Back on court, Williams stretches winning streak

Serena Williams of the United States serves to Mandy Minella of Luxembourg during their Women's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Serena Williams of the United States serves to Mandy Minella of Luxembourg during their Women's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Serena Williams of the United States reacts as she plays Mandy Minella of Luxembourg in a Women's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Mandy Minella of Luxembourg returns the ball to Serena Williams of the United States during their Women's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Serena Williams of the United States is shielded from the sun during a change of ends break as she plays Mandy Minella of Luxembourg in a Women's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Florian Mayer of Germany sits on the court after slipping over as he plays Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their Men's first round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON (AP) ? After a week filled by a headline-grabbing, off-court tiff with Maria Sharapova and a series of apologies stemming from a magazine profile, Serena Williams got back to doing what she does best.

Better than anyone in the world right now, really.

Extending her winning streak to 32 matches, the longest single-season run on the women's tour since 2000, Williams began her bid for a sixth Wimbledon championship and 17th Grand Slam title overall with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over 92nd-ranked Mandy Minella of Luxembourg on Tuesday.

"You can call her pretty much unbeatable," Minella said. "She's playing better than ever. ... Every time she steps on court, you can see why."

And yet Williams, the defending champion at the All England Club, and Patrick Mouratoglou, the French coach who's been helping her during the current 75-3 stretch that dates to the start of Wimbledon last year, both gave this assessment: There are areas of her game that could use some fine-tuning.

"After today, there's so many ways that I can improve," the No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams said, "and that I'm going to need to improve if I want to be in the second week of this tournament."

Really? How about some examples?

"Come on," Williams replied, tilting her head and smiling.

Here was Mouratoglou's take after watching Williams win her first 17 service points and compile a 25-5 edge in total winners on Centre Court: "I mean, of course, not everything is perfect yet. It's interesting to see what we need to work on for the (coming) days."

They also agreed that she did not have too hard a time setting aside the events of the previous seven days, which included a lot of saying "I'm sorry" ? face-to-face with Sharapova, at a news conference, in two separate statements posted on the web ? over things Williams was quoted as saying in a Rolling Stone story. Williams made a negative reference in a phone conversation to a top-five player's love life (the piece's author surmised that was about Sharapova) and an off-the-cuff remark about a widely publicized rape case in the U.S. that was perceived by some as criticizing the victim.

"It hasn't been a distraction," Williams insisted. "I'm just here to focus on the tennis."

All in all, by easily winning her first match since winning the French Open on June 8, she helped restore order at Wimbledon 24 hours after a chaotic Day 1 that included the only first-round Grand Slam loss of 12-time major champion Rafael Nadal's career and a scary-looking, knee-twisting tumble by two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka during her win.

The highest-seeded player to depart Tuesday was No. 10 Maria Kirilenko, beaten 6-3, 6-4 by teenager Laura Robson, the first British woman to beat a top-10 player at Wimbledon in 15 years. Of the 10 local players who entered the tournament, Robson and reigning U.S. Open champion Andy Murray, last year's runner-up at the All England Club, are the only two left.

"It's hard for all the British players to come in here and, you know, lose first round," said Robson, who beat Kim Clijsters at the 2012 U.S. Open in the last match of the four-time major champion's career, "because you just feel extra disappointed."

Other women winning easily included No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2012 runner-up to Williams; 2011 French Open champion Li Na; and No. 7 Angelique Kerber, who eliminated Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the U.S. 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal's straight-set loss to 135th-ranked Steve Darcis was still a main topic of conversation, and top-seeded Novak Djokovic called it a reminder that "you cannot take anything or anybody for granted."

"To be honest, I was expecting him to be a bit rusty on the court," Djokovic said. "In the opening rounds, obviously, it's very dangerous for top players who haven't been playing on grass. ... On the other side of the net is somebody that is lower ranked, he has nothing to lose, so he's going for his shots."

As Djokovic dispatched 34th-ranked Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, the only real hitch was when he slipped to the Centre Court grass. No. 4 David Ferrer, who reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open but lost to Nadal, took two falls and said he felt a "little bit of pain" in his left ankle during a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 101st-ranked Martin Alund of Argentina.

Sam Querrey, an American seeded 21st, lost 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 to 59th-ranked Australian Bernard Tomic in a match most noteworthy for what was said afterward.

Tomic ripped the ATP for barring his father, who is also his coach, from attending tournaments for 12 months because of pending assault charges and said he'll ask Wimbledon to let Dad attend his next match. Querrey, meanwhile, was miffed that Tomic got a chance to collect himself while being checked by trainers after saying he felt lightheaded in the fourth set.

"I knew he was kind of dizzy, but let's go; it's a physical game," Querrey said. "That's part of it. If you're dizzy or hurt, you've got to play through it. You can't just take breaks. That's not why I lost. But I felt I had some momentum there and that leveled the playing field for the fifth set."

It's been difficult for any opponent to things close against Williams lately, even if she claimed Tuesday, "I never feel invincible."

Her practice-makes-perfect pledge might give future opponents pause, starting with Caroline Garcia, who will face Williams in the second round for the second Grand Slam tournament in a row. After losing to Williams 6-1, 6-2 at the French Open last month, Garcia made these observations: "I need to work on my game to pose more problems for her next time" and "She hits hard."

You don't say.

Dealing with serves that came in at up to 121 mph (195 kph) ? that readout on the speed clock prompted murmuring among impressed spectators ? Minella managed to put only half of her returns in play.

"When I stood right in front of her, I looked at her and not at the ball at the beginning. Because it's just unreal; because I've never played against this type of player. It's a lot of stuff you have to deal with," Minella said.

"The strength and the heavy spin of her serve is definitely better than anyone else, I would say," Minella added. "It is different from what I've seen. But it's also because it's too good. ... Many other players wouldn't reach the ball today."

Still, for a brief moment, Minella appeared to be getting into the match. A double-fault by Williams handed over a break that gave Minella a 2-0 lead in the second set. Serving at 40-30 in the next game, Minella was a point from a 3-0 edge.

That's when Williams got her act together, producing a cross-court backhand winner to get to deuce while taking 15 of 18 points to go ahead 4-2.

"In these moments," Minella observed, "she can raise her level."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-25-TEN-Wimbledon/id-291a57ad411548e4986d810be1827c13

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Tony Soprano, Gandolfini had NJ state of mind

TV

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

3 hours ago

BARRY WETCHER / AP

Michael Imperioli, left, and James Gandolfini appear in "The Sopranos."

Governors don't release statements every time some local guy who made good passes on. But mere hours after the sudden death of James Gandolfini Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey had something to say about his state's native son.

"It's an awful shock," said Gov. Christie in a statement. "James Gandolfini was a fine actor, a Rutgers alum and a true Jersey guy. I was a huge fan of his and the character he played so authentically, Tony Soprano. I have gotten to know Jimmy and many of the other actors in the 'Sopranos' cast and I can say that each of them are an individual New Jersey treasure."

As Christie noted, Gandolfini was New Jersey to the core --born, educated and made famous there. A Westwood native, Gandolfini graduated from Rutgers University in 1983 (the school inducted him into its Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2004 and said in a statement that the actor "was a proud and passionate supporter of the university for many years") and fittingly, when he finally broke through in Hollywood it wasn't on the West Coast -- it was thanks to his role as New Jersey resident Tony Soprano.

Christie wasn't the only politician to step in and embrace Gandolfini after his passing; New Jersey senator Robert Menendez said in a statement, "James Gandolfini was a distinctive, talented actor whose unforgettable performances made him a television icon.... His photograph has been displayed in my Washington, D.C. office for years as part of our New Jersey Wall of Fame."

Still, as a showcase for the state, "Sopranos" was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it focused on a niche culture of Italian-American gangsters while making extensive use of locations around the state. The series roamed easily between raw industrial warehouses, plush McMansioned suburbs and the lesser-known forested area known as the Pine Barrens, for which an entire episode was named.

Fans responded by seeing the often-maligned state in a different light; maps and extensive lists sprung up pointing out key locations where scenes (and executions) took place. And then came the TV tourists, who wanted to visit anything "Sopranos"-related, who signed up for tours. On Location Tours still caters to fans who want to visit the Bada Bing, Father Phil's Parish and the restaurant booth where the Sopranos sat in their final scene in the series.

Not every New Jersey resident -- or Italian-American -- loved Tony Soprano and his world; throughout the series run anti-defamation activists protested the portrayal of their ethnic group. Show creator David Chase rarely commented on that topic, noting to a group of TV critics in January 2000 that the activists tended to overlook, for example, that the show's psychiatrist played by Lorraine Bracco was also Italian-American. "They just talk about this gangster s--- and it's really tiresome," he said then.

In the end, "Sopranos" opened up New Jersey in more ways than could be counted, by filming on location and beefing up the TV industry there, by making it appealing and sexy and dangerous for fans of the show, and by turning it from a perceived series of exits on the drive between Philadelphia to New York -- into a place of myth and power.

No wonder power is now reaching back. As Newark Mayor Cory Booker tweeted, "My condolences to the family and all those who loved James Gandolfini - a true NJ Great and NJ Original. RIP."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/james-gandolfini-tony-soprano-shaped-new-jersey-state-mind-nationwide-6C10388322

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Reputed mobster tip triggers new Jimmy Hoffa search

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) ? The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain's tip to once again break out the digging equipment in search of the elusive remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive when he left for lunch with two mobsters 38 years ago.

Federal agents brought excavation equipment Monday to a field in suburban Detroit where Tony Zerilli said Hoffa's remains were buried.

Zerilli, 85, told Detroit television station WDIV in February that he knew the location of the remains.

On Monday, Detroit FBI chief Robert Foley said investigators obtained a warrant to search a field in Oakland Township, about 25 miles north of Detroit.

FBI agents halted the search for the day about 7 p.m. Monday and planned to resume digging Tuesday morning.

Foley did not mention Zerilli's claims in his brief comments, but Zerilli's lawyer, David Chasnick, said his client was "thrilled" that investigators were acting on the information.

"This has finally come to an end. It has been an arduous project to get to this point," Chasnick said. "Hoffa's body is somewhere in that field, no doubt about it."

Chasnick said his client is "a person intimately involved" with people who know where the body is buried.

He said his client wasn't making any public comments but said Zerilli told him there used to be a barn in the field and that Hoffa's body was buried beneath a concrete slab inside the barn.

Zerilli was convicted of organized crime and was in prison when Hoffa disappeared. But he told New York TV station WNBC in January that he was informed about Hoffa's whereabouts after his release.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, who joined Foley at a news conference, said it was his "fondest hope" to bring closure for Hoffa's family and the community.

Hoffa, Teamsters president from 1957-71, was an acquaintance of mobsters and an adversary of federal officials. The day in 1975 when he disappeared from a Detroit-area restaurant, he was supposed to be meeting with a New Jersey Teamsters boss and a Detroit Mafia captain.

Since then, multiple leads to his remains have turned out to be red herrings.

In September, police took soil from a suburban backyard after a tip Hoffa had been buried there. It was just one of many fruitless searches. Previous tips led police to a horse farm northwest of Detroit in 2006, a Detroit home in 2004 and a backyard pool two hours north of the city in 2003.

Andrew Arena, who was head of the FBI in Detroit until he retired in 2012, said Zerilli "would have been in a position to have been told" where Hoffa was buried.

"I still don't know if this was a guess on his part. I don't know if he was actually brought here by the Detroit (mob) family," Arena said. "It's his position as the reputed underboss. That's the significance."

Keith Corbett, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit who was active in Mafia prosecutions touching on the Hoffa case, said it was appropriate for the FBI to act on Zerilli's assertions.

"You have a witness who is in a position to know, who says he has specific information," Corbett said. "The bureau has left no stone unturned."

Corbett also defended authorities for repeatedly spending time on what turned out to be dead ends.

"Anytime you look for somebody and don't find the body, it is embarrassing," Corbett said. "The thing the public isn't aware of, but police know, is there are a lot of dead ends in an investigation."

___

Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reputed-mafioso-tip-triggers-hoffa-body-search-070541493.html

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