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A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 28 May 2019
Champion, queen, goddess, mother: Serena wins at French Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH a balky left knee, and the won a Grand Slam match.
AP Tennis Writer one before that because In a performance emblem-
PARIS (AP) — This was one of illness. She had played atic of a difficult season,
mistake too far for Serena only nine matches all sea- last year’s Australian Open
Williams. son, and so her pursuit of champion bowed out in
Sure, the bad backhand a record-tying 24th Grand the first round 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
put her behind only 15-30 Slam title — fourth at Ro- to 68th-ranked Veronika
at the outset of the second land Garros — seemed no Kudermetova of Russia.
set of her opening match sure thing. “Definitely wasn’t the best
at Roland Garros on Mon- That goal seemed even fur- match I’ve ever played,”
day. What made the mis- ther from her grasp with the said the 13th-seeded Woz-
cue so bothersome? She’d way things began in Court niacki, who had only 15
already dropped the first Philippe Chatrier against winners to Kudermetova’s
set against 83rd-ranked Diatchenko, a Russian who 40. The way-up-then-way-
Vitalia Diatchenko — and hits two-fisted shots off down showing by Wozni-
Williams’ unforced error to- both sides and upset Maria acki stretched her losing
tal already was at 15 on a Sharapova at Wimbledon streak to four matches.
windy evening. last year. Other seeded players exit-
So she reacted by throw- “I just got nervous out there ing on Day 2 included No.
ing her head back and and I stopped moving my 12 Daniil Medvedev, No.
letting out a scream. Then feet. And (it) was, like, con- 15 Nikoloz Basilashvili, No.
she stepped to the base- crete blocks on my feet. 20 Denis Shapovalov and
line to serve and stomped I was like, ‘You got to do No. 32 Frances Tiafoe on
her right foot. And simple something,’” Williams said. the men’s side, along with
as that, Williams righted “I was just off, basically. No. 18 Julia Goerges on the
herself: She won 11 of the And then instead of cor- women’s.
next 13 points, and 12 of recting it, I just kept getting Tiafoe, a quarterfinalist at
13 games the rest of the Serena Williams of the U.S. plays a shot against Vitalia Diatchenko worse.” the Australian Open in Jan-
way, to come back for a of Russia during their first round match of the French Open tennis Could the nearly impossible uary, threw up a couple of
disappointing-to-dominant tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May happen? Could Williams times and his game came
2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory at the 27, 2019. lose in the first round of a apart late in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3,
French Open. Associated Press major? She’d only done 3-6, 6-0 loss to Filip Krajinovic
“I just was so frustrated at “goddess” and “mother” in liams.” so once before in 70 Slam of Serbia.
that point, because I have French. She made her return to appearances — and that “Obviously very depleted
been training well. The past “Those are things that mean Grand Slam competition in happened at the French and had nothing really in
week and a half has been a lot to me and reminders Paris a year ago after miss- Open, in 2012. me,” said Tiafoe, now 0-4
really good, and, God, it for me — and for everyone ing five majors because of But once Williams recali- at Roland Garros.
was, like, ‘This isn’t the Ser- that wants to wear it,” Wil- the birth of her first child. brated everything, she took Before Williams took over
ena I have been practicing liams explained. “Just re- Williams pulled out before charge. the main stadium, Rafael
with — or that I see every mind everyone that they the fourth round because One of her good friends, Nadal began his bid for a
day,” Williams said after- can be champions and are of an injured chest muscle, and another former No. record 12th championship
ward. “I just let out this roar, queens.” then was the runner-up at 1-ranked player, Caroline in Paris and Novak Djokovic
and here I am. Yeah, so A reporter told Williams both Wimbledon and the Wozniacki, went in the op- got started on his quest for
maybe that helped.” those four words are “a U.S. Open. posite direction Monday, a fourth consecutive major
She arrived on court with lot to carry,” to which the Williams came to Paris this going from playing a per- trophy. Both won in straight
a black-and-white jacket 37-year-old American re- time having withdrawn fect set to quickly fading sets. When it was Williams’
bearing words such as plied: “It is a lot to carry, from each of her past two away against an opponent turn, she needed a bit to
“champion,” “queen,” but so is being Serena Wil- tournaments because of who never previously had get going.q

Earthquakes’ Wondolowski scores 149th and 150th MLS goals

By The Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — Chris Wondolowski scored his 149th and 150th MLS
goals in the San Jose Earthquakes’ 2-1 victory over Toronto FC on Sun-
day night.
The MLS career goals leader scored both from close range.
Wondolowski got a yard’s separation from Drew Moor and deftly re-
directed in Cristian Espinoza’s cross in the 37th minute to tie it at 1. The
go-ahead goal in the 81st minute was a virtual replay, with Espinoza
finding Wondolowski in space.
The San Jose striker has six goals in two games. He scored all four
goals in a 4-1 victory over Chicago last weekend to surpass Landon
Donovan’s league record of 145 goals and up his career total to 148.
Richie Laryea opened the scoring for Toronto (5-6-2) in the 28th min-
ute
San Jose (5-6-2) won for the first time in six road games this season.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY 3, SOUNDERS 2
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Johnny Russell had a hat trick and Sporting
Toronto FC goalkeeper Quentin Westberg punches away a cross as teammate Drew Kansas City beat Seattle to snap a seven-game winless streak.
Moor, center, defends San Jose Earthquakes’ Chris Wondolowski during the second Sporting Kansas City (3-4-5) won for the first time since March 30.
half of an MLS soccer game against Toronto FC, in Toronto, Sunday, May 26, 2019.
Associated Press Raúl Ruidíaz and Kelvin Leerdam scored for Seattle (7-2-5).q