TENNIS

Venus takes out new mom Serena — Seventeen years after their first match in Indian Wells, California, failed to materialize, Venus and Serena Williams finally faced each other across the net in the desert. So much has changed since 2001, and not just the outfits and the hairstyles. The Williamses are now arguably the greatest sibling act in sports history, and Serena, 36, took the court on Monday night as a new mother while Venus, 37, walked out as a new aunt. This time it was the Williams who is not on the comeback trail who emerged as the victor. Venus prevailed, 6-3, 6-4, serving big when she needed it most, though she struggled to close out her sister. “I just feel it’s never over until it’s over, and she just came right back,” said Venus, who failed in her first attempt to serve out the match at 5-2 in the second set. “You know, I’m just lucky I played more matches than her right now.” This was the 29th meeting in a sibling rivalry that Serena still leads 17-12. The last time they faced each other was in January 2017, when Serena defeated Venus to win the Australian Open, which was her 23rd Grand Slam singles title.

FOOTBALL

Raiders release Sean Smith, Marshall Newhouse — The Oakland Raiders released cornerback Sean Smith and right tackle Marshall Newhouse on Monday to create more salary cap room heading into free agency. The Raiders also officially announced the signing of defensive tackle Justin Ellis to a three-year contract and signed receiver Griff Whalen to a one-year deal. Ellis had agreed to the deal last week to stay off the free-agent market but it was not announced until Monday. Smith is also facing legal problems. He will plead guilty Tuesday to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury in connection with an altercation in Pasadena, California, last year, according to the attorney for the alleged victim. Smith was accused of assaulting his sister’s then-boyfriend, Christopher Woods, on July 4. Two witnesses testified during a preliminary hearing in December that Smith stomped Woods’ head as he lay bleeding and unconscious. Smith will be sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

BASKETBALL

Back to Pepperdine for Romar — Lorenzo Romar is returning to Pepperdine for a second stint as men’s basketball coach at the Malibu, California, school. Athletic director Steve Potts said Monday that Romar will be back at Pepperdine as soon as Arizona’s season ends. Romar is currently in his first season as associate head coach at Arizona and the Wildcats are in the NCAA Tournament. The 59-year-old coach previously guided the Waves from 1996 to 1999, going 42-44 in his first head coaching job. Romar left Malibu to become head coach at Saint Louis and then spent 15 years in the same job at Washington, where he was a three-time Pac-12 coach of the year. He was an assistant at UCLA under Jim Harrick when the Bruins won the 1995 national championship. His career head coaching record is 391-284. Romar, who is from Compton, California, was a two-year starter at Washington and played five seasons in the NBA with Golden State, Milwaukee and Detroit.

— From wire reports