Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Monday 2 SepteMber 2019
Serena Williams turns right ankle, holds on for U.S. Open win

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP based on how it responds
Tennis Writer Monday; she plays Wang
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena on Tuesday.
Williams was in pain — “ac- Williams has not managed
ceptable” pain, her coach to complete a non-Slam
called it — after rolling her tournament in 2019, with-
right ankle during the sec- drawing from each with
ond set of a U.S. Open vic- one ailment or another, in-
tory. cluding a viral illness, a hurt
That was the bad news. left knee and, most recent-
The good news for Williams ly, back spasms. She hasn’t
as she pursues a seventh won a title since returning
championship at Flushing to the tour after having a
Meadows and 24th Grand baby; her daughter, Olym-
Slam singles title overall is pia, was born exactly two
that, while she reached the years ago Sunday.
quarterfinals by beating “Best day of my life,” Wil-
No. 22 seed Petra Martic liams called it.
6-3, 6-4 despite the ankle is- Wang, who never had
sue, No. 2 Ash Barty and No. Serena Williams, of the United States, falls while chasing a return to Petra Martic, of Croatia, during played in the fourth round
3 Karolina Pliskova both ex- round four of the US Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in New York. at a major until Sunday,
ited her side of the bracket Associated Press advanced by surprising
Sunday. cruising along to a straight- “She started going for even The scene Sunday brought French Open champion
Not that Williams seemed forward victory when she more, I think. She felt like back memories of Williams’ Barty 6-2, 6-4.
to care all that much about took an awkward step maybe she couldn’t move Australian Open quarter- Pliskova, the 2016 U.S. Open
being one of only three of while up at the net for a that well anymore,” Martic final in January against runner-up, went home with
the top 12 seeded wom- volley. She tumbled to said. “Her shots were re- Pliskova. Williams was way a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 7-5 loss over
en who will still be around the ground and sat there, ally precise. Serve was un- ahead — holding a match nearly 2½ hours against
Monday. cross-legged, right in the believable. And when she point at 5-1, 40-30 in the 16th-seeded Johanna Kon-
“I can’t afford to look at middle of Arthur Ashe Sta- hits those backhands and third set — when she turned ta of Britain.
it that way. Every single dium for a few moments. those first serves that well, her left ankle awkwardly. This is the only Grand Slam
match I have played, peo- Williams has dealt with vari- it’s not easy to play against From there, Williams was no tournament where Konta
ple come and they play ous health issues all season, her.” longer, well, Williams, drop- has yet to reach the semifi-
their best. The women that including one that ended Williams ended things by ping every point she served nals; she’ll now meet No. 5
I play are not generally her stay at the Australian raising both arms after the rest of the way. Elina Svitolina of Ukraine or
playing at this level against Open. smacking an ace at 118 She failed to convert four No. 10 Madison Keys of the
other players in the locker Might that sort of thing be mph, her fastest of the match points in all that U.S., who were scheduled
room, so for me, I have to happening again? Williams afternoon, punctuating day, ceded six games in a to play Sunday night.
be the greatest, whether immediately asked for a an overpowering perfor- row and lost 7-5 in the third. Earlier Sunday, Roger Fe-
it’s against the second trainer, who added tape mance that included 38 That time, Williams didn’t derer kept up his recent
seed, the No. 1 seed, or to her lower right leg and winners to Martic’s 11. call for a trainer, which sur- surge, dominating No. 15
the No. 80th player in the foot during a medical time- “I didn’t know what to ex- prised many. Didn’t make seed David Goffin 6-2, 6-2,
world,” said Williams, who out at the ensuing change- pect from her ball. I knew that mistake this time. And 6-0 in just 79 minutes. That’s
faces No. 18 Wang Qiang over. she (hits it) hard,” Martic a couple of hours later, she one fewer minute than it
next. “I have to show up or Still, Martic thought Wil- said, “but until you feel it was walking without any took him to put together
else I’m going to go home.” liams’ play might actually on your own racket, you apparent hitch in her step. a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win against
Williams, who turns 38 this have improved the rest of just don’t know what to ex- She figured she’d know Dan Evans in the previous
month, appeared to be the way. pect.” more about the ankle round.q

Will Power replace the battery, and

Dixon went from leader to
Continued from Page 18 said. “I saw someone three laps off the pace in a
come barreling at me, so moment. His title hopes —
Less than thrilled was Ros- I just tried to stop and go he was fourth among the
si, who believed Portland around. When you start four drivers mathematical-
was the place to pounce that far back, you run the ly eligible to win the cham-
after Newgarden had a risk of being part of some- pionship — dashed.
poor qualifying effort. It thing like that.” Power moved into the
put Newgarden in 13th at Even after dropping to the lead after Dixon’s issue
the start and in the thick back of the field, he still and withstood a restart
of the chaos that began managed to drive his way with four laps remaining for
with a multi-car crash in toward the front and finish This Aug. 17, 2019, file photo shows Josef Newgarden laughing the victory.
the opening turn. New- just two spots behind Ros- during a news conference for Sunday’s IndyCar Series auto Felix Rosenqvist was sec-
garden, realizing he must si. While it’s still a matchup race at Pocono Raceway, in Long Pond, Pa. ond, followed by Rossi,
only stay out of trouble of a pair of American driv- Associated Press pole-sitter Colton Herta,
in two races to win the ers racing for the title at championship. Dixon, who had command Newgarden, Spencer
title, remained calm and Laguna Seca, Rossi knows Rossi was runner-up to Dix- of the race when his car Pigot and Indianapolis
avoided the carnage. he must win the finale and on in last year’s title race. powered down during a 500 winner Simon Pagen-
“I was in the wrong place, hope Newgarden has a All the contenders might routine stop. His crew had aud, the final driver in the
I can tell you that,” he disastrous race to win the have had to contend with to push him to his stall and championship picture.q