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2B Daily News – Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Williams exits Wimbledon in 4th round GIANTS LONDON (AP) — For 34 matches over 4 1/2 months, on hard, clay or grass courts, Serena Williams was unbeaten — and, in the minds of many, unbeatable. So it was apt, somehow, that the longest winning streak in women's tennis since 2000 would end at this memorably unpredictable edition of Wimbledon, where up is down, where seedings and pedigree mean nothing whatsoever, where even five-time champion Williams looked lost at the start and, most surprisingly of all, the finish of her fourth-round match. Stumbling on the Centre Court grass a couple of times while her game slumped in crunch time, the No. 1ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams dropped the last four games to bow out 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 Monday against 23rdseeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany. ''Didn't play the big points good enough,'' said Williams, who had won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon a year ago and the French Open less than a month ago. ''I didn't do what I do best.'' Oddly passive down the stretch, Williams essentially let Lisicki to do what she does best: dictate points quickly with a big serve, powerful returns and pinpoint groundstrokes. If that sounds familiar, could be because it's the formula Williams uses to dominate her sport. Except on this breezy afternoon, Lisicki compiled a 10-7 edge in aces, a 35-25 lead in winners, and broke Williams five times. ''Come on, guys, let's get with it. She's excellent,'' a composed Williams said at her news conference after blowing leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in the third set. ''She's not a pushover.'' Especially at Wimbledon. Her game is built for grass. Lisicki is a mediocre 16-15 at the other three Grand Slam tournaments and 17-4 at the All England Club. She reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2011, and is into her fourth quarterfinal, coincidentally beating the reigning French Open champion every time: Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009, Li Na in 2011, Maria Sharapova in 2012, and Williams in 2013. ''Good omen,'' Lisicki said. ''Obviously,'' she said, ''I went into the match feeling that I could win.'' Might have been the only person who felt that way. After all, Williams owns 16 major championships, and entering Monday, the 31-year-old American had won 46 of 48 matches this season, and 77 of 80 since the start of Wimbledon in 2012. ''You cannot be perfect, every match, all year,'' said Patrick Mouratoglou, the French coach who began working with Williams last year. ''She won 34 matches in a row. It has to stop one day. It has to happen. And it happened today.'' The inevitability of failure, even for the most successful player, has never been made clearer than during this tournament. This was only the first day of the fortnight's second week, yet Williams joined quite a list of those already gone: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka and Sharapova — all major title winners, all former No. 1s, all out by the end of Day 3. ''This,'' summed up 17th-seeded Sloane Stephens, ''has been a crazy Wimbledon.'' Sure has. No U.S. men reached the third round, something that last happened 101 years ago, and Williams' departure made Stephens the lone American singles player left. The 20year-old Stephens' first quarterfinal at the All England Club comes Tuesday against No. 15 Marion Bartoli of France, the 2007 runner-up. The other matchup on their half of the draw is No. 8 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, against No. 20 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. Tuesday's remaining quarterfinals are No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who lost to Williams in last year's final, against No. 6 Li of China; and Lisicki against 46th-ranked Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Kanepi reached her fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal, and second at Wimbledon, with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory over 19-year-old Laura Robson, the first British woman in the fourth round at the All England Club since 1998. Robson, like others, took note of Monday's most significant outcome. ''I thought for sure Serena was going to win the tournament,'' Robson said, expressing a popular sentiment. On Wednesday, the men's quarterfinals on the draw's top half are No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, a six-time Grand Slam titlist and the only remaining past Wimbledon winner, against No. 7 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, the 2010 runner-up; and No. 4 David Ferrer of Spain against No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 U.S. Open champion. On the bottom half, it will be No. 2 Andy Murray of Britain, the London Olympic gold medalist and 2012 U.S. Open winner, against 54th-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain; and No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz against his Davis Cup teammate and pal, 130th-ranked Lukasz Kubot, in a match between the first two Polish men to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since 1980. One will give the country its first male semifinalist at a major tournament. ''We hugged. We are happy,'' Janowicz said. ''Magical.'' After beauty of Corsica, the brunt of Tour awaits CALVI, Corsica (AP) — A funny thing about the Tour de France is that it can give competitors the most fabulous terrain on which to ride, but it cannot force them to race. Instead of being the tricky day full of traps and surprises that Tour teams feared and organizers hoped for, Stage 3 of the 100th edition proved a bit of a dud. Yes, there some of the most riveting coastal scenery ever visited by the 110-year-old race. The drama, however, was in short supply. Corsica may be France's ''island of beauty,'' but the riders were just as happy to whiz past it. ''Twisty roads like that along the coast, stunning scenery, and I'm sure it made for great shots from the helicopter,'' race favorite Chris Froome said. ''But that's not what we were interested in.'' In a three-week test of endurance, not every stage can be a classic. There are days, such as Monday, when the peloton decides the priority is to get from A to B safely, get back to the hotel, massage, eat and sleep. To have success at the Tour, survival comes first. ''The race is always what the riders make of it,'' Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. Jan Bakelants was happy. The Belgian started the day in the yellow jersey that he won with a clever and gutsy spurt of riding Sunday. He will wear it again for at least another day during Tuesday's team time trial in Stage 4. The teams will race against the clock, heading off one after the other in aerodynamic helmets, on a pancake-flat, 15-mile course in Nice, past the coastal town's airport and along its famous beachside avenue, the Promenade des Anglais. With that technical and quick ordeal awaiting them, and because coastal headwinds slowed the riders, none of the 21 other teams could be bothered Monday to really try to take the lead from Bakelants. His RadioShack teammates did a grand job protecting him. They rode much of the stage at the front of the pack, not letting breakaway riders get too far ahead and discouraging other teams from any thoughts of making a concerted assault. Their management of the stage helped make for dull racing, but it kept Bakelants in yellow. ''We never panicked,'' he said. ''We managed the gaps.'' But Tuesday will more than likely be his last day in the leader's jersey. There are 71 riders just a second behind him in the standings. One of them on a team that time trials better than RadioShack will be in yellow next. ''We have good riders but haven't really trained for the team time trial,'' Bakelants said. ''It will be tough to keep the jersey, but I've already had it two days and that's special. ... It's extraordinary to have worn it.'' At the end of the stage, in the final 9 miles, the racing picked up. Several riders tried and failed to get away from the chasing pack. It came down to a sprint in the last 500 yards. Simon Gerrans, an Australian, threw his front wheel over the line just before Peter Sagan, a Slovakian. On paper, Stage 3 looked daunting — 91 miles of narrow roads as sinewy as a blood vessel, with very little flat. On television, the coves, the white beaches and cliffs plunging into turquoise seas looked incredible. The riders strung out like a necklace of colored pearls as they sped along the coastline on a succession of twisting and breathtaking bends. That is why Corsica paid the Tour to come this place: to make it look good. The island gave close to $4 million to the Tour's owners for the right to host the first three stages this year, and paid another $2.6 million in other expenses, said Paul Giacobbi, who heads the regional government. That bought ''hours and hours and hours'' of worldwide television coverage and ''1 billion spectators,'' he said. The logistics were complicated. The Tour was transporting itself on seven ships back across the Mediterranean to the French mainland overnight on Monday so it could resume less than 24 hours later for Stage 4 in Nice. After Monday's trek from the port of Ajaccio, two planes whisked the riders from the finish in Calvi so they could sleep in hotels on the French coast that same night. This was the Tour's first visit to Corsica. Both came away happy. Prudhomme, the race director, said viewing figures in France for the Corsican leg of the race are the highest they've been in a decade. ''That is because of the 100th edition and the beauty of Corsica,'' he said. Not that Froome and the other contenders for overall victory much cared. They were happy simply to be heading back in one piece to the French mainland, where the Tour will be decided in stages in the Pyrenees and Alps far more decisive than anything Corsica could offer. ''I'm quite relieved to be heading off Corsica now,'' Froome said. ''Hopefully, the race will settle down a little bit.'' (Continued from page 1B) advance and eventually win the World Series. Manager Bruce Bochy got a good feeling as he walked into the ballpark on Monday, remembering those moments. His club hasn't had many good ones lately, going 10-17 in June, its worst month since July 2008. That included a sixgame losing streak that was San Francisco's longest in three years. July hasn't started any better for the defending champions, who have lost nine of their last 11 games. They've scored two runs or less in eight of those 11. The Reds, too, were struggling to score runs and win games. They went 2-6 on a trip out West, getting shut out twice while falling 5 1/2 games out in the NL READY (Continued from page 1B) before heading back to Belgrade. But he said he's not intimidated by new places or cultures. He lived in Italy for a few years while his father played professional handball, then returned to Serbia with his family before going to Lithuania. While in Italy, he played everything from handball to soccer. At age 11, when his mom took him to basketball practice for the first time, he said ''I knew that was the sport I was going to play the rest of my life.'' Kobe Bryant was his favorite player and a big reason he started playing basketball. He's familiar with most of the NBA teams, waking up at all hours in Europe to watch games live on television. Nedovic even recalled watching the Warriors' surprising run to the second round of the playoffs last season, and one of his favorite memories was seeing Stephen Curry score 54 points in Golden State's loss at New York on Feb. 27. ''Everybody in Serbia was watching Steph Curry killing the Knicks in Madison Square Garden,'' he said. The 22-year-old Nedovic averaged 9.8 points and 2.1 assists in 10 Euroleague games last season. Nedovic, listed at 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, played the previous three years in Serbia. Some on YouTube even dubbed him ''The European Derrick Rose'' for his leaping ability as a point guard. He also wears knee pads, which Rose has been known to do with the Chicago Bulls. ''Maybe I'm the European Derrick Rose, but I'm not the real one,'' he joked. When Nedovic will make his NBA debut is still unclear. Warriors general manager Bob Myers said last week KINGS (Continued from page 1B) McLemore averaged 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and two assists on a team that went 31-6 and won a share of its ninth straight Big 12 title. He shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and 42 percent from 3-point range. Not only will McLemore have a chance to live out his dream on the court, he will be able to help out the loved ones who have struggled most his entire life. ''It's going to mean a lot,'' said McLemore, who said he reminds himself of his motto ''stay humble, stay hungry'' every day. ''I'm a person who likes to give back, and I have plans to give back to my community. To be able to take care of my family, it's just a dream come true.'' McCallum's background is one of the reasons new coach Mike Malone likes the point guard so much. McCallum was a McDonald's All-American in high school — starring at Detroit Country Day School, Horizon League tournament title on his father's birthday — March 6 — is something the two will always cherish. ''That's something I wouldn't have been able to do anywhere else,'' he said. With the Kings, who were nearly sold and moved to Seattle in May, both players recognized the unique opportunity to play together — and bring a basketballloving community together, too. WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Minnesota Phoenix Sparks Seattle San Antonio Tulsa W 7 7 5 4 3 3 L 2 4 4 6 7 10 Pct .778 .636 .556 .400 .300 .231 GB — 1 2 3.5 4.5 6 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Atlanta 10 1 .909 — Chicago 7 3 .700 2.5 New York 5 4 .556 4 Washington 5 6 .455 5 Indiana 3 7 .300 6.5 Connecticut 2 7 .222 7 —————————————————— Monday's results No games scheduled Today's games Tulsa at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Seattle at Chicago, 5 p.m. New York at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. ''Words can't explain how happy I am,'' McLemore said. ''I'm just enjoying this moment with my new family, the Sacramento Kings, and this new program we're about to build together as a family.'' MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE W Salt Lake 10 Portland 7 FC Dallas 8 Vancouver 7 Galaxy 7 Colorado 6 Seattle 6 QUAKES 5 Chivas USA 3 L 5 1 3 5 7 7 5 7 10 T 3 9 6 4 3 5 3 6 3 Pts 33 30 30 25 24 23 21 21 12 GF 27 28 27 26 25 21 19 18 15 GA 16 16 22 24 21 22 17 27 31 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Montreal 9 4 2 29 27 21 New York 8 6 4 28 25 22 Philadelphia 7 5 5 26 27 26 Kansas City 7 5 5 26 23 17 Houston 6 6 5 23 19 18 N. England 5 5 6 21 19 14 Columbus 5 7 5 20 21 21 Chicago 5 7 3 18 15 21 Toronto FC 2 8 6 12 14 21 D.C. 2 12 3 9 8 27 —————————————————— Wednesday's games San Jose at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Montreal at Toronto FC, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Kansas City, 6 p.m. D.C. United at Seattle FC, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Real Salt Lake, 7 p.m. Thursday's games Chivas USA at FC Dallas, 6 p.m. New York at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Columbus at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. No such problems against a struggling rookie starter. The Reds scored four times in the second inning off Kickham, more runs than they managed in four of their last five games. The 24-yearold pitcher has gotten a rough introduction to the majors, making his first three starts on the road and losing all of them. He's given up 21 hits and 16 earned runs in 10 1-3 innings. Jake Dunning had just started warming in the Giants' bullpen when Frazier hit a three-run homer in the third on Kickham's 56th pitch. It was the fourth homer Kickham has given up in his three starts. That marked the first time the Reds had scored more than five runs at Great American since an 8-2 win over Cleveland on May 28. the Warriors hope Nedovic will be able to join the team for summer league games in Las Vegas later this month and expects him to be in the NBA either this season or next season. A lot of that could depend on whether unrestricted free agent Jarrett Jack returns or if he can beat out last season's undrafted rookie, Kent Bazemore. ''I'm ready,'' Nedovic said. Since the draft, Nedovic has had brief conversations with Myers and Warriors coach Mark Jackson about making the transition. He said he will try to remain patient and be ready when called upon. For now, he's just trying to enjoy the moment. Coming to the Warriors wasn't so much of a surprise as when he heard his name, he said, while watching the draft back in Belgrade with friends and family. ''It was a little bit longer than I expected,'' he said. ''Everybody was going to sleep and I was expected to be somewhere in the second round and it was really, really a big surprise when my agent texted me like 10 seconds before they said my name. It was honestly a shock. In that moment, it was unreal.'' Nedovic said he's flattered by how much the Warriors did to get a draft pick — and take him with it. The Warriors first acquired the No. 26 pick from Minnesota along with guard Malcolm Lee for $1.6 million and a 2014 secondround pick. They then traded No. 26 to Oklahoma City for No. 29, getting $1 million in the transaction. Finally, Myers dealt the 29th pick and the rights to Lee to Phoenix and took Nedovic with the final pick of the first round. ''It cannot be better,'' Nedovic said. ''It's the right place for me to be.'' MLB MLB American League where former Kings standout Chris Webber also played — who turned down offers from UCLA and Arizona to stay at home and play point guard for his father, Ray McCallum Sr., at Detroit. ''It just came down to trust and who had the best interest in me,'' McCallum said. Malone, the son of longtime basketball coach and current Kings assistant Brendan Malone, said McCallum uses his smarts and savvy — not to mention his ball-handling skills and athleticism — to make up for his 6-foot1, 190-pound frame, which is a bit undersized by NBA standards. The new coach even had a chance to work both players out over the weekend. For McCallum, playing under his father wasn't always easy. The two clashed maybe more than most, he said, because his father could push him the way no other coach can. There were plenty of special memories, too. McCallum said leading Detroit past Valparaiso to win the 2012 Central, their biggest deficit in two years. National League West Division West Division Texas A's Angels Seattle Houston East Division W 48 48 39 35 30 L 34 35 43 47 53 Pct .585 .578 .476 .427 .361 GB — .5 9 13 18.5 Arizona Colorado Padres GIANTS Dodgers East Division W 42 41 40 39 38 L 39 42 43 43 43 Pct .519 .494 .482 .476 .469 GB — 2 3 3.5 4 W L Pct GB Boston 50 34 .595 — Baltimore 47 36 .566 2.5 Tampa Bay 44 39 .530 5.5 New York 43 39 .524 6 Toronto 41 41 .500 8 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 44 38 .537 — Detroit 43 38 .531 .5 Kansas City 38 41 .481 4.5 Minnesota 36 43 .456 6.5 Chicago 32 47 .405 10.5 —————————————————— Monday's results Toronto 8, Detroit 3 N.Y. Yankees 10, Minnesota 4 Tampa Bay 12, Houston 0 W L Pct GB Atlanta 48 34 .585 — Washington 42 40 .512 6 Philadelphia 39 44 .470 9.5 New York 33 45 .423 13 Miami 30 51 .370 17.5 Central Division W L Pct GB Pittsburgh 51 30 .630 — St. Louis 49 32 .605 2 Cincinnati 47 36 .566 5 Chicago 35 45 .438 15.5 Milwaukee 32 49 .395 19 —————————————————— Monday's results Cincinnati 8, San Francisco 1, 6 innings Miami 4, San Diego 0 Washington 10, Milwaukee 5 Arizona at N.Y. Mets, late Today's games Chicago Cubs (Feldman 7-6) at Oakland (Griffin 6-6), 7:05 p.m. Detroit (Fister 6-5) at Toronto (Wang 1-1), 4:07 p.m. San Diego (Erlin 1-0) at Boston (Lackey 5-5), 4:10 p.m. Seattle (J.Saunders 5-8) at Texas (Grimm 7-5), 5:05 p.m. Baltimore (Hammel 7-4) at Chi. White Sox (Joh.Danks 1-5), 5:10 p.m. Cleveland (Kluber 6-5) at Kansas City (Mendoza 2-4), 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 3-7) at Minnesota (Deduno 4-2), 5:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Price 1-4) at Houston (Bedard 3-3), 5:10 p.m. St. Louis (Lynn 10-2) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 1-4), 7:05 p.m. Today's games San Francisco (Lincecum 4-8) at Cincinnati (H.Bailey 4-6), 4:10 p.m. Milwaukee (W.Peralta 5-9) at Washington (Strasburg 4-6), 4:05 p.m. Philadelphia (Pettibone 3-3) at Pittsburgh (Locke 7-1), 4:05 p.m. Arizona (Corbin 9-0) at N.Y. Mets (Hefner 2-6), 4:10 p.m. Miami (Koehler 1-5) at Atlanta (Medlen 5-7), 4:10 p.m. San Diego (Erlin 1-0) at Boston (Lackey 5-5), 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 6-5) at Colorado (Oswalt 0-2), 5:40 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Feldman 7-6) at Oakland (Griffin 6-6), 7:05 p.m. St. Louis (Lynn 10-2) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 1-4), 7:05 p.m. Wednesday's games Chicago Cubs at Oakland, 7:05 p.m. Detroit at Toronto, 4:07 p.m. Baltimore at Chi. White Sox, 4:10 p.m. San Diego at Boston, 4:10 p.m. Seattle at Texas, 5:05 p.m. Cleveland at Kansas City, 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Minnesota, 5:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Houston, 5:10 p.m. St. Louis at L.A. Angels, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday's games San Francisco at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Milwaukee at Washington, 3:05 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 4:05 p.m. Arizona at N.Y. Mets, 4:10 p.m. Miami at Atlanta, 4:10 p.m. San Diego at Boston, 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Colorado, 5:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Oakland, 7:05 p.m. St. Louis at L.A. Angels, 7:05 p.m.