Serena in Rare Major Defeat

After 18 straight wins at a major tournament, 10-time Grand Slam champ Serena Williams was ousted from the French Open Wednesday, getting upset 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 by Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. “Honestly, I think I lost because of me and not because of anything she did,” said Williams, careful not to give too much praise to her opponent. “I had an opportunity, and I got really tight, and I pretty much gave it to her. It was like, ‘Here. Do you want to go to the semis? Because I don’t.’ She was like, ‘OK.”‘ The second-seeded Williams is at least partially correct. She outright blew her 3-1 lead in the third set, looking as if her energy was sapped as she came up short too often down the stretch. The Russian, on the other hand, appeared to gain confidence with every misstep by her opponent. Kuznetsova, the seventh seed, moves on in the semifinals to play No. 30 Samantha Stosur of Australia, who defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-3.
Eagles Westbrook to Undergo Surgery
The Philadelphia Eagles front office is looking like a pack of geniuses, having drafted high for a running back despite having workhorse Brian Westbrook in the backfield. That’s because the speedy Pro Bowl ball carrier is headed under the surgeon’s knife Friday morning for a troublesome high ankle sprain he suffered last year. The Eagles organization is using a million-dollar word to describe the procedure – “a debridement” of the ankle – but it still comes down to one simple fact: The team knew it was time to invest in an insurance policy if it plans to go beyond last year’s early elimination from the playoffs. That policy is running back LeSean McCoy, who the Birds drafted in the second round in April. Westbrook, who had 936 yards rushing, 402 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns last season, also underwent minor knee surgery after the Eagles were booted from the 2009 NFC championship game by the Arizona Cardinals. Westbrook turns 30 on Sept. 2.

Venus Williams got thumped out of the French Open by Hungarian Agnes Szavay, 6-0, 6-4. Now, it’s up to sister Serena to bring home the trophy following Venus’ third consecutive year of being ousted at Roland Garros. Prior to the thrashing, she has compiled a record of 35 wins and 12 losses on the Paris clay. While that’s not necessarily a shabby record, her 58-7 record at Wimbledon and 51-8 record in the United States Open suggests that there might be something mental in her approach to France. If not for her early departure, it is possible that she would have met second-seeded Serena in the finals. She will still be able to be on the court with her sister, however, as the duo is slated as fifth-seeded doubles partners.

 Serena Drama in Paris Tennis star Serena Williams is becoming as known for the on-court theatrics as she is for whipping up on her opponents. In the latest installment of the “Serena Show,” the No. seeded Williams called her French Open opponent, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, an outright cheater for claiming that a tennis ball went off Sanchez’s racket and not her arm. The fact that Sanchez beat Williams 4-6 in the first set as a result of that questionable point apparently frustrated Williams. Sanchez fired back that Williams’ comment was “stupid.” But the drama didn’t end there. During the third-set changeover, Williams experienced a protracted coughing fit. Even Williams had to admit it didn’t look good. “I’m, like, drama. And I don’t want to be drama,” Williams said in a low, raspy voice. “I’m like one of those girls on a reality show that has all the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no matter what they do, like, drama follows them. I don’t want to be that girl.” By the way, Serena won the match – 4-3, 6-3, 6-4.