{blackbabes} Djokovic, Osaka, Serena eye last 16 in Paris

 

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Paris (AFP) - World number ones Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka as well as three-time champion Serena Williams target the second week and places in the last 16 at Roland Garros on Saturday.

Here, AFP Sport takes a look at the challenges they face on the seventh day of the tournament:

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Salvatore Caruso (ITA)

Head-to-head: First meeting

-- Djokovic continues his bid to become only the second man in history to hold all four Slams at the same time twice. The top seed has not lost in Paris as early as the third round since 2009 and has made at least the quarter-finals every year since.

He has been untroubled at Roland Garros this year, easing through in straight sets against Hubert Hurkacz and Swiss lucky loser Henri Laaksonen.

Caruso, ranked at 147, has won his first matches at a major in Paris having made it through qualifying.

There's a world between Djokovic and the 26-year-old Italian with his $131 million earnings making Caruso's $400,000 appear small change.

Naomi Osaka (JPN x1) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)

Head-to-head: Osaka leads 1-0

-- Dubbed by some as the 'battle of big hair', Osaka hopes for a more comfortable outing against number 42 Siniakova, the world's top ranked doubles player who is in the last 32 in Paris for the third time.

Top seed Osaka was two points away from defeat in the first round against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and came back from a set and break down to see off Victoria Azarenka in round two.

Siniakova, 23, has two career singles titles as well as two Grand Slam doubles crowns, including Roland Garros in 2018 alongside Barbora Krejcikova.

Serena Williams (USA x10) v Sofia Kenin (USA)

Head-to-head: First meeting

-- Serena Williams, the three-time champion, is bidding to reach the second week in Paris for the 13th time as she continues her pursuit of equalling Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

Russian-born Kenin, 20, wasn't even born when Williams made her debut in Paris in 1998 when she reached the last 16.

Playing in the third round at Roland Garros for the first time, the world number 35, won't be overawed.

"She's a machine," said her doubles partner Andrea Petkovic.

"She has a great attitude. She gets angry at herself but then it's 'OK, next point, it's all good'.

"She doesn't miss a ball, plays great depth and it's impossible to push her back."

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{blackbabes} Netflix’s ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ Sets Maisie Richardson-Sellers & Taylor Perez In Key Roles

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Legends of Tomorrow actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers and newcomer Taylor Perez are joining Joey King Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Meganne Young, Carson White, and Molly Ringwald for Netflix's The Kissing Booth 2. Vince Marcello is directing the follow-up which is based on smash YA book by Beth Reekles, who wrote the book at age 15 and self-published it on Wattpad before being snatched up by Random House.

Marcello and Jay Arnold co-wrote the script. King stars as Elle Evans, who just had the most romantic summer of her life with her reformed bad-boy boyfriend Noah Flynn (Elordi). But now Noah is off to Harvard, and Elle heads back to high school for her senior year. She'll have to juggle a long-distance relationship, getting into her dream college with her best friend Lee (Courtney), and the complications brought on by a close friendship with a handsome, charismatic new classmate named Marco (Perez). When Noah grows close to a seemingly-perfect college girl (Richardson-Sellers), Elle will have to decide how much she trusts him and to whom her heart truly belongs.

Marcello is producing the sequel with Michele Weisler, Andrew Cole-Bulgin, and Edward Glauser. Filming is currently underway with a release date sometime in 2020.

Richardson-Sellers Perez is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment, Denton Brierley, and UTA. Perez is repped by Luber Roklin and Buchwald.

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{blackbabes} BH90210: Fox 'Revival' Adds Power Actress La La Anthony in Recurring Role

 

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TV's most famous zip code is about to welcome a new resident. Power actress La La Anthony will recur on Fox's forthcoming Beverly Hills, 90210 pseudo-revival, per our sister site Deadline.

Officially titled BH90210, the six-episode "event series" will star original cast members Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty as heightened versions of themselves, with stories "inspired by their real lives and relationships."

Anthony will appear as Shay, a superstar hip-hop/pop artist and the wife of Green's exaggerated character. Shay is described as the "breadwinner of the family," who works while Green takes care of their three kids. Though she has become used to her life in the spotlight, she can still be "surprisingly down to earth." Anthony is the first non-90210 alum to join the series, which will reunite the original cast members after one of them suggests rebooting the teen drama — "but getting it going may make for an even more delicious soap than the reboot itself," the logline suggests.

BH90210 premieres Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 9/8c on Fox

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{blackbabes} 'Everything feels harder' for Serena despite Roland Garros progress

 

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Paris (AFP) - Serena Williams said on Thursday that "everything feels harder" after her recent injury troubles despite thrashing Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara to step up her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.

The 37-year-old cruised into the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier.

She had played only four matches heading into Roland Garros since collapsing to defeat late on in the Australian Open quarter-finals against Karolina Pliskova earlier this year.

"I have had a tough year since I twisted my ankle in Australia," said Williams.

"It's just been really tough after that. So everything definitely feels a little bit harder than normal, but at the same time, I know that it's going to get better."

Williams will face Sofia Kenin for a last-16 spot, after her fellow American received a walkover following Canadian Bianca Andreescu's withdrawal through injury.

"I know her game really well. She had a really great run in Australia, and I have been watching her," she said of Kenin, who reached the second round at the Australian Open.

"I think it will be a good match. She has a lot to bring to the table."

The three-time Roland Garros title winner had racked up her 800th career main draw win in a first-round match against Vitalia Diatchenko, which saw her unveil her 'mother, champion, queen, goddess' logo on her playing gear, despite dropping the opening set.

A mouthwatering quarter-final clash with Naomi Osaka, who famously beat Williams in a dramatic 2018 US Open final, remains a possibility after the world number one's thrilling three-set win over Victoria Azarenka.

Williams was back at her best on Thursday, hammering 10 aces and 36 winners past Nara as she looks to draw level with Margaret Court's all-time record of major singles titles.

And she was quick to play down a photo that circulated on social media last week showing her sitting in a wheelchair while on a trip to Disneyland Paris.

"I'm not going to get into that. I'm playing, and all's good."

Her last Grand Slam trophy came at the 2017 Australian Open before taking a break from the sport to give birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia.

It is the 15th time Williams has reached the last 32 in Paris, and will be her 66th Grand Slam third-round match in total.

World number 238 Nara, who stands a mere 5ft 1in (1.55m), showed some early resistance in a marathon sixth game that featured nine deuces, saving six break points to leave her illustrious opponent frustrated.

But 10th seed Williams did break in Nara's next service game, powering a forehand return past her opponent, before serving out the opening set with ease.

The match was as good as over as a serious contest just three games into the second set, when Williams took advantage of her third break point to claim a 2-1 lead.

And Williams cantered through as Nara wilted, sealing the win on her second match point with an ace.

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{blackbabes} Osaka, Serena hope to return to Roland Garros comfort zone

 

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Paris (AFP) - Top seed and 2016 champion Novak Djokovic continues his bid to hold all four Slams at once for the second time on Thursday.

Naomi Osaka, who was just two points from defeat in her opener, faces another minefield in the shape of former world number one and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka.

Three-time winner Serena Williams, who is looking for a record-equalling 24th major, faces Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara.

AFP Sport looks at the three matches to watch:

Naomi Osaka (JPN x1) v Victoria Azarenka (BLR)

Head-to-head: 1-1

-- US and Australian Open champion Osaka was just two points away from a shock defeat in the first round to world number 90 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova who twice served for the match.

"I think this was the most nervous I have ever been my entire life during a match," said 21-year-old Osaka.

Azarenka, now ranked 43, knocked out 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and was a semi-finalist in Paris six years ago.

She came into Paris with solid clay court form having made the quarter-finals in Stuttgart and Rome.

Azarenka won her first match against Osaka at the Australian Open back in 2016 but the Japanese star levelled their head-to-head, dropping just three games in a second round win on clay in Rome last year.

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Henri Laaksonen (SUI)

Head-to-head: First meeting

-- Djokovic eased through his opener in straight sets against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz as he bids to become only the second man to hold all four Slams simultaneously for a second time.

The top seed faces Swiss lucky loser Laaksonen who has made the second round of a major for the first time.

The Finland-born world number 104 recently conquered a debilitating allergy to seafood despite having eaten fish virtually every day for all of his adult life.

"I don't know too much about him, to be honest," said Djokovic.

"I never played against him, and I did watch him play maybe once or twice. I'm going to have to do my homework and see what happens."

Serena Williams (USA x10) v Kurumi Nara (JPN)

Head-to-head: First meeting

-- Three-time champion Williams looked rusty in her opener against Vitalia Diatchenko where she dropped the first set.

The American, who is attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles, racked up her 800th career main draw win in a match which saw her unveil her 'mother, champion, queen, goddess' logo on her playing gear.

On Thursday, she faces world number 238 Kurumi Nara who stands just 5ft 1in (1.75m) tall but can mix it with the best of them.

In the 2017 US Open, she ruthlessly demolished 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The 27-year-old Nara, a former world 32, came through qualifying and is bidding to make the third round for the first time.

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{blackbabes} Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. First Looks: Anthony Michael Hall's Casino Kingpin and Sherri Saum as a [Spoiler]

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This does not bode well. The planet where several Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes just got into all kinds of trouble is actually named after someone, and we're about to meet him. Also, another of Enoch's kind will be entering the mix.

In exclusive photos above and below, TVLine has your first look at new characters played by Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone) and Sherri Saum (The Fosters). Hall has been cast as Mr. Kitson, the fiendish ruler of the alien gaming empire where Fitz and Enoch tried to cheat the tables and Jemma and Daisy found themselves "tripping balls."

Saum, meanwhile, will appear as Atarah, an aggressive Chronicom who wants something from our team.

Previously, TVLine gave you a first look at other Season 6 introductions, including House alum Karolina Wydra's galactic mercenary, named Izel, and Malachi, the assassin who surfaced last week and nabbed Fitz just as Simmons finally laid eyes on her lost-in-deep space love.

Since his early-2000s run as The Dead Zone's Johnny Smith, Hall's on-camera TV credits have included Psych, Murder in the First, Warehouse 13, Awkward and, most recently, an episode of Riverdale. Saum has recently guested on both the Fosters spinoff Good Trouble and Roswell, New Mexico, and she has the awaited Locke & Key adaptation coming up (where she will play Ellie Whedon).

In other Season 6 casting news, Marvel.com reported that S.H.I.E.L.D. co-showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen will be making an on-screen cameo in the Friday, May 31 episode as Sequoia, a "Coachella-chic social media influencer."

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{blackbabes} Nike learned from their pregnancy mistake, says Williams

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PARIS (Reuters) - Serena Williams says Nike has learned from its mistake after the sporstwear giant changed its policy having faced criticism for freezing sponsorship payments to several pregnant athletes.

Nike said on Friday that it would waive performance-pay reductions for 12 months for athletes who have a baby and said it could do more.

Sponsorship agreements with athletes typically include clauses that reduce payments if they do not reach performance-based targets.

"I understand that Nike has been really lately supporting women a lot, and it started with making a statement with me, and they said they want to make a change," Williams told reporters after she overcame a wobbly start to beat Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko 2-6 6-1 6-0 in the French Open first round.

"They want to support women that want to have families and that want to be moms. I'm glad that statement was made, and I know that therefore and going forward, they're doing better.

"That's what it's about. It's about learning from mistakes and doing better," added Williams, one of Nike's leading athletes.

The New York Times reported that Williams's sponsorship deal was kept intact during her pregnancy which, according to the 23-times Grand Slam singles champion, was already proof of their support of pregnant women.

"I feel like as time goes on, as technology changes and as, you know, the world changes, people realize that we have to change our policies," the American added.

"We have to look at old policies and change them. And I think that Nike wanted to do that, and they started doing that.

"And so I think they made a really bold statement by doing that with me, and I think they're going to -- I know, actually, that they're going to continue to make that statement."

SHAKY START

Williams is no stranger to making statements and on Monday she entered Court Philippe Chatrier wearing an outfit marked with four French words: Mere, Championne, Reine, Deesse (Mother, Champion, Queen, Goddess).

It was her arm that did the talking, however, after a shaky start.

The 10th-seeded American peppered the court with unforced errors in an ugly opening set before finding her range to set up a meeting with Japan's Kurumi Nara or Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic.

"I'm just happy to win today," the American said after her 800th tour-level victory.

The three-times Roland Garros champion is looking to emulate Margaret Court, who claimed 24 majors spread across the amateur and professional eras.

Williams's haul started at the U.S. Open 20 years ago but she has not won a major since she beat her older sister Venus in the Australian Open final in 2017.

She produced a see-saw display in an half-empty stadium on Monday, struggling to adapt to windy conditions in chilly weather.

Diatchenko broke in the fifth game with a crosscourt backhand winner to open a 3-2 lead, and won on her opponent's serve again in the seventh game to secure the opening set.

Then Williams fired up the engine and raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, losing only one more game as Diatchenko faded away.

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{blackbabes} Serena's warmup jacket is fit for a 'queen' and 'goddess'

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PARIS (AP) -- ''Champion,'' ''queen,'' ''goddess'' and ''mother.''

Those were the words, in French, printed on a black-and-white warmup jacket that Serena Williams wore before her opening match at Roland Garros on Monday.

''Those are things that mean a lot to me and reminders for me and for everyone that wants to wear it,'' Williams said. ''Just remind everyone that they can be champions and are queens. So I love that about it.

''It is a lot to carry, but so is being Serena Williams,'' said Williams, who made her return to Grand Slam competition in Paris a year ago after missing five majors because of the birth of her first child.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion took off the jacket before the match and played in a matching two-piece outfit.

Later in the match on a cool and windy day on Court Philippe Chatrier, Williams put on a plain black sweatshirt.

Williams said the mid-match outfit change didn't have anything to do with the temperature, though.

''No, I'm just crazy, to be honest. I think everyone knows that now,'' she said after overcoming a slow start for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over 83rd-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko. ''I just needed to change. I was like: 'I've got to try something different. It's not my forehand, it's my clothes; right?'''

Just like when Williams often changes her hairstyle mid-match into a bun.

''Because it's definitely not my serve. It must be my hair,'' she said. ''It makes no sense. So it's all in my head.''

Williams' on-court fashion choices have drawn attention for much of her career.

Last year, French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli said the black catsuit with clot-preventing compression tights that Williams wore during the 2018 French Open wouldn't be accepted again at the tournament.

Williams also addressed an announcement last week by Nike, her sponsor, that it will better respect the contracts of athletes who become pregnant.

The move came in response to articles published in The New York Times in which current and former Nike-sponsored runners - including six-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix - described financial penalties that Nike athletes faced if they wanted to have children.

''It started with making a statement with me, and they said they want to make a change,'' Williams said. ''They want to support women that want to have families and that want to be moms. I'm glad that statement was made. ... That's what it's about. It's about learning from mistakes and doing better.

''As time goes on, as technology changes and as the world changes,'' she added. ''People realize that we have to change our policies.''

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{blackbabes} 'Being Serena, it's a lot to carry': Williams struggles to 800th victory

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Paris (AFP) - Serena Williams admitted the 'mother, champion, queen, goddess' logo which adorned her Roland Garros outfit on Monday was "a lot to carry, but so is being Serena".

The 37-year-old American survived a first-set scare before defeating Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 to reach the second round.

But as she struggled to impose herself on her 83rd-ranked opponent, it looked like her dazzling choice of costume for the occasion might come back to haunt her.

The legend of 'mother, champion, queen, goddess' was written in French in a nod to her hosts.

Once the cape was removed, Williams revealed a black and white zebra-stripe print dress, split at one thigh.

Last year, Williams fell foul of Roland Garros with her one-piece Black Panther outfit which was subsequently banned.

"It was just to remind everyone that they can be champions and are queens. So I love that about it," she said of her 2019 dress and cape.

"Yeah. It is a lot to carry, but so is being Serena Williams."

The American, who is attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles, racked up her 800th career main draw win with her victory in front of a half-full Court Philippe Chatrier.

After dropping the first set, she was in danger of suffering just the second opening round defeat of her Grand Slam tournament career.

But normal service was quickly resumed as she racked up 12 of the last 13 games.

"You know, I have been dealing with a lot, and then I just got nervous out there and I stopped moving my feet.

"There were like concrete blocks on my feet. I was, like, 'You gotta do something'."

Williams, the 2002, 2013 and 2015 champion in Paris, will face either Japan's Kurumi Nara or Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia for a place in the last 32, after their match was suspended at one-set-all overnight.

Williams won her most recent major at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant.

She returned to Grand Slam tennis after giving birth to her daughter at Roland Garros in 2018, making the last 16 where she had been set to resume her bitter rivalry with Maria Sharapova.

An arm injury torpedoed that meeting and stalled her assault on a fourth title in Paris.

Defeat in the 2018 Wimbledon final and US Open championship match, where her now-infamous meltdown overshadowed Naomi Osaka's title triumph, followed her Paris heartbreak.

Her Australian Open campaign in January ended in a quarter-final loss to Karolina Pliskova despite having led 5-1 in the final set and holding four match points.

Since Melbourne, Williams had been unable to finish the three tournaments she had entered -- retiring in the third round of Indian Wells and withdrawing after winning a round in Miami, and after winning one round in Rome due to a right knee injury.

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{blackbabes} Venus Williams loses in straight sets in Paris

 

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Venus Williams' 22nd appearance at the French Open did not last long.

The 2002 runner-up lost her opening match at Roland Garros for the second year in a row, beaten 6-3, 6-3 by ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina in 1 hour, 13 minutes.

The 38-year-old Williams lost in the first round for the fourth time in the last seven years at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.

Wiliams was broken in seven of her nine service games.

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{blackbabes} Grand Slam clock ticking for weary Serena

 

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Paris (AFP) - With her 38th birthday fast approaching, the clock is ticking for Serena Williams and on her pursuit of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

The American star won her most recent major at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant.

However, the all-time record of 24 majors set by Australia's Margaret Court between 1960 and 1973 has proved frustratingly out of reach.

Williams returned to Grand Slam tennis, after giving birth to her daughter, at Roland Garros in 2018, making the last 16 where she had been set to resume her bitter rivalry with Maria Sharapova.

An arm injury torpedoed that meeting and stalled her assault on a fourth title in Paris after 2002, 2013 and 2015.

She still made headlines in Paris by wearing an all-black bodysuit which has now been banned by Roland Garros officials.

Defeat in the 2018 Wimbledon final and US Open championship match, where her now-infamous meltdown overshadowed Naomi Osaka's title triumph, followed her Paris heartbreak.

Her Australian Open campaign in January ended in a quarter-final loss to Karolina Pliskova despite having led 5-1 in the final set and holding four match points.

"It's definitely not easy for me. From day one, I expect to go out and, quite frankly, to win. That hasn't happened," said Williams in the aftermath of her Melbourne defeat.

"But I do like my attitude. I like that I don't want to go out here and say, 'I expect to lose because I had a year off, I've been playing for 10 months. I'm not supposed to win.'

"I don't have that attitude. I have the attitude of, 'I've only been playing 10 months, but I expect to win, and if I don't, it's disappointing.'"

Since Melbourne, Williams has been unable to finish the three tournaments she has entered -- she retired to Garbine Muguruza in the third round of Indian Wells, withdrew after winning a round in Miami, and withdrew after winning a round in Rome last week due to a right knee injury.

- 'Least favourable surface' -

In total, her 2019 activity reads just nine matches played -- only one on clay, a straightforward win over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson in Rome.

However, nobody is yet writing off a player who also battled life-threatening blood clots as she gave birth.

"Serena Williams will beat Margaret Court's record," said former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, now the coach of world number two Pliskova.

Williams opens her Paris campaign against Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko and could then face Indian Wells champion Bianca Andreescu, the promising Canadian who hasn't played since Miami due to a shoulder injury.

Australia's Ashleigh Barty is a possible last-16 opponent and should she keep winning, Williams could meet world number one Osaka in the quarter-finals.

With a question mark over her physical condition, her longtime coach is keen to keep a lid on expectations of her chances on the clay of Roland Garros.

"For her game, it's perhaps the least favourable surface," Patrick Mouratoglou told l'Equipe newspaper.

Williams, for her part, wants to keep playing even if she still harbours doubts over her match fitness.

"When you're sedentary, it becomes hard to manage your body. So it's just basically you have to eat grass. That's kind of what I did. It was a nightmare," she explained after her lone win in Rome on her recovery.

"But it worked and it paid off. I didn't get to train too much. It's more of a process. I feel like I'm taking it one day at a time. I've been really putting in the hours in terms of keeping my cardio as much as I could with a knee injury, which is really impressive how I've been able to do it."

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{blackbabes} Serena remains America's best hope at French Open

 

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LOS ANGELES, May 24 (Reuters) - Serena Williams represents the United States' best chance to hoist the French Open trophy this year but questions loom about her fitness after she was forced to withdraw from the Italian Open last week with a knee injury.

Williams, a three-times French Open champion who has a 28-4 record on the red clay of Roland Garros, could be dangerous if she is pain free and can get off to a good start.

"Hopefully Serena is healthy enough to play," Martin Blackman, general manager for player development with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), told Reuters.

"She's such a professional that she doesn't play unless she's healthy, especially Grand Slams," he said of the 23-time major champion, who is currently ranked number 10 in the world.

"So if she does, I think with every match that she wins she becomes a bigger and bigger threat."

Her sister Venus has underperformed this year but remains in the conversation given her experience at slams, which includes a finals appearance at the French Open back in 2002.

The speedy, defensive-minded Sloane Stephens reached the French Open final last year and the 2017 U.S. Open champion could be poised to get the job done this year.

"Clay is a great surface for Sloane," Blackman said.

"She's such a good mover, she's so good at opening the court, and she has so many different ways to hurt you. And she is getting more and more comfortable at the net."

Powerhouse Madison Keys, who fell to Stephens in the French Open semi-finals last year, won her first clay court title at the Charleston Open in April, defeating Stephens and Caroline Wozniacki in the process.

"Madison recently made a coaching change, she's working with (Juan) Nacho Todero and I think they are in a really good place," Blackman said.

"She's healthy, she's fit and if she gets to the second week, she's super dangerous."

 

LESS OPTIMISTIC

While there's a host of contenders on the women's side, U.S. tennis fans can feel less optimistic about the men's chances.

The top American man, world number 10 John Isner, last week withdrew from the French Open due to a foot injury he picked up during his Miami Open final defeat by Roger Federer in March.

The next best hope is probably the hard-hitting Sam Querrey, who has had success on clay in Davis Cup competition but has never got past the third round at the French Open, with his best result coming back in 2008.

Rising Americans Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Denis Kudla are a combined 0-8 in their main draw matches in Paris so will all enter the tournament amid low expectations.

One bright spot for the U.S. men could be big-serving 21-year-old Reilly Opelka, making his French Open main draw debut.

"Really keep an eye out for Reilly," Blackman said of Opelka, who routinely serves in the low-140 mile per hour range. "His serve can give you nightmares. No one wants to play him."

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