Serena Williams’ 20-match winning streak at Key Biscayne, Florida, ended Monday with a 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Miami Open.

Williams was bidding for her ninth title in the event and her fourth in a row. But after a grueling first set that lasted nearly an hour, the No. 1-seeded Williams faded on a sweltering afternoon.

This is the first time she hasn’t reached the Key Biscayne quarterfinals since 2000, when she lost in the fourth round to Jennifer Capriati. Williams, 34, hasn’t won a tournament since earning her 69th title at Cincinnati in August.

On the men’s side, No. 2 seed Andy Murray lost the final five games and was beaten by No. 26 Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-3 in the third round.

Murray’s elimination leaves the tournament without four of the five top-seeded men, leaving just No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the round of 16.

Advertisement

WTA: Four players on the women’s tour have passed the $1 million mark in earnings this year. They are Angelique Kerber ($2,721,034), Serena Williams ($1,778,685), Victoria Azarenka ($1,506,573) and Agnieszka Radwanska ($1,055,508).

SOCCER

HALL OF FAME: Brandi Chastain, who converted the penalty kick during a shootout that won the 1999 Women’s World Cup, is among the first-time candidates for the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Chastain, a defender and midfielder who scored 30 goals in 192 international appearances from 1988-2004 famously pulled off her jersey to reveal her sports bra as she celebrated the winning kick. She won two World Cups and two gold medals.

Heather Mitts, Jeff Cunningham, John O’Brien and Josh Wolff also are among the other first-time candidates.

CYCLING

Advertisement

BELGIUM: The death of Belgian cyclist Antoine Demoitie was confirmed after an accident during Sunday’s stage of the Genk-Wevelgem classic at Gent, Belgium.

Demoitie was among several competitors involved in a fall and local media reported he was struck by a motorbike.

BOXING

ENGLAND: British middleweight boxer Nick Blackwell remains in an induced coma following his defeat to Chris Eubank Jr. on Saturday.

The 25-year-old fighter suffered bleeding on the brain after the fight was stopped in the 10th round. The stoppage came after a ringside doctor advised the referee that Blackwell was unable to see through his left eye.

LIGHTWEIGHT: It is already being billed as the fight of the year – a potential lightweight title fight between Andre Ward (29-0) and unified champion Sergey Kovalev (29-0, 26 KOs).

Advertisement

The buzz began even before Ward outpointed Sullivan Berrerra this weekend.

Nothing has been finalized, but “it’s going to be the opposite from Mayweather-Pacquiao in every way,” said Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, whose stable includes Kovalev. The Russian, 32, said a matchup against the former Olympic gold medalist would be the biggest challenge of his career.

“November is a great time,” Kovalev said. “Let’s do it, me and him, a done deal.”

GOLF

PGA: The top five men players, according to the World Golf Rankings, are: Jason Day (Australia), Jordan Spieth (U.S.), Rory McIlroy (Ireland), Bubba Watson (U.S.) and Rickie Fowler (U.S.).

– From news service reports


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.