Daily News Channel
World number one Serena Williams has suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Andalucia Open in Marbella, Spain, losing in three sets to little-known Czech Klara Zakopalova. The American, playing her first clay-court match of the season, was beaten 6-4 3-6 6-1 by her world ranked No.95 opponent.
The polite hush that descends on the crowd seconds before service is nowhere to be heard when it comes to the issue of equal prize money in women’s tennis. It may be two years since Wimbledon and the French Open joined the other major tournaments in offering women the same cash prize as men, but for some tennis fans the issue is far from resolved. “Admit it sisters,” screamed one recent headline on Australian Web site AdelaideNow, “this is not equal.” The author went on: “Political correctness, sexual equality and feminism all prevent many commentators from stating the bleeding obvious …