Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1017392
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 AUGUST 2018 23 SPORTS TENNIS Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Mainly fine VISIBILITY: Good WIND: Variable force 2 to 3 becoming Westerly overnight SEA: Slight SWELL Negligible A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. SUNNY 33 º C /23 º C UV INDEX: 10 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku A B C D E F G H Pursuits Across 1. Easy to reach 8. Metal spikes 9. Join 10. Assist 12. Resembling glass 14. Sweet baked food made of dough 17. Melt 21. Friendly 22. Watery fruit 23. Depression from lack of company Down 2. Penetrating cold 3. Not difficult 4. Cranium 5. Utter joy 6. Foe 7. Unit of length 11. Domesticated animal 13. Toward the stern 14. Student 15. Mull village 16. Pertaining to a sovereign 18. Small mountains 19. Stream of air 20. So be it Qxe7+ Kg6 (Kg8) Nf4# .... Kg8 Qe8# (b8=RorQ#, c8=RorQ#) SERENA Williams has been seeded 17th at this year's U.S. Open one place below her sis- ter Venus, organisers said yes- terday. Serena, who finished runner- up at Wimbledon this year after losing to Germany's An- gelique Kerber in the final, is ranked 26th in the world, nine places below the seeding she has been awarded. The current WTA rankings are the usual criteria to decide seeding in the women's draw. Williams, who has won the U.S. Open six times and will turn 37 next month, missed last year's tournament because of pregnancy. In June, United States Ten- nis Association president Katrina Adams said the U.S. Open would revise seedings to take into account the effect of pregnancy on the current rankings of players. Adams' comments came in the wake of widespread criti- cism of tennis officials after Serena was denied a seeding at this year's French Open, her first grand slam after return- ing to the sport. Romanian Simona Halep is the top seed in the women's draw with defending champi- on Sloane Stephens at number three, ahead of Kerber, who won at Flushing Meadows in 2016. There were no surprises on the men's side with world number one and defending champion Rafa Nadal named top seed, ahead of Roger Federer and Argentine Juan Martin del Porto in third. Wimbledon champion No- vak Djokovic, who heads to Flushing Meadows in arguably his best form since return- ing from a troublesome elbow injury, is seeded sixth, a place below big-serving South Afri- can Kevin Anderson. John Isner is the highest- seeded American in the men's draw at number 11. Serena Williams seeded 17th at US Open