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SPORTS A21
Tuesday 19 January 2016

Serena Returns with 1st Round Win at Australian Open

Continued from Page 17 Serena Williams of the United States hits a forehand return to Camila Giorgi of Italy during their first round match at the Australian
Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Williams started her bid for a seventh Australian Open
Williams said she didn’t title with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Giorgi.
feel the knee problem
at all during Monday’s (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
match, dropping just one
service game against No. about it,” said Sharapova, plans to include some jour- interesting and scary at the Sharapova, is the favorite
34-ranked Girorgi. who said she has been in- nals she kept as a young same time.” in Melbourne but faces a
No. 5 Maria Sharpova, who terviewing her mother, fa- girl. Digging up her past, Williams, who has an 11- strong crop of resurgent
lost to Williams in last year’s ther and grandparents and she said, has been “really year dominance over and determined players. q
final, breezed through her
first-round match 6-1, 6-3
against Nao Hibino of Ja-
pan.
Sharapova showed no
lingering effects from her
own recent ailment, a left
forearm injury that forced
her to pull out of the Bris-
bane International earlier
this month.
“I haven’t played many
matches in many weeks,
it was great to come out
here and start my season,”
said Sharapova, a five-
time Grand Slam winner
who could face a rematch
against Williams this year
but in the quarterfinals.
In her off-court time,
Sharapova said she’s been
working on a biography.
“I’m not going to talk about
it much just because I want
the book to do the talk-
ing. But I’m really excited

American Noah Rubin upsets 17th seed Paire for 1st major win

JUSTIN BERGMAN his first-ever win at a Grand Still, Rubin didn’t exactly Grand Slams were won last lacked on Monday.
Associated Press Slam tournament. come out of nowhere. year by Americans: Tommy Paire, who made a sartorial
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) “People have done way He established himself as Paul (French Open), Reilly statement by wearing one
— Noah Rubin surprised better than me at my age,” one of a group of up-and- Opelka (Wimbledon) and red and one black shoe,
more than a few people he said. “People have won coming young American Taylor Fritz (U.S. Open). had 61 winners compared
with his upset win over 17th- slams at my age so winning players by winning the 2014 “It’s really inspiring. We with just 22 for the Ameri-
seeded Benoit Paire at the one round is not too ter- Wimbledon junior title. have so many guys now can, but also 72 unforced
Australian Open on Mon- rific.” “I love being in the spot- together. If you look at the errors.
day. The No. 328-ranked Rubin light,” he said. “I hope I past years, the champions Later, the Frenchman
“My girlfriend’s sending me received a wild card en- don’t come off cocky or come because they have didn’t have many kind
pictures — I’m trending on try into the main draw as arrogant, but I do enjoy people with them to sup- words for his opponent.
Twitter. I mean, that stuff is part of a reciprocal agree- playing in the spotlight. I’ve port them and to encour- “I played against a not-
cool,” Rubin said after his ment between the U.S. and always played my best ten- age them and just friendly good player, but I was very
7-6 (4), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) first- Australian tennis associa- nis.” competition throughout bad today so that’s it, I
round victory. tions. He had only played He said he believes it helps the country. I don’t know if lost,” he said.
But the 19-year-old Long Is- one previous Grand Slam to be part of a new gen- we’ve had that for a while It’s Rubin, not Paire, though,
land, New York, native said match, a straight-sets loss eration of players break- (in the U.S.),” he said. who’s through to the sec-
he’s not going to celebrate to Argentina’s Federico ing into the pro ranks at Rubin showed a steadiness ond round to face anoth-
too much after knocking Delbonis in the first round of the same time. Three of and consistency that the er French player, qualifier
off a top-20 player to get the 2014 U.S. Open. the four junior titles at the more experienced Paire Pierre-Hugues Herbert. q