Serena ends drought with first tennis title since giving birth
Serena Williams ended a threeyear title drought when she beat fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win the singles final at the ASB Classic.
Williams hadn’t won a title since the Australian Open in January 2017, and not since she became a mother to her daughter Olympia, who was court-side to see the victory.
“It feels good. It’s been a long time,” Williams said. “I think you can see the relief on my face.
“I played an incredible opponent today in Jessica and, honestly, it was a great match and I couldn’t have played anyone better in the final.”
The 23-time major winner donated her $43,000 winner’s check to the fundraising appeal for victims of Australian wildfires, joining many other tennis stars, such as Ash Barty, Nick Kygrios, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova, who have pledged money to the already months-long fire emergency there.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “Congratulations to @serenawilliams on another big win. She is a great player and an even greater person. Our members in Virginia (Tennis) will never forget you!”
Williams was with Trump at the 2015 opening of the Trump Tennis Center.
Williams was under pressure at first against the 25-year-old Pegula, playing in her third WTA final, but asserted herself more as the match went on to claim her 73rd win in 98 finals and to add her name to a trophy won by her sister, Venus, in 2015.
The last three years have been challenging for Williams as she juggled competing demands of tennis and motherhood. But she seemed to turn a corner during a demanding week in which she played both doubles and singles, turning out on all seven days of the tournament.
She was frequently behind in her matches but showed typical determination to fight her way to the final and overcome Pegula, who ousted Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals.
NFL
JOHNSON INDUCTED IN HOF, FLORES DENIED AGAIN >> Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships in the 1990s, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The hall announced his selection Sunday night as part of a centennial class that was chosen by a special committee. But Johnson’s selection, along with that of former Pittsburgh
Steelers coach Bill Cowher a day earlier, meant Raiders two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Flores again was denied induction.
The remainder of the 15-member class will be revealed Wednesday.
There were eight coaches named finalists, but only two were to be selected. The other coaching finalists were Dick Vermeil, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves, Don Coryell and Buddy Parker.
A successful college coach at Oklahoma State and Miami, where he won a national championship in 1987, Johnson was hired in 1989 by new Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. His initial team went 1-15, but Johnson rebuilt the roster — including trading star running back Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a slew of draft picks and players who were converted into draft choices. That deal is considered among the most one-sided in sports history, and it netted, among others, the draft pick that brought Emmitt Smith to Dallas.
Johnson left the Cowboys after the back-to-back championships for the 1992 and ‘93 seasons in a dispute with Jones. Johnson later coached the Miami Dolphins before becoming a Fox TV analyst.
EDELMAN ARRESTED >> New England Patriots star Julian Edelman was arrested in Southern California on suspicion of misdemeanor vandalism after jumping on the hood of someone’s car, authorities said.
Edelman, 33, a Woodside High graduate, caused unspecified damage when he jumped on the vehicle Saturday night on a commercial block of Beverly Hills. He was released on a citation and is scheduled to appear in court April 13. The Patriots had no immediate comment.
College football
FLACCO’S BROTHER GUIDES HIS TEAM TO BOWL WIN >> Tom Flacco of Towson threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to help the National team beat the American 35-7 in the Tropical Bowl at Spec Martin Stadium.
Flacco is the brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco,
Golf
SMITH RALLIES FOR FIRST TOUR WIN >> Cameron Smith of Australia won his first PGA Tour title on his own when he least expected it.
Two shots behind with two holes to play, Smith made an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff against a faltering Brendan Steele, and won the Sony Open with a twoputt par from 10 feet on the first extra hole.
Steele had a three-shot lead when he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 11th hole and he never trailed the entire day until it fell apart at the end. He missed a 6-foot par putt on the 17th, and then hit a wild hook from the fairway on the par-5 18th and never had a reasonable look at birdie.
On the 10th hole for the playoff, Steele was in ideal position in the fairway, 88 yards from the hole, when he hit wedge over the green. He chipped off the rain-soaked grass and mud to 15 feet and missed the par putt. Smith, who had driven into right rough, chased his shot to 10 feet.
GRACE WINS ALL-SOUTH AFRICAN BATTLE >> Branden Grace stormed home with a final-round 62 to win the European Tour’s South African Open by three shots from Louis Oosthuizen.
The two South Africans fought it out at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg. Oosthuizen, the overnight leader, produced a hole-in-one on No. 8 to send the crowd wild. Grace responded with four straight birdies, starting on No. 11, to go 9 under on the last day and finish 21 under overall.
Motorsports
RIDER DIES IN DAKAR RALLY >> Portuguese motorbike rider Paulo Gonçalves died on the Dakar Rally after crashing in the Saudi Arabia desert. He was 40.
Gonçalves fell and suffered cardiac arrest about halfway through the 546-kilometer (339-mile) seventh stage, south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Australian rider Toby Price then Argentina’s Kevin Benavides stopped to help, and a medical helicopter arrived on the scene within eight minutes of being alerted, rally organizers said on their website.
He was flown to nearby Layla hospital, where he was pronounced dead.