Venus Williams defeated fifth seed Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Brazil Cup.
The top seed broke Rybarikova’s serve at 5-4 to win the first set and quickly took control of the second to clinch the victory in 1 hour, 25 minutes on the hard courts in southern Brazil.
Williams faced nine break points to world No. 52 Rybarikova, but was broken only twice.
World No. 20 Williams is playing in her first tournament since losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round of the Australian Open in January.
Williams next faces Olga Puchkova of Russia, who cruised past Jana Cepelova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1, despite eight double faults.
World No. 109 Puchkova, who upset third seed Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium in the first round, is trying to reach her first final since 2006.
Earlier, seventh seed Kristina Mladenovic of France defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-4, 6-3 to set up the other semi-final against Monica Niculescu of Romania.
World No. 58 Mladenovic, yet to lose a set, broke Czink’s serve four times and saved eight break points to win the match.
Czink eliminated second seed Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in the first round and crowd-favorite Bia Haddad Maia in the second.
Niculescu reached the semis by beating Timea Babos of Hungary 6-3, 6-2.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely