Ivanka slams Serena’s seeding snub

WASHINGTON - Ivanka Trump waded into the debate over the non-seeding of Serena Williams at the French Open on Thursday, branding the decision by tournament organizers "ridiculous." The daughter of US President Donald Trump called on WTA officials to change rules to allow Williams to be seeded as the former world No 1 continues her comeback following time off to give birth to her first child. "This is ridiculous," Ivanka Trump tweeted. "@SerenaWilliams is a formidable athlete (best ever!) and loving new mother. "No person should ever be penalized professionally for having a child! The #WTA should change this rule immediately. #FrenchOpen." Williams, now ranked a lowly 453, will be playing a Grand Slam for the first time since her victory at the 2017 Australian Open.–AFP

 

 

 

Kvitova 'happy' to see attacker in custody

PARIS - Petra Kvitova admitted Friday that she was happy that the knife-wielding burglar who slashed her hands in a terrifying home attack was finally behind bars. The 28-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion missed six months of the tour last year to recover from her injuries and only returned to action at the 2017 French Open. Now, almost 18 months after the violent break-in, Czech police have arrested a man, described as a 54-year-old drug addict, in connection with the attack. "It's great news for me to hear that. It's great that they have him in custody. But probably the happiest I will be is when the story will end, when everything will be done and finished," Kvitova told reporters. She suffered career-threatening injuries to her playing left hand as she fought off the intruder at her home.–AFP

 

Drink drive rap for Ilie Nastase

BUCHAREST - Flamboyant former tennis world number one Ilie Nastase was pulled over by traffic police Friday on suspicion of drink driving, Romanian media reported. "As he was visibly the worse for drink he was called on to take a breathalyser test and became aggressive at that moment, insulting the police officers," said a statement which did not name Nastase, who was detained around 4.45 am. He was handcuffed and hauled off to provide a sample, which he refused to do, the police statement added. Traffic police then freed him, but only after opening an investigation into drink driving and the refusal to provide samples. Last year, Nastase, a volatile showman, got in trouble when captaining Romania in a Fed Cup tie against Britain. He hurled abuse at a British player, an umpire and journalists.–AFP

 

Kevin Na takes lead in Fort Worth

LOS ANGELES - Kevin Na chipped in for birdie from 90 feet to cap an eight-under-par 62 on Thursday and seize a one-shot lead in the US PGA Tour Fort Worth Invitational. Na, 34, was in the rough off the tee at Colonial Country Club's ninth hole -- his last of the day -- and his approach nestled against a grandstand. His relief drop left him in the rough and after a spirited discussion with his caddie over club selection he launched a chip that rolled over a ridge and went in. "I told you," Na said after the ball dropped to give him a one-stroke lead over fellow American Charley Hoffman. "I just hit a perfect chip," Na added. "I saw it go over the ridge and I was like, 'this is going to be good. It's going to be close.' Then it catches the right lip and goes in. I was like, oh, my God.”–AFP

 

 

 

Serena, Venus get doubles wildcard

PARIS - Serena and Venus Williams were handed a wild card into the French Open women's doubles on Thursday as the American sisters seek to add a third Roland Garros title to their triumphs in 1999 and 2010. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles as a team but since their last win together in Paris they have only featured on two further occasions at the tournament, losing in the first round in 2013 and the third round in 2016. Serena, a three-time singles champion at the French Open, will be playing in her first Grand Slam tournament since winning the Australian Open in 2017 after which she stepped off the tour to give birth to her daughter in September. On Thursday, she was drawn to face Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the singles which gets underway on Sunday.–AFP