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Osaka prevailed against childhood hero Williams last year at Flushing Meadows, where the 23-time grand slam champion’s epic meltdown contributed to her defeat. Williams was issued a code violation for what umpire Carlos Ramos deemed to be coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou, irritating the former world number one who insisted she was not a cheat. A point penalty for racquet abuse led to her branding Ramos a “liar” and a “thief” and she was then docked a game, after which she called for the match referee and alleged she was being treated differently to male players....

Williams has won 23 slams in an incredible career, but the 38-year-old’s quest to catch and potentially overtake Court has been dealt a blow by the suspension of the WTA Tour due to the coronavirus pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 has led this year’s Wimbledon - where Williams has won seven singles titles - to be cancelled. The French Open has been pushed back to September but both Roland Garros and the US Open remain in doubt....

Reaching the Wimbledon final, where Angelique Kerber awaits in a repeat of the 2016 showpiece, is an astonishing accomplishment for one of tennis’ greatest players. Williams only gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia 10 months ago, while complications following the delivery left her bed-ridden for six weeks and required multiple surgeries. We chart her return to the WTA Tour ahead of what is arguably one of the greatest sporting accomplishments, regardless of the result on Centre Court on Saturday....

The revelation, coming on the back of a hard fought win against Sara Errani in the Fed Cup, comes as a shock, particularly when seen against the raging form that the American ace has been in. Serena has been nigh unstoppable this year. After a victorious campaign at the Australian Open, she enjoyed a terrific run at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, before a knee injury forced her to pull out of the semi-final at the event....

The 23-time grand slam singles champion skipped this week’s Madrid Open to step up her training, with the French Open fast approaching. Williams suffered an early exit at Indian Wells on her return from maternity leave in March before she was beaten by Naomi Osaka in the first round of the Miami Open. Tournament organisers on Wednesday revealed the 36-year-old has opted against starting her clay-court season in Rome....

Villa defends MLS from ’nasty’ comments The Dynamo received both general and targeted allocation money in exchange for the 27-year-old forward. “Will is a known commodity as a consistent goalscorer that we believe can immediately bolster our attack,” Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey said in a news release. “Coupled with yesterday’s acquisition of Harry Shipp, we’re excited about the impact that these two young and proven players can bring next season....

But for the past week, Breanna Stewart and Ezi Magbegor have been pulling on jerseys of a different kind, as they represent their home nations of the USA and Australia, respectively, at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Predictably, Stewart has been one of the stars of the show so far. As arguably the best women’s player on earth, she has been dynamic throughout the Group Phase for the Americans....

Week 1 Thursday, Aug. 28 Texas A&M at South Carolina, 6 p.m., SEC Network Ole Miss vs. Boise State (Atlanta), 8 p.m., ESPN Temple at Vanderbilt, 9:15 p.m., SEC Network Saturday, Aug. 30 UT Martin at Kentucky, noon, SEC Network West Virginia vs. Alabama, (Atlanta), 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2 South Dakota State at Missouri, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU Arkansas at Auburn, 4 p.m., SEC Network Clemson at Georgia , 5:30 p.m., ESPNU Idaho at Florida, 7 p....

Takeshi Shudo, head writer for three years of Pokemon movies and five years of the anime, revealed some of his thoughts on the franchise via blog posts, which have been translated by Pokemon historian Dr. Lava. In his blog posts, Shudo explained that he wrote the original screenplay for the second Pokemon movie with “no Ash and no Team Rocket.” It’s hard to imagine the film series and anime without Ash and his long history in the franchise, and of course, his flamboyant rivals....

Typically a luxury only bestowed on the company’s Final Fantasy series, Secret of Mana is getting the full treatment. Whether it be its new 3D visuals, updated soundtrack, or voice acting. For a preview of the main character’s voice, check out a portion of the opening scene from Secret of Mana that’s included in the game’s trailer, where he speaks a few lines. Secret of Mana will release for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and on STEAM....

“Patently false,” he told reporters of the allegations Wednesday. “It’s all crazy stuff.” President Donald Trump announced the firing of the agency’s inspector general, Steve Linick, Friday night and Pompeo has faced accusations that he pushed the firing to quash investigations into using his staff for personal favors and the handling of an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, which were both reportedly under investigation by Linick at the time of his termination....

Started in 1960, Sega went on to battle with Nintendo for home and handheld console dominance in the 1980s and 1990s before its Dreamcast failed to compete with the N64 and Sony’s PS2 at the turn of the century. The Verge reports that the Game Gear Micro will cost 4,980 yen (£36) when it launches in Japan on 6 October, which is an absolute steal. It’ll be available in black, blue yellow and red....

Dimps co-developed last year’s awesome Street Fighter 4, a game so good it practically reignited the fighting genre all by itself. Dimps is also the studio behind the swell Sonic Rush games on DS. Their hands-on experience with the character really shows in the leaked Sonic 4 footage, which looked appropriately hi-def and totally retro in the best possible way. Sega is enjoying something of a renaissance currently, fueled by their partnerships with third-parties....

The 23-year-old Newcombe had signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in early 1946 after spending two years in the Negro Leagues. Newcombe became an instant star in the majors, going 56-28 with a 3.39 ERA and helping the Dodgers make runs at the National League pennant each of his first three seasons. He wasn’t bad by sabermetrics in those years, either, posting 13 WAR. MORE: Predicting the Hall of Fame’s class of 2018...

In his weekly hit with Boston radio's "Toucher and Rich," Chiarelli acknowledged that "Tyler will get a lot of points wherever he is,"— and Seguin, 21, has seven of them in his first five games with the Dallas Stars. "Well first, don't judge a performance by points," Chiarelli said ( h/t Stanley Cup of Chowder ). "Secondly, you're right — I think he might've been our point leader or close to it the last couple years, so he's an offensive player....

In preparation for noisy, stomping fans at Seattle’s playoff matchup against Carolina on Saturday night, University of Washington scientists with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network are adding instruments to CenturyLink Field to measure seismic activity, according to KING 5 TV in Seattle. MORE: CenturyLink > Arrowhead | Divisional round picks | Panthers in for long night The earthquake trackers are using the stadium to help test a QuickShake tool linked to a website showing seismic activity at the stadium....

First, there was the report that the selectors weren’t happy with MS Dhoni being given captaincy during the Asia Cup 2018 and then there is a continuing saga between the BCCI and the state associations over the issue of complimentary tickets, which doesn’t look like it is going away anytime soon. Here are all of today’s important developments from the cricket world. Selectors unhappy with Dhoni’s surprise return to captaincy The decision to make MS Dhoni captain for the game against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup 2018 hasn’t gone down well with the national selectors....

Russians call it the “privatization” of the armed forces. The world’s second most powerful military machine now lies in disarray. Desperately short of recruits, the former Soviet Army cannot adequately guard its own firepower. Last week President Boris Yeltsin even charged that officials of the Ministry of Defense were stealing and selling entire ammunition depots. Some of the weapons find their way into the hands of organized-crime rings. Others are snapped up by fighters in ethnic conflicts that Moscow can no longer contain....

Web trading is arriving in time for the many large companies already racing to sell shares directly to the public. In the last year, the number of firms offering broker-skirting investment programs has tripled to 94, and the pace is picking up. “I expect 500 or 600 by this time next year,” says Jim Volpe, who monitors such plans. While no one is selling shares on the Net just yet, the mechanics are in place and investors are starting to show some interest....

Traditionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee pauses the judicial nomination process between Election Day and Inauguration Day in order to allow the new president to appoint judges of their choosing. Trump, however, has thus far refused to acknowledge his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. In October, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that the confirmation process would continue into the lame-duck session. In her Thursday letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, Feinstein said that the “American people have overwhelmingly rejected a second term for President Trump....