Emma Raducanu left red-faced after rival's 'easy' comment at Roland Garros
Mayweather shows no sign of age as he trains in ring
Linda Noskova Sport News
Bencic out of Hong Kong last eight as tennis injury list mounts
HONG KONG: Top seed Belinda Bencic pulled out of the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals on Friday as the Tokyo Olympic champion became the latest in a long line of players to suffer a late-season injury. The Asian “swing” on the WTA Tour has been particularly hard hit by injuries and pullouts in recent weeks, placing renewed scrutiny on the demanding tennis schedule. Bencic, who was ranked 421 in the world at the start of the season but has climbed to 11, was supposed to meet Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Hong Kong. “So disappointed to have to withdraw today from my quarter-final match here in Hong Kong due to my thigh injury,” said the 28-year-old Swiss, who won gold at the Covid-delayed Olympics in 2021. “I’ve played a lot of tennis in the past few weeks and did everything I could to stay healthy, but it was not to be.” Bencic beat Linda Noskova last weekend to win the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and cap a remarkable comeback, a year after returning to tennis from having a baby. Noskova reached the final in the Japanese capital after Elena Rybakina withdrew injured ahead of their semifinal. The tournament in Hong Kong was hit even before it began with the withdrawals of former world number one Naomi Osaka and the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Both ended their seasons early through injury. Daria Kasatkina, who has won eight WTA titles, was also initially scheduled to compete in Hong Kong but she too brought the curtain down prematurely on her season. “The schedule is too much, mentally and emotionally I am at breaking point and sadly I am not alone,” the 28-year-old, who this year switched nationality from Russia to Australia, said in early October.
Sinner fights back against Zverev to win Vienna crown
VIENNA: Jannik Sinner clinched his fourth title of the season on Sunday as the Italian rallied from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in the final of the Vienna Open.
Rybakina books place in WTA Finals for third straight year
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina secured the last qualifying spot for the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh after advancing to the Pan Pacific Open semi-finals in Tokyo on Friday.
Djokovic battles into Shanghai Masters semifinals as Vacherot’s fairytale run continues
SHANGHAI: Fourth seed Novak Djokovic battled past a spirited Zizou Bergs 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Shanghai Masters semifinals for a 10th time, setting up a clash with surprise package and world No. 204 Valentin Vacherot.
Bianca Andreescu reaches doubles quarterfinals at Wuhan Open
Canada's Bianca Andreescu and China's Yue Yuan advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals at the Wuhan Open without striking a ball Thursday.
Raducanu retires from opening match in Wuhan heat with dizziness
WUHAN:Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure and other vitals checked before retiring from her Wuhan Open first-round match with dizziness when down 6-1, 4-1 to American Ann Li on Tuesday.The British world number 30 appeared to be struggling with the conditions as temperatures soared to 30 C, forcing tournament organizers to apply the heat rule in the first two days of competition.Raducanu broke in the opening game of the match but immediately lost her advantage and would not win another game in a 28-minute first set.The 2021 US Open champion received medical attention five games into the second set.She made the call to retire, sending Li into a second-round meeting with ninth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.The heat rule allows players to take a 10-minute break between the second and third sets, and means the tournament can partially or fully close the roof to protect players from the heat.In the Raducanu-Li match the roof was partially closed.Earlier, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka claimed her first-ever victory at the Wuhan Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.In a tense two-hour 30-minute affair, the 11th-seeded Osaka fired 41 winners and 56 unforced errors.Osaka, who is playing in Wuhan for the first time since 2017, awaits in-form Linda Noskova or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the second round.“Mentally it was just really tough for me today,” said Osaka. “And I think it’s a part of the season that’s just tough.
Tension lingers as India and Pakistan skip handshake in women’s World Cup
COLOMBO: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana skipped the customary handshake before a women’s cricket World Cup match on Sunday amid ongoing tensions between the rivals that plagued the men’s Asia Cup last month. India-Pakistan relations have significantly deteriorated following military conflicts in May that nearly escalated into a full-fledged war between the nuclear-armed neighbors. India beat Pakistan three times in the men’s Asia Cup, including in the September 28 final in Dubai, but refused to shake hands with their counterparts before or after the matches. They also declined to receive the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is Pakistan’s interior minister. The frosty relations were evident in Colombo too where Kaur and Sana did not shake hands at the toss, nearly ignoring each other’s presence. Sana won the toss and elected to field against India, who have never lost to Pakistan in a women’s one day international. “We’re going to bowl first, looks like there could be some moisture on the wicket,” Sana said. “On this wicket, anything under 250 would be a good total to defend and hopefully we can restrict them.” India won a tri-series in Sri Lanka, also involving South Africa, in May and captain Kaur said that experience would stand them in good stead. “It was a good series for us,” Kaur said. “We played a lot of cricket here and, yeah, we have experience.
Lionel Messi helps Inter Miami get back in win column vs. Revolution
MIAMI: Jordi Alba and Tadeo Allende each had two goals to lead host Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida The victory snapped a two-match winless streak for Inter Miami (17-7-8, 59 points), which moved into third place in the Eastern Conference standings. With two matches to play, Miami trails FC Cincinnati by three points for second place.