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The Williams sisters, after a tight first set, are overpowered in doubles.

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The Williams sisters, after a tight first set, are overpowered in doubles.

What was imagined to be a chief time, packed-house celebration of the Williams sisters on the U.S. Open changed into one thing somewhat much less festive than deliberate on Thursday evening.

The rain cloud was the Czech doubles staff of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova, who not like Venus and Serena Williams haven’t gained 14 Grand Slam doubles titles collectively.

The truth is the 37-year-old Hradecka and the 17-year-old Noskova had by no means performed a professional event collectively earlier than till strolling out into the cavernous confines of Arthur Ashe Stadium for his or her first-round match in opposition to Workforce Williams.

However expertise didn’t show decisive because the Czechs, who clicked rapidly, prevailed in a good first set after which closed out their 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory and certain put a downbeat finish to the Williamses’ phenomenal profession as a staff at this degree.

Exhibition excursions and even comebacks could await, however this actually felt like the tip of an period for one of many best doubles groups within the sport’s historical past. It got here rapidly after the Williamses had succeeded in rallying from a 1-4 deficit within the second set to get again to 4-4. And it got here in an environment that was comparatively subdued regardless of the sellout crowd of practically 24,000: fairly a distinction with the rock competition environment at Serena Williams’s evening singles matches on this 12 months’s event as she has made a stirring run to the third spherical in her farewell U.S. Open.

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However although Serena Williams was typically efficient and decisive on Thursday evening, she couldn’t maintain serve to maintain the sisters within the match at 4-5. At 15-40, Hradecka poached and knocked away a backhand volley winner to shut out the victory, and the sisters had been quickly packing up in a rush and exiting the courtroom with out an on-court interview (or signing autographs regardless of all of the memento balls being prolonged of their course as they headed for the tunnel).

The Czechs ended up with the ground and the interview with ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez.

“I’m nonetheless in shock that we gained as a result of performed the primary time with one another,” Hradecka stated, addressing the gang, which appeared somewhat shocked as nicely. “I feel we did an excellent job, and I’m so sorry for you that we beat them, however we’re so completely happy we did it.”

Although the night didn’t ship the anticipated enchantment (until you had been Czech), it was not totally bereft of pomp and circumstance. Earlier than the sisters took the courtroom, a video tribute was performed on the massive screens contained in the stadium, exhibiting footage of them by way of the many years. However there was no post-match ceremony deliberate, win or lose, and the sisters didn’t look a lot within the temper for public talking after their straight-sets defeat and even declined to present a information convention, which has not been uncommon for them in 2022.

If this was certainly the final time the fabulous Williams sisters share the identical courtroom in an official match, it was absolutely not the best way they, or simply about anyone else, envisaged it. Their careers have been so routinely cinematic, stuffed with shock twists and revivals, {that a} simple opening-round defeat appears misplaced within the story arc.

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However professional tennis is a sport, not scripted drama, and the anticlimax takes nothing away from their collective achievements. The Williams sisters had been high quality over amount. They not often performed collectively on tour, limiting most of their appearances to the majors and the Olympics. However their strike charge was phenomenal, significantly once they reached a championship match.

They had been 14-0 in Grand Slam girls’s doubles finals and 3-0 in Olympic gold-medal matches collectively. That may be a statistic that shall be famous (and tweeted) for years to come back, and although it was a downer of a end, it was nonetheless a becoming, full-circle place to complete.

The Williamses performed in Ashe Stadium the 12 months that it opened in 1997, with Venus reaching the singles ultimate as an unseeded 17-year-old and 15-year-old Serena making her Grand Slam debut in doubles with Venus. They’d white beads of their hair and braces on their tooth, and although they had been dynamic and exuberant, they had been crushed within the first spherical by Jill Hetherington and Kathy Rinaldi, who would later coach each sisters because the captain for the USA’ staff within the Billie Jean King Cup.

“They’re each such totally different personalities however they’re each simply such super champions,” stated Rinaldi, who was again in Ashe Stadium on Thursday evening.

The sisters went on to win two U.S. Open titles collectively however had not performed collectively at a serious for the reason that 2018 French Open. However at Serena’s request, they put the band again collectively in New York. Serena, who turns 41 this month, has introduced her intention to “evolve away” from tennis someday after the U.S. Open, whereas Venus, 42, has remained cryptic about her personal retirement and evolutionary plans.

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“I can’t communicate for Venus or what precisely her plans are,” stated Eric Hechtman, who coaches each Williams sisters. “However you recognize they’re each sturdy girls and each doing it their approach. Serena, with the Vogue article, did it on her phrases and in her vogue, and at any time when Venus decides she’s not going to play tennis anymore, she’ll do it her approach. Folks may say of their minds she received misplaced within the shuffle right here, however no matter approach she does it’s the approach she needs to do it. They’re totally different individuals with totally different aims, each staying true to who they’re.”

The U.S. Open organizers didn’t hesitate to capitalize on the second, opening an evening session with a doubles match for the primary time since Sept. 3, 2012, when the Williams sisters confronted Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko in a third-round match.

Maybe it was foreshadowing that the sisters misplaced that one in straight units, too, and with Venus’s elimination within the first spherical of singles, there is just one Williams left on this U.S. Open. Serena shall be again on Ashe Stadium for an evening session on Friday evening to face the unseeded Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, who joked that she was planning on bringing earplugs to dam out the roars.

No such measures would have been mandatory on Thursday. Not often have so many U.S. Open followers been so quiet after sunset.

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Travis Kelce spotted dancing in star-studded group at Taylor Swift's Paris show

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Travis Kelce spotted dancing in star-studded group at Taylor Swift's Paris show

The “City of Love” was the latest sighting of Travis Kelce at a Taylor Swift concert, and he had some A-list celebrities dancing alongside him to his significant other’s chart-topping hits. 

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end was seen at Paris La Défense Arena in Paris where Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid were next to him to enjoy Swift’s 87th Eras Tour show. 

Coincidence on the number, anyone?

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are shown at Coachella. (Gilbert Flores)

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Videos have circulated on social media of Kelce dancing to Swift songs, including “… Ready for It?” “Lover” and the classic “You Belong with Me.”

It’s significant that Kelce has been spotted at this show as he hasn’t been seen since she went back on tour. Swift has been in Paris for three nights prior to this fourth and final show, where Kelce was spotted.

TRAVIS KELCE HOSTING ‘SNL’ MADE CAST MEMBER FEEL ‘VERY PROTECTIVE’ OF HIM

Of course, this isn’t the first time Kelce has reciprocated the love and support Swift showed during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning season last year. During the Chiefs’ bye week, Kelce was seen in Buenos Aires for one of Swift’s Eras Tour dates. 

They will clearly go the extra mile to support each other; Swift famously flew from Japan to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl after a tour date across the Pacific.

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And fans, whether it was of Kelce first or Swift, have fallen in love with the couple throughout the process as they continue to be one of the world’s power couples.

Taylor Swift looks lovingly up at Travis Kelce in his red Chiefs uniform after the Super Bowl

Taylor Swift celebrated with Travis Kelce on the field after his Super Bowl win. (AP Photo/John Locher)

While love isn’t something to rush, many are clamoring to know if Kelce has any thoughts of proposing to Swift to take their relationship to the next level. 

Recently, Chiefs long snapper James Winchester said on the “Like a Farmer” podcast that he thinks his teammate will be engaged at some point because he sees “they’re very similar in a lot of ways.”

“Being around Trav for the last nine years, I mean, I think they’re more similar than you would think. I wish the best for them,” he added.

Other than supporting Swift, Kelce has had a great offseason thus far. The Chiefs made him the highest-paid tight end in the game with a new contract extension that’s worth $34.25 million over two years, with $17 million fully guaranteed for the upcoming 2024 campaign. 

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Travis Kelce smiles

Travis Kelce attends American Express Presents CARBONE BEACH on May 5, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for American Express Presents CARBONE BEACH)

So, personally and professionally, Kelce had a lot of things to dance about in Paris with some of his friends while watching Swift kill it onstage.

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Column: Dave Roberts does his job: Protecting Shohei Ohtani from himself

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Column: Dave Roberts does his job: Protecting Shohei Ohtani from himself

Shohei Ohtani thought he could have played on Sunday. He was looking forward to facing Japanese compatriot Yu Darvish.

Dave Roberts didn’t let him.

Ohtani was never able to plead his case. On the morning of the Dodgers’ series finale against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Roberts told interpreter Will Ireton that Ohtani wouldn’t be in the lineup, and that was that.

A day after he was forced out of a game early by a stiff back, Ohtani didn’t play in the 4-0 loss to the Padres.

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Ohtani is expected to return on Monday for the start of a three-game series in San Francisco, Roberts said.

The way Roberts managed Ohtani marked a promising start to one of the most important relationships in the organization — a relationship that figures to grow in importance when Ohtani resumes pitching next season.

The manager was the manager. The player was the player.

This simple division of labor can be complicated when a player of Ohtani’s caliber is involved, but the Dodgers were able to do what the Angels often failed to do last year: They protected Ohtani from himself.

“I think he understands that it’s for his benefit and the team’s benefit,” Roberts said.

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When Ohtani played for the Angels last year, what was most beneficial to the team was for him to play almost every game.

So he did.

The Angels were in no position to stop him, or even persuade him to undergo a MRI examination after he was removed from a start after only four innings because of a finger cramp.

The result?

A torn ulnar collateral ligament and a second Tommy John surgery.

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The Angels couldn’t ask Ohtani to look at the bigger picture because there was none. October wasn’t guaranteed for them, as it is for the Dodgers, who entered Sunday with a 6½-game lead in the National League West.

The Dodgers have a talented roster.

They have a track record.

They have realistic championship ambitions.

Asked if the promise of playing in October made it easier for him to accept Roberts’ decision, Ohtani wouldn’t say.

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“Regardless” of the condition of his back, Ohtani said in Japanese, “there was thought of a day off.”

The Dodgers just started a 13-day stretch in which they will play 13 games. Ohtani described the injury as minor — he said he initially felt discomfort in his back working out before the game on Saturday — but Roberts wasn’t inclined to take any chances at this stage of the season, even for a game against a division rival.

“He obviously knows his body really well,” Robert said. “Right now, with the 13 in a row, I just wanted to make sure we were a little more cautious.”

Taking the decision out of Ohtani’s hands was a small but critical move by Roberts. As the Angels learned last year, once the terms of a relationship are established, they are difficult to undo.

How Dodgers management communicates with their star player will be more consequential later in the season and even more so next year when Ohtani makes his anticipated return to the mound. Ohtani will be coming back from a second elbow reconstruction.

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Of course, the team entered its relationship with Ohtani with more leverage than the Angels ever had.

In retrospect, it looks as if Ohtani chose to break into the major leagues with the Angels because of how powerless they were. As a non-contending club, they didn’t have any competitive reasons to deny him the opportunity to be a two-way player.

That’s not to say the Dodgers aren’t being rewarded for having Ohtani on their team. Of course they are. As a one-way player this season, he’s still the best player in the game. He sells merchandise.

Yet Ohtani needs the Dodgers as much as they need him. They’re offering him something he desperately wants that few other organizations can: A legitimate chance to win.

Roberts said he will ask Ohtani for input in the future when figuring out his playing schedule. Roberts should. Ohtani deserves that much. However, the Dodgers can’t afford for their relationship with Ohtani to be as lopsided as that of the Angels. Sunday was a sign that it might not be.

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Deontay Wilder scared for Mike Tyson's well-being in Jake Paul fight: 'He’s too old for this'

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Deontay Wilder scared for Mike Tyson's well-being in Jake Paul fight: 'He’s too old for this'

From one former heavyweight title winner to another, Deontay Wilder fears 57-year-old Mike Tyson might end up in a coma after fighting Jake Paul. 

Tyson shocked everyone when he agreed to fight Paul, which was commissioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations as a professional fight, on July 20. 

What was initially an exhibition match has turned into a highly anticipated bout, but Wilder doesn’t think anyone truly cares about Tyson’s well-being. 

Mike Tyson’s fight against Jake Paul in Texas this summer has been sanctioned as a competitive boxing match, making the rounds shorter and the gloves heavier. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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“I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years, so they should not just license him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt – God forbid he gets hurt,” Wilder said to Sportsbook Review. 

“People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this.

“At the end of the day, no one gives a f— about Mike.”

MIKE TYSON VS. JAKE PAUL BOXING MATCH OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED, WILL COUNT FOR PROFESSIONAL RECORDS

Wilder continued by saying he doesn’t care that Tyson underwent tests to deem this a professional fight. 

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“As long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong,” Wilder said. 

Deontay Wilder shadowboxes

Heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder shadowboxes during a media workout at UFC APEX on Sept. 22, 2022 in Las Vegas.   (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

After the fight was sanctioned, Paul recently said he is “super respectful” of Tyson, but “All is fair in love and war.”

“I love the guy, but as soon as it turned into a pro fight, one of us has to die,” the YouTube star-turned-boxer said. 

Videos of Tyson working out for the fight have shocked many with how fast and powerful he still looks at his age. But Wilder, again, doesn’t care what videos show or what Tyson even says about his well-being. 

“His power may not have left completely, but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show. I don’t want to see it to be honest,” he explained.

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Jake Paul, Deontay Wilder, and Mike Tyson side by side

Former heavyweight belt holder Deontay Wilder is genuinely scared for Mike Tyson in his fight with Jake Paul. (Getty Images)

“I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber. The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by.”

While Paul and Tyson prepare for their fight, Wilder will be fighting Zhilei Zhang on June 1. 

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