I am not retired, says Serena

SAN FRANCISCO: Serena Williams on Monday said she has not retired from tennis and that the chances of her returning are “very high” after she previously indicated that she would step away from the sport after last month’s US Open.

“I am not retired,” Serena said at a conference in San Francisco while promoting her investment company, Serena Ventures. “The chances [of a return] are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court.”

Serena, 41, said she was “evolving away from tennis” in an essay in August and, while she did not confirm the US Open as her farewell event, she was given lavish tributes before each match in New York and waved an emotional goodbye after losing in the third round. The 23-time Grand Slam champion said not preparing for a tournament after the US Open did not feel natural to her.

“I still haven’t really thought about [retirement],” Serena said. “But I did wake up the other day and go on the court and [considered] for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition, and it felt really weird. “It was like the first day of the rest of my life and I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find that balance.”—Reuters

Pakistan quartet at Asian Amateurs

CHONBURI (Thailand): Omar Khalid Hussain, the Pakistan number one in the World Amateur Golf Rankings will be leading his country’s campaign at the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships which tee off at the Amata Spring Country Club on Thursday.

The 18-year-old is one of four players of the country who have earned invitation for the championships for the region’s top amateur talent alongside Pakistan number two Salman Jehangir, third-ranked Yashal Shah and fourth-placed Saim Shazli.

The championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players including Hideki Matsuyama, who won the 2021 Masters, and this year’s British Open winner Cameron Smith.

Asad stuns Haider

LAHORE: Asad Zaman stunned Asian number one Haider Ali 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to go through to the semi-finals of the second leg of the ATF 16 & Under Asian Tennis Tour on Tuesday.

Bilal Asim, the winner of the first leg, thrashed Hamza Roman 6-1, 6-0 to make the semis and was joined by Hamid Israr, who overcame Ahtesham Humayun 7-6, 6-1.

In the boys’ U-16 doubles quarters, Hamid and Hamza got the better of Sheheryar Anees and Mohammad Salaar 6-3, 6-4. Amir Mazari and Hamza Rehmat downed Nabeel Qayum and Kashan Tariq 2-6, 6-4, 10-3.

Other results:

Boys & girls’ U-14 quarter-finals: Nabeel Qayum bt Hajra Suhail 6-1; Bismel Zia bt Naad-e-Ali 6-1; Amna Qayum bt Aalay Husnain 6-3; Abdur Rehman bt Inam Bari 6-0.—Sports Reporter

Qaiser off to Perth

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s judoka Qaiser Khan Afridi on Tuesday left for Australia to participate in the Perth Oceania Open as part of his campaign to gather maximum points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Qaiser (-100kg) has flown to Australia from Abu Dhabi where he featured in the Grand Slam, an Olympics qualifying event. Pakistan’s Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain Shah (-90kg), who also took part in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, will also proceed to Australia on Wednesday.—APP

Antinori dazzles

LAHORE: Nico Antinori smashed seven goals as Diamond Paints/Sheikhoo Steel trounced 4 Corps 14-4½ in the Shaukat Khanum Pink Polo Cup on Tuesday.

In the other match on the day, three goals each from Amireza Behbodi, Ahmed Zubair Butt and Farasat Ali Chatha saw Platinum Homes outpace Team Nagina 10-3½..—Sports Reporter

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2022