ROME -- By this time of year, most tennis players have spent so many hours in the sun they arrive at the US Open with world-class tans. In contrast, American Taylor Fritz and Italian Jannik Sinner walked into Arthur Ashe stadium looking like they had spent the summer in a root cellar. Sinner’s freckles gave him a bit of color, but every time Fritz lifted his shirttail to wipe his face, he revealed a six-pack as white as a toad’s belly. Given the gravity of the situation, neither man appeared very animated.
Tamara Bertoia
VENICE -- The 81st Venice International Film Festival has drawn to a close after ten days showcasing groundbreaking cinema, star-studded premieres, and films and talent conveying powerful statements both on and off the screen. Reaffirming its growing role as a launchpad for Oscar contenders, the festival once again proved its worth in the global film landscape.
Golden Lion and Major Awards
8 Sep 2024
Michael Mewshaw
ROME -- As a rainstorm forced the closure of the roof on Arthur Ashe stadium, the press box buzzed with debates about who that favored. Would Aryna Sabalenka’s power flourish in what had become essentially an indoor competition? Or would the increased humidity slow the ball down, giving the relentless retrieving of Jessica Pegula the advantage? The general consensus was that Pegula needed something to compensate for her short stature - Jessica’s only 5’7” – against the six-foot tall Sabalenka.
8 Sep 2024
Michael Mewshaw
ROME -- Jannik Sinner, the savior of Italian tennis, came into the semifinals at the US Open heavily favored. But he was going up against Jack Draper of Great Britain who had gone through five matches in a row without losing a set. Draper’s heavy lefthanded first serve gave him a puncher’s chance against any player, even the world’s #1. Draper stayed even with Sinner until 5-5, at which point he scattered three double faults amid a couple of aces. When he lost his serve, Sinner had only to hold his to win 7-5.
7 Sep 2024
BRUNO QUINNEY
ROME -- Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has resigned from his role in the Italian government on Friday, after a week embroiled by his affair scandal and accusations of misusing public funds. The resignation was submitted on “irrevocable terms”, Sangiuliano has said in a statement.
6 Sep 2024
BRUNO QUINNEY
ROME -- The 17-year-old boy who confessed to killing his mother, father, and 12-year-old brother in Paderno on Saturday has been questioned again by police. The boy told investigators on Tuesday he had no intention to kill, Il Fatto Quotidiano has reported.
4 Sep 2024
Lyndsay Weatherall
ROME -- The Arch of Constantine is to undergo a “recovery operation” after it was hit by lightning on Tuesday.
Fragments of the historic landmark fell during a violent storm in Rome. The Archeological Park of the Colosseum, which is responsible for the monument, stressed in a note that the “recovery operation carried out by our technicians was timely.”
4 Sep 2024
Michael Mewshaw
ROME -- Back in the early 80s, after Arthur Ashe was forced to retire by a heart attack, but before it was known that he had contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion, he used to speculate about the possibility of black players achieving excellence in pro tennis. They already dominated basketball and football, both in Europe and America. Why couldn’t tennis take advantage of the vast pool of African American athletes?
1 Sep 2024
Michael Mewshaw
ROME -- The second round at the US Open ended with two extraordinary upsets. Actually, the women’s encounter of Naomi Osaka and Czech Karolina Muchova wasn’t entirely a surprise to those who follow tennis closely. Although Osaka holds four Grand Slam titles, two of them at the US Open, her game has gone walkabout for the past few years and her ranking fell so low she needed a wild card to enter the tournament in 2024. She has suffered well-publicized emotional problems followed by the birth of a baby.
30 Aug 2024