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Thursday 5 January 2017
Frustrated Serena Williams loses in 2nd round at Auckland

AUCKLAND, New Zealand of rustiness in her 6-3, 6-4
(AP) — Serena Williams lost first-round win over Pauline
her second-round match Parmentier of France, and
at the ASB Classic and the her power-hitting game
22-time Grand Slam singles was again affected by
champion, frustrated by gusting wind on the open-
swirling winds, didn’t leave air center court.
quietly. She struggled with her ball
“At least I can get out toss in the windy condi-
of these conditions,” No. tions on Wednesday and
2-ranked Williams said made 88 unforced errors,
after her 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4 including a double-fault on
loss Wednesday to fellow match point.
American Madison Bren- “You can’t expect to win
gle. hitting that many errors ...
“I would say it’s my least fa- I never got in my rhythm, I
vorite conditions I’ve ever didn’t hit any returns in the
played in. Again my oppo- vicinity of the court. I’ve
nent played in the exact United States’ Serena Williams bangs her racket in frustration during her second round loss to never returned like that in
compatriot Madison Brengle at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand,
same conditions. She was Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. my life,” Serena Williams
able to adjust better than Associated Press said. q
me. I really abhorred these
conditions.” better go one better than game to be honest. I’m try-
It was Williams’ second Steffi Graf, who shares the ing to think of a word for Kvitova’s recovery going well,
match since a four-month Open-era record of 22 (my performance) that’s
layoff to rest various injuries Grand Slam titles. not obscene, but I can’t.” reward offered for attacker
after her semifinal loss at Willilams is trying to be op- It was a bad day for the
the U.S. Open in Septem- timistic. “I can take solace Williams family in Auckland,
ber. in the fact that the condi- with Serena’s sister Venus
She’s now off to Melbourne tions won’t be like this in withdrawing because of
for the Australian Open, Melbourne,” Williams said. a right arm injury from her
which begins Jan. 16, and “This is almost not a great second-round match.
an opportunity to go one opportunity to assess your Serena had showed signs
Roger Federer loses close match

to Zverev at Hopman Cup

PERTH, Australia (AP) —
Roger Federer found him-
self overmatched — just
— by a younger and stron-
ger-serving opponent on
Wednesday, losing 7-6 (1),
6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) to 19-year-
old Alexander Zverev of
Germany at the Hopman
Cup. The 35-year-old Fe-
derer was playing his sec-
ond match since returning
from a six-month layoff be-
cause of a left knee injury. In this July 8, 2016, file photo, Roger Federer of Switzerland re-
He led 5-2 in the first set, turns to Milos Raonic of Canada during their men’s semifinal sin-
but ran into an opponent gles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. Czech Republic’s tennis player Petra Kvitova holds a statement
for media in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Dec. 23, 2016.
whose first-serve percent- Associated Press Associated Press
age exceeded 80 percent singles, the player of the Temperatures during the
midway through the final doubles,” Federer said. opening match rose to as
set of the 2½-hour match. Earlier Wednesday, Kristina high as 40 degrees Celsius PRAGUE (AP) — Petra Kvi- Kvitova has surgery on
But it turned out to be a Mladenovic and Richard (104 degrees Fahrenheit), tova’s recovery from sur- Dec. 20 following injuries on
winning evening for Fe- Gasquet won their Group forcing both players to gery after a knife-wielding her left hand in the attack
derer and Swiss partner Be- A singles matches to give conserve their energy. intruder attacked her in- at her home in the town of
linda Bencic. Bencic beat France victory over Britain. “It was definitely difficult,” side her home and injured Prostejov the same day.
Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-4 Mladenovic beat Heather said Mladenovic, who es- her playing hand has been She is expected to out for
in their singles match, and Watson 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 before timated she drank seven going well. up to six months.
then Federer and Bencic Gasquet defeated Dan Ev- bottles of fluid during the Kvitova’s spokesman, Karel Kvitova’s fellow players
combined in mixed dou- ans 6-4, 6-2. match. “Sometimes you Tejkal, says the two-time from the Prostejov ten-
bles to beat Zverev and Gasquet and Mladenovic would like to try to put more Wimbledon champion has nis club have offered a re-
Petkovic 4-1, 4-2 in the later defeated Evans and intensity, but you have to gradually started doing ward of $3,850 for informa-
Fast4 format. Watson 4-3, 4-3 in mixed be smart sometimes and exercises with her injured tion leading to the arrest of
“She (Bencic) carried us to doubles to complete a maybe not run down every fingers and “all have been the attacker, who still re-
victory, the player of the sweep. single ball.”q going according to the mains at large.q
plans and expectations.”