Pow! A 167kph ace. Crack! A 182kph ace. Wham! A 203kph ace, the fastest serve to date hit by a woman at Wimbledon. When Serena Williams ends games that way, it’s easy to understand why she’s closing in on becoming just the third woman in 35 years to win three straight titles at the All England Club.
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter on Tuesday axed Mbulelo Mabizela as captain of the national team for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso at the FNB stadium. At a media briefing on Tuesday, Baxter said that Aaron Mokoena has been named captain for Saturday’s match.
In a match that never lived up to expectations, two-time defending champion Serena Williams crushed a listless Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals. Williams and Capriati have built up one of the best rivalries in women’s tennis, but this centre-court match was completely one-sided.
Western Province coach Carel du Plessis on Wednesday announced that scrumhalf Neil de Kock will succeed Corne Krige as captain. However, the captaincy will revert back to Krige until De Kock has completed his international commitments, which could extend until after the Tri-Nations.
At least one of the semifinals of Euro 2004 is likely to come down to a gut-wrenching penalty shootout. Two of this year’s quarterfinals have already gone to penalties when 120 minutes of play proved insufficient to separate England and Portugal and The Netherlands and Sweden.
The South African Police Service will launch a crime prevention programme in the 63 areas of South Africa identified as experiencing the most contact crimes, Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula said on Tuesday. Nqakula also touched on the Firearms Control Act that comes into effect on Thursday.
South Africa and China signed seven agreements involving education, business and agriculture after a binational commission meeting in Pretoria, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. Despite a handful of protesters picketing outside, the meeting was hailed as a success by both parties.
About 200 people took part in a demonstration outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre where a United Nations meeting on the Palestinian crisis was being held on Tuesday. The peaceful demonstration was held on a traffic island in Adderley Street adjoining the convention centre amid tight security.
Sudanese security services have banned a demonstration planned to coincide with visits by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell and United Nationa Secretary General Kofi Annan, a government newspaper reported on Tuesday. The demonstration was to be staged primarily to protest alleged ”US and UN double standards”.
A hardy group of 181 passengers boarded a jet at Singapore airport on Monday for the world’s longest commercial flight — an inaugural non-stop service to New York designed to appeal to time-pressed Asian and American business executives. Singapore Airlines said it would knock four hours off a one-stop service and would cut down on delays.