. 15,
2018.
Associated Press
Major letdown
for U.S. women:

Venus, Stephens

out in Melbourne

By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)
— U.S. Open champion
Sloane Stephens was first
U.S. women, who eventu- STAR STRUCK
to go, followed quickly by
last year’s Australian Open
runner-up, Venus Williams.
CoCo Vandeweghe went
out next as things really
started to go crazy for the

ally lost nine out of 10 first-
round matches on a bleak
opening day of the Austra- Seguin strikes again with overtime goal
lian Open. Four months af-
ter American women filled
all four semifinal spots at
the U.S. Open — for the first
time in 36 years — three of
them are out of contention
at the next Grand Slam.
Monday’s major letdown
was compounded when
eighth-seeded Jack Sock
and No. 16 John Isner
joined the procession of Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen (32), of Finland, top,
U.S. first-round losers. In her guards the net as Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88),
first match at Rod Laver
Arena since a vintage run of the Czech Republic, falls backward in the second period of
in 2017 ended in a cham- an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, Boston. The Stars
pionship loss to sister Sere- won 3-2 in overtime.
na, Venus Williams lost her Associated Press
opener to Belinda Bencic
6-3, 7-5 to ensure the title Page 19
won’t stay in the family.
Continued on Page 20