TENNIS
Serena Williams got a bit of a boost in the seedings for the U.S. Open by being placed at No. 17, nine spots above her current ranking.
The U.S. Tennis Association’s decision, announced Tuesday along with all the other seeds for the main draws of women’s and men’s singles, means Williams avoids a possible matchup against one of the top eight players in the third round.
It also sets up a possible matchup at that stage against her older sister, Venus, who is No. 16, her ranking this week.
Indeed, all of the other seeds – 32 women, 32 men – were positioned based on the WTA and ATP rankings, as usual.
The draw for the U.S. Open is Thursday. Play begins on Monday.
AUTO RACING
INDYCAR: Driver Robert Wickens had titanium rods and screws placed in his spine to stabilize a fracture associated with a spinal cord injury suffered in a weekend crash at Pocono Raceway.
IndyCar said in a statement the severity of the spinal cord injury was unknown.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports later said it would not field the No. 6, the car Wickens’ drives, at this weekend’s race in St. Louis. James Hinchcliffe, who injured his hands in the wreck in Pocono, has been cleared to compete and will race at Gateway.
Wickens is expected to undergo more surgeries to treat fractures in his lower extremities and right forearm. He remains in stable condition.
HOCKEY
NHL: Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee resigned amid charges of harassment stemming from an incident at the NHL scouting combine in May.
The team announced Lee’s resignation and added a search is under way to find his replacement.
Lee had been suspended by the Senators since June. He said in a statement he’s unable to fulfill his responsibilities with the team while his legal case is ongoing.
SOCCER
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: PSV Eindhoven scored with a minute remaining to beat BATE Borisov 3-2 in the first leg of qualifying playoffs.
Also, Greek club PAOK put itself in good position to qualify for the group stage for the first time by holding host Benfica to a 1-1 draw, and Red Star Belgrade and Salzburg played to a 0-0 draw.
The second-leg games are scheduled for Aug. 29.
HILLBOROUGH: A former police chief who was charged with lying about his involvement in the aftermath of the Hillsborough Stadium tragedy in 1989 will no longer face trial, prosecutors said.
Norman Bettison, 62, who was chief inspector of the region where Britain’s worst sports disaster took place, had been charged with four counts of misconduct while in public office.
Five other men are to face trial next year for offenses related to the disaster in which 96 people died following a crush in a standing-only section of Hillsborough as it staged an FA Cup semifinal match.
SWIMMING
ASIAN GAMES: Liu Xiang swam a world-record time of 26.98 seconds to win the women’s 50-meter backstroke gold medal at Jakarta, Indonesia.
Liu, 21, became the first woman to break 27 seconds in the event, lowering the record of 27.06 set by fellow Chinese swimmer Zhao Jing at the world championships in Rome in 2009 before the contentious rubberized suits were banned.
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