Wimbledon 2019: Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams loses to 15-year old opponent
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams was stunned by the 15-year-old Cori Gauff, known as Coco, in the first round at Court 1 of the All England Club on Monday.
It was a match-up between the oldest and the youngest in the draw and the younger one came out on top. Gauff beat Venus 6-4, 6-4 in quickfire fashion as the spectators took notice of the youngster's talent.
Gauff became the youngest player since 1991 to register a win in the first round of women's singles at Wimbledon.
Gauff had said ahead of the match that she had picked up the racquet because of the William sisters and Venus was her idol. Playing against her idol for the first time, Gauff did not looked fazed at all.
Her face straight and body language positive, Gauff came out all guns blazing right from the start. She had said ahead of the match that she had nothing to lose and she was only excited for the match-up and the youngster showed it on the court.
For the 39-year-old Venus, it was like playing her own reflection. Serena Williams had said in the pre-tournament press conference that she sees a lot of similarity in the game style of Gauff and Venus and on Monday, it was for all to see.
Gauff matched Venus' ground stroke to ground stroke and they almost matched each other's powers too. The only place where Venus clearly held an edge was at the net but Gauff stifled Venus to the point that the former champion did not get too many opportunities to come forward.
For Gauff, she used the body serve to great effect against Venus, powering through her service games and not giving her idol much to work with. Both the first and second sets, it was Venus who blinked first and gave the advantage to Gauff.
In the first set, the 15-year-old showed immense composure to close out the set and get herself a big lead in the match.
In the second set however, leading 4-3, Gauff showed that she was after all only 15. Facing a couple of break points, Gauff saved one but double-faulted on the next to let Venus back in the match.
However, Gauff was not going to give up. She broke Venus once again in the very next service game after saving a couple of game points. Her power shots and high balls completely put Venus off her game.
Serving for the set, Gauff lost the first point and Venus in fact took the game to deuce but Gauff played beyond her maturity to take the match in her fourth match point.
As Williams hit the final ball into the net, Gauff put her hands on her head, looked shocked and overcome with emotions towards her box. Tears trickling down her eyes, she ran to the net and exchanged a few words with Venus before bathing in her victory.
Even after the match she failed to put words to her emotion. "I don't really know how to feel right now. It's the first time I have cried after winning a match," Gauff said.
It was a huge occasion for Gauff and she shared that she had to keep herself calm despite the magnanimity of the situation.
"I had to tell myself to be calm, I had never played here before. I had to tell myself that the lines were the same and the size of the court was the same even if everything else was bigger."
Gauff also revealed the words she and Venus exchanged at the net.
"She just told me 'congratulations and keep going and good luck.' I told her, 'I wouldn't be here if not for her, she's so inspiring, I always wanted to tell her that. I met her the other night, didn't have the guts to do so."
Gauff's parents cheered every point she won and every time the 15-year-old would play a brilliant point, she would look towards her box and pump her fists in celebration.
courtesy: news18.com
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
