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Serena is surprise 25th seed at Wimbledon, Halep 1st
London, June 27 (IANS) United States tennis star Serena Williams was on Wednesday named as the surprise 25th seed in the upcoming 2018 Wimbledon tennis tournament, despite being ranked world No.183.
For the main draw matches beginning July 2, World No.1 Simona Halep of Romania was seeded first and defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain was seeded third, while Serena’s sister Venus Williams is set to be ninth, reports Efe news agency.
Seven-time champion Serena, who gave birth to a girl in September 2017, was nowhere near high enough in the WTA rankings to be seeded at the tournament, but the organisers decided to feature the 23-time Grand Slam champion despite her lack of recent success.
This decision contrasts with the one taken by the French Open organisers in late May, where Serena, considered by many to be the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, was unseeded.
In Paris, the 36-year-old star reached the round of 16 before withdrawing due to a chest muscle injury during her match against long time rival Maria Sharapova of Russia.
The birth of Serena’s daughter had kept her out of competition until March, when she returned to the court at the Indian Wells Masters tournament.
Since then, she has only participated in two other tournaments: Miami and the French Open.
Wimbledon’s order of 32 seeds for women is determined by their WTA rankings, except when “a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw,” according to the tournament’s website.
The top 10 seeded players are: 1. Simona Halep (Romania), 2. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark), 3. Garbiñe Muguruza (Spain), 4. Sloane Stephens (US), 5. Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), 6. Caroline Garcia (France), 7. Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic), 8. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic), 9. Venus Williams (US), 10. Madison Keys (US).
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.