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S. Williams to miss the summer slams

By TIMES WIRES
Published May 4, 2006

NEW YORK - Serena Williams could miss tennis' French Open and Wimbledon while she takes several months off to recover from a chronic left knee injury.

"What I can tell you today, based on what I am being told by my doctors, is that I should be in a position to be playing again by the end of this summer," Williams said in a statement Wednesday.

The French Open starts May 29, and Wimbledon begins June 26. The year's final Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, starts Aug. 28.

Williams has played in just four matches over the last 71/2 months. Her only tournament this year was the Australian Open, where she lost in the third round. Once ranked No. 1 and the winner of seven Grand Slam titles, Williams is now 106th in the WTA Tour rankings.

Venus Williams won her first match since being out nearly four months with an injury, beating Polish teenager Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Poland.

The 13th-ranked Williams, sidelined with strained ligaments in her right elbow since her first-round loss at the Australian Open on Jan. 16, will meet former No. 1 Martina Hingis.

Top-seeded Kim Clijsters defeated Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko 6-3, 6-2 in 51 minutes, and third-seeded Elena Dementieva beat Ukrainian Tatiana Perebiynis 6-2, 6-0.

ESTORIL OPEN: Nikolay Davydenko beat Marat Safin for the first time in three matches this year, knocking the fellow Russian out 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 at Oeiras, Portugal. Albert Portas of Spain rallied past fourth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, and American Justin Gimelstob defeated seventh-seeded Nicolas Massu 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Among the women, top-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy beat Maret Ani of Estonia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

BMW OPEN: Jarkko Nieminen defeated wild card Alexander Waske 7-6 (2), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals in Munich, Germany. Third-seeded Nieminen will play Robin Vik for a place in the semifinals. Vik beat Juan Monaco 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.

AUTO RACING: There has been talk among manufacturers and NASCAR about changing the car models used to compete in the Busch Series. With the recent uproar over the Nextel Cup drivers continually beating the Busch regulars, teams and manufacturers have been looking at alternative models to dissuade Cup drivers from racing in the Busch Series. Models such as the Mustang, Camaro, Solara and Challenger have been mentioned. Using a new model would give manufacturers a chance to market a new set of cars to the coveted 18-35 age bracket.

SOCCER: Chris Albright made the U.S. World Cup roster a day late, earning a spot after a test revealed Frankie Hejduk has a torn knee injury. Hejduk was injured Saturday while playing for Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew. Albright was among the 13 alternates announced along with the original 23-man roster.

OLYMPICS: U.S. Olympic Committee officials announced that Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco are the finalists for America's candidate to host the 2016 Olympics. New York, which failed to land the 2012 Games, won't have a chance to land the next available Games.

MONTGOMERY PLEA: Olympic gold medal sprinter Tim Montgomery pleaded not guilty to charges that he was connected to a multimillion-dollar bank fraud and money laundering scheme. Montgomery declined to comment after his court appearance and remains free on $150,000 bail. Montgomery is accused of participating in a plot created by a two defendants who set up sham businesses to take stolen checks and alter them or make counterfeits.

ICE DANCING Olympic ice dancers Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O'Meara are leaving competitive skating, although both said they could return. The couple finished 16th at the Turin Olympics after skating together for less than a year. Silverstein will return to Cornell, where she will be a junior. O'Meara will become the dance director at Alltell Ice Den in Arizona.

[Last modified May 4, 2006, 00:59:16]