NEW YORK — Serena Williams withdrew from the U.S. Open on Friday, saying she is recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.
The top-ranked Williams has won three titles at Flushing Meadows, part of her 13 Grand Slam singles championships, the most among active women. Last year, she lost in the U.S. Open semifinals after a tirade at a line judge over a foot-fault call, an outburst that drew a record fine of $82,500.
“It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the U.S. Open,” Williams said in a statement.
Williams, who sliced her right foot on a piece of broken glass at a restaurant in Munich last month, is the first No. 1 woman to miss the U.S. Open since the rankings began in 1975, according to the U.S. Tennis Association.
• Spraying balls all over the place, Rafael Nadal was upset by unseeded Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters in Mason, Ohio.
Phelps wins 100-meter butterfly
IRVINE, Calif. — Michael Phelps led all the way in winning the 100-meter butterfly at the Pan Pacific championships, earning his third gold medal of the meet.
The world and Olympic champion touched in 50.86 seconds. Phelps’ teammate Tyler McGill earned the silver in 51.85. Takuro Fujii of Japan took the bronze.
Williams admits guilt in DWI
NEW YORK — A chastened Jayson Williams admitted he was driving drunk when he slammed his SUV into a tree, capping years of legal and personal problems with a guilty plea that adds more time behind bars for the already imprisoned former New Jersey Nets star.
Williams’ one-year sentence — the maximum for the misdemeanor offense — will follow the five-year prison term he’s serving in New Jersey for accidentally shooting and killing a limo driver.
“It seems excessive, but it’s a small price to pay if it helps to deter drunk driving,” Williams, 42, said. “I’ll be the poster child for that if it’s going to save lives.”
• Free-agent guard Delonte West was suspended without pay for 10 games after pleading guilty last month to weapons charges.
Footnotes.
Former Alabama standout point guard Mikhail Torrance collapsed after a workout in Bradenton, Fla., and is hospitalized in critical condition.
• Former Michigan State guard Chris Allen, who averaged eight points a game last season, said he plans to enroll at Iowa State and begin playing basketball for the Cyclones starting in the 2011-12 season.
• Kyle Rowley passed for 237 yards and nine touchdowns to lead Spokane to a 69-57 victory over Tampa Bay in the ArenaBowl in Spokane, Wash.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins signed former Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Arron Asham to a $700,000, one-year contract.
• Former Colorado State star Becky Hammon scored nine of her 13 points in the fourth quarter and the San Antonio Silver Stars all but clinched an WNBA playoff spot with a 75-61 victory over the Indiana Fever.
