11-16-2019, 12:47 AM
MELBOURNE, Australia - To twirl or not to twirl? This is now a question at the Australian Open.Social media erupted overnight with reaction to Eugenie Bouchard being asked by an on-court interviewer to give us a twirl and show off her tennis dress after winning her second-round match.Some called the request by a male presenter sexist. Many on Twitter wondered if a man would be asked to twirl after winning a match.Serena Williams suspects not.I wouldnt ask Rafa or Roger to twirl, Williams said Thursday, referring to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.Williams was asked to twirl, too, by the same presenter a day earlier.I didnt really want to twirl because I was just like, you know, I dont need all the extra attention, said the No. 1-ranked player who is aiming to win her 19th Grand Slam singles title.She preferred not to enter the debate of whether the request was sexist.Life is far too short to focus on that, she said. Whether I twirl or not, its not the end of the world.Anyway, Williams said she always twirls. After winning matches, she walks back to court and twirls with a wave to thank the crowd. Shes taking dance class, too.I twirl all the time in dance class, she said. I really have to work on my spotting. My coach tells me to whip my head around.On Wednesday, Bouchard told her post-match news conference the twirl request was very unexpected.I dont know, an old guy asking you to twirl. It was funny, said Bouchard.By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker___THE WILLIAMS DOUBLES MYSTERY: Venus and Serena Williams prefer not to say why they pulled out of the doubles competition at the Australian Open.According to the rules you dont have to give a reason. I think well stick with that, Venus said Thursday after winning her second-round singles match.The Williams sisters have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including four at the Australian Open. They were scheduled to play their first-round match Wednesday but withdrew before it started without explaining why.The mystery continued Thursday, with Venus saying she was allowed to be coy, which naturally prompted a string of questions.Was it the heat?It was warm, the 34-year-old American said. I don think it was as warm as it could have been. But, no, that wasnt it.Was there a medical reason? Were doctors consulted?No further questions on that, Venus said. I object. Sustained. Thank you.But the questions continued at Serenas post-match news conference.I dont think we have to give a reason, reiterated Serena, who also advanced to the third round. I think Venus answered that already.By Jocelyn Gecker -- http://twitter.com/jgecker___Australian Open Scene follows tennis Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne as seen by journalists from The Associated Press. It will be updated throughout the day. (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors will try to pad their franchise-best 13-game winning streak on Wednesday, but will face a tall order in the form of the visiting Houston Rockets. The Warriors have vaulted atop the standings in the NBA, but the Rockets arent far off. They share the second-fewest losses and may have as good a chance as anyone in slowing down the Warriors. Houston is second in the NBA in opponents scoring, which should help against the leagues fourth-best offense. Of course, you dont get to be 18-2 without playing some defense and the Warriors rank sixth in opponents scoring. These two teams met in one of the biggest matchups of the early season. Both were undefeated when Golden State toppled the Rockets, 98-87, in Houston on Nov. 8. Steph Curry went off for 34 that night, but the Rockets didnt have All- Defensive Second-Team member Patrick Beverley. The Rockets also didnt have Dwight Howard, a former Defensive Player of the Year, but he isnt expected back from a knee injury on Wednesday. The Warriors havent lost since a home setback to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11. Since, Golden State has taken five in a row at Oracle Arena, but it just returned from a perfect road trip. The Warriors went 2-0 over the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State knocked off the Bulls by 10 at the United Center, then dispatched the Timberwolves by 16 on Monday night. Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 21 points to help the Warriors extend their winning streak. They stretched their road winning streak to eight games, which is also the best in team history. Tonight was not our best ever, the second half was good, Warriors coach Steve Kerr ssaid.ddddddddddddIts good to pile up as many road wins as possible because its going to get tougher as we go. Shaun Livingston and Marreese Speights both netted 12 points and Draymond Green added 10 points with 10 rebounds in the win. Warriors center Andrew Bogut left the game after just two minutes in with right knee irritation. Neither Bogut, nor Kerr seemed terribly concerned about the injury after the game, so Bogut could be in the lineup against the Rockets. Houston has endured a horrid season with injuries and it seems like Howard and starting forward Terrence Jones will both be out for a while. All-Star guard James Harden has back spasms and is questionable. The Rockets have had four days off to get healthy. Their last game was a 100-95 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, their fourth consecutive victory. Beverley returned from a hamstring injury to give the Rockets a big lift, scoring 19 points. Beverley, who had missed Houstons last five games, knocked down 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range and added six rebounds off the bench. We dont win that game unless Pat plays, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale stated. Trevor Ariza also had 19 points in a game the Rockets led from start-to-finish en route to their seventh win in eight outings. Harden offset a 5-of-21 shooting night by posting 12 rebounds and seven assists. He finished with 15 points, while Donatas Motiejunas had 16 along with 11 rebounds. Harden is second in the NBA with 25.2 ppg. These two teams, who have had some testy moments in recent seasons, have split the last six meetings, but Golden State prevailed in the last two. The Rockets are 3-1 in their last four in Oakland. ' ' '