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TIMIRELAND—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Serena Williams of the United States returns to Elena Vesnina of Russia during their women's singles semifinal match Thursday at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. ByHowardFendrich The Associated Press LONDON Insteadoftheninthall- Williams final at a Grand Slam tournament, there will be a re- match of another sort to deter- mine the title at Wimbledon. And so as Serena Williams again stands one victory from her record-tying 22nd major title, she will need to beat a woman who al- ready stopped her once this year in that pursuit, Angelique Kerber. After Williams needed all of 48 minutes to overwhelm Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-0 at the All Eng- land Club, older sister Venus failed to join in the family fun, losing to Kerber 6-4, 6-4 in Thurs- day's second semifinal. Since winning her sixth Wim- bledon trophy a year ago to raise her career count at Grand Slam events to 21, Serena has come quite close to pulling even with Steffi Graf at 22 — the most in the Open era, which began in 1968 (Margaret Court's all-time mark is 24). But the American was sur- prisingly beaten by Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals last September, then by Kerber in the Australian Open final in January, and by Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final last month. Reaching the final at each of a year's first three major tourna- ments might sound good to other players. Not to this one. "For anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment," Serena said. "For me, it's about, obviously, holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better ac- complishment for me. For me, it's not enough. But I think that's what makes me different. That's what makes me Serena." Yes, she is one of a kind. When a reporter asked what she makes of it when others talk about her as one of history's great- est female athletes, this was the reply: "I prefer the word, one of the greatest 'athletes' of all time." Hard to argue. And the case will be even stron- ger if she can do what she couldn't in Melbourne: solve Kerber's left- handed game. WIMBLEDON Noall-Williamsfinalthistime Kerber stops Venus, will try to deny Serena her 22nd major title By Samuel Petrequin The Associated Press MONTAUBAN,FRANCE Mark Cav- endish started the Tour de France fearing that his training on the track for the Olympic Games would affect his chances of stage wins at cycling's biggest race. After the sprinter from the Isle of Man posted a third stage win in less than a week, it's now obvi- ous that the long hours spent on the boards have helped him im- prove his speed. The 31-year-old "Manx Mis- sile," as he is known in the pelo- ton, used his great tactical sense and impressive burst of speed to win the sixth stage of the three- week race in another mass finish on Thursday. It was Cavendish's 29th Tour stage win overall. "Oh my god, that was terrify- ing," said Cavendish, who also wore the yellow jersey for the first time of his career after win- ning the first stage of the race last weekend in Normandy. "That was like the old days, wheel surfing." Cavendish, who had never been as successful during the first week of the Tour before, beat German ace sprinter Marcel Kittel by half a wheel, with Daniel McLay third. Kittel launched the sprint but Cavendish attached himself pa- tiently to Kittel's wheel before TOUR DE FRANCE Cavendish wins 6th stage in big sprint By Will Graves The Associated Press SAN JOSE Technically, there are five spots available on the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team that will be unveiled on Sun- day night at the end of Olympic Trials. But not really. And Ashton Locklear knows it. "We all do the math in our heads," Locklear said. "I think you kind of have to. You need to know what's going on around you." Barring injury or a catastrophic drop in form, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez are heading to Brazil next month. That leaves one position open — maybe — the one Locklear and good friend Madison Kocian will try to convince national team co- ordinator Martha Karolyi they're worthy of during what may be the most important 48 hours of their athletic lives. No pressure or anything. "I definitely need to prove my- self," Locklear said. "I definitely need to show consistency." It's a testament to the depth of the powerhouse program Kar- olyi has built that the only real lingering drama with less than a month to go before the games cen- WOMEN GYMNASTICS At US trials, it's a fight for one spot in Rio By Janie McCauley The Associated Press OAKLAND Kevin Durant wanted to look MVP Stephen Curry in the eye, meet Klay Thompson face to face, and find out for himself whether they truly wanted him as a team- mate. The All-Star shooting tandem made it clear during a meeting last weekend that he would be a perfect fit with the Warriors. "When I met these guys, I felt as comfortable as I've ever felt. It was organic, it was authentic, it was real," Durant said. "It was feelings I couldn't ignore." Splash! Golden State had a su- perstar cast. The Warriors formally an- nounced the signing of the seven-time All-Star and four- time scoring champion on Thursday and introduced him with fanfare during a news con- ference at the team's downtown Oakland practice facility, where screens read, "WELCOME KD TO DUB NATION." So, what's next? Seventy-four wins and a title? Golden State's record-setting season with the best wins total ever of 73 ended without back-to-back champi- onships. "I haven't made the decision yet, but he might start," NBA Coach of the Year Steve Kerr joked, sitting next to a smiling Durant. "We lost in the Finals. We want to get better. We want to be better. You can't do any better than adding KD to the current crew." Kerr won't change his team's style with the addition of KD, whom the coach will count on as a "brilliant passer" and someone who can cut and do it all. "We've got as many or more playmakers on the floor as any- body," said Kerr, already plan- ning his training camp strategy on the court and how to prepare his players for even further scru- tiny. Durant might be able to match his coach's wit, too. When asked about Thompson being part of the pitch meeting, Durant quipped about receiv- ing a text message from him: "I didn't know he had a phone." Of Warriors assistant coach and former member of the Thunder staff Ron Adams, he said, "Ron Adams was the only reason I came." They shared a big hug before Thursday's fes- tivities. Durant announced his deci- sion Monday in a story on "The Players' Tribune," then Thurs- day marked the first day free agents could sign their deals. He joins the NBA runner-up Warriors — who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Durant's for- mer Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling seven-game Western Conference Finals before los- ing the finals in seven games to Cleveland — on a two-year con- tract worth more than $54 mil- lion. There is a player option af- ter the first year. Not that Durant plans to skip town after one season. He's here to win a championship. "You never expect to get this much better," general manager Bob Myers said. "I've admired Kevin as a basketball fan. ... I'm just excited to watch you play. I'm honored you're here, I'm honored you chose us. It's a won- derful feeling." Durant even spoke to Hall of Famer Jerry West along the way to help him weigh his choice. "I know it's Jerry West and I know he's the 'Logo,' and you're expecting a sexier conversa- tion, but it was more so about the team and how I could fit in and how great the coaching staff was," Durant said. Still, Durant went to bed Sun- day "torn" and still uncertain about his choice, and he told his father and representatives he needed a night to sleep on it. Then he woke up first thing Monday with more clarity. He knew it would have been "easy to go back to something you're comfortable with." This, he said, is the harder route — "It was time for me to try something new, try a new challenge. No better place to do it than here." Former teammate Russell Westbrook took it hard. NBA DURANT SIGNS DEAL TO JOIN WARRIORS Former MVP says he feels 'comfortable' coming to play with Golden State team Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, right, poses with the Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant a er he was introduced during a news conference at the team's practice facility Thursday in Oakland. PHOTOS BY BECK DIEFENBACH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Golden State Warriors' newest player Kevin Durant, center, joins head coach Steve Kerr, le and general manager Bob Myers during a news conference at the team's practice facility Thursday in Oakland. DURANT PAGE 2 TENNIS PAGE 2 CYCLING PAGE 2 GYMNASTS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, July 8, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1