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Germany’s Woltemade not yet in team training after flu

BERLIN: Germany striker Nick Woltemade returned to light individual training on Wednesday after recovering from a flu, as the national team prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. The Germans, third in Group A on three points, host Luxembourg on Friday before traveling to Belfast to face Northern Ireland, second on goal difference, three days later. Slovakia are top on six points with Luxembourg bottom on zero. The 23-year-old Woltemade, who has made a strong start since joining Newcastle United this season, scoring in the Premier League and Europe, including Sunday’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, missed Germany’s training on Tuesday after joining the team a day late due to his illness. Woltemade is firmly in the spotlight ahead of the qualifiers after quickly becoming a crowd favorite in Newcastle.

Calculators at the ready to determine African World Cup aspirations

CAPE TOWN: African fans will need their calculators over the next week of World Cup qualifiers to figure out if their favored team remains in contention for a place at next year’s finals in North America. The nine group winners all qualify automatically and will be determined when the group qualifying program ends on Tuesday. While that is simple enough, there is the possibility of an additional 10th African team reaching next June’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States via a lengthy playoff route. The four best runners-up from the nine groups will go into a playoff next month to determine a sole African representative for a further intercontinental playoff planned for March. Calculating the four best runners-up from the nine African groups would have been easy had Eritrea not withdrawn before the start of the campaign, but after the draw was made, and left one of the groups with five teams instead of six. Therefore, because the five countries in Group E played eight qualifiers instead of 10 in all the other groups, the four best runners-up will be determined not by their overall points tally but by their results only against the third, fourth and fifth-placed sides in their respective groups. In other words, any points that the runners-up accumulated in matches against the last-placed finisher are expunged, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed. The penultimate round of qualifiers began on Wednesday and with two rounds to play, there are only two confirmed group winners, no confirmed runners-up and four teams condemned to last place. Morocco and Tunisia last month secured top place in their respective groups, and a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, while Djibouti (Group A), Seychelles (F), Somalia

Players get financial lifeline from ITIA in doping and corruption cases

Players caught up in anti-doping and corruption investigations will receive a helping hand from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which launched a trial programme on Wednesday offering financial assistance and free legal support.

England captain Kane could miss Wales friendly

Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht FrankfurtThe 32-year-old, who is England’s record scorer with 74 goals, sat out Wednesday’s sessionLONDON: England captain Harry Kane could miss Thursday’s friendly against Wales after the Bayern Munich striker was unable to train on Wednesday.Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.Speaking after the Frankfurt game, Kane said: “I am recovering at the moment — I took a knock. A few days and then I should be fine, so no problem for the national team.

Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon

WUHAN, China: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka battled hard Wednesday to keep her unbeaten record in Wuhan intact, having to come from behind to beat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The world number one started slowly in her first match since she clinched a fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month. But the Belarusian found her power game in the final set to reach the Wuhan Open last 16, where she will face the 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova. Sabalenka is chasing a fourth consecutive crown in Wuhan where she has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record. The first three games went against serve but it was Sramkova who consolidated for 3-1, and it was all she needed to grab the opening set in 35 minutes, firing 15 winners. Sabalenka hit back to level and swept through the decider to win in just under two hours. “She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set.

Djokovic overcomes fatigue and humidity to reach Shanghai quarterfinals

SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after losing the second set but recovered to beat Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in hot and humid conditions at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday. After losing a long rally by sending a forehand wide to end the second set, Djokovic slumped to the ground and remained sprawled on his back with his forearm over his eyes for several seconds. He then slowly sat up and rested his head between his legs before he was helped back to his chair by a trainer. He was given medical treatment in his chair before the start of the third set but then broke Munar straight away after his opponent missed a simple overhead when leading 40-15. The 38-year-old Djokovic declined to do the traditional on-court interview after the match but wrote on X: “Tough day at the office.

Netherlands striker Meerdink injured two days into first call-up

AMSTERDAM: Striker Mexx Meerdink has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad for this week’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Finland, the Dutch football association said on Tuesday, after he suffered an injury two days into his first call-up. The 22-year-old from AZ Alkmaar will not be replaced, it added, even though Memphis Depay was late arriving from Brazil after his passport went missing. Coach Ronald Koeman has already said Depay would not start against Malta away on Thursday, leaving Donyell Malen as the likely first-choice striker for the game at Ta’Qali. Malen, however, has a growing reputation as an impact player, or ‘super sub’ for the Dutch. He boasts a better goal-scoring record as a substitute than as a starter with 10 goals in 27 substitute appearances, the best figures in the history of the Dutch national team. “It’s something to be proud of,” Malen told reporters on Tuesday. “Sometimes you’re disappointed to be on the bench, but if you can stay mentally strong and produce good results, you can be proud.” As a starter, Malen has been less productive with a single goal in 18 internationals. The Netherlands also take on Finland at home on Sunday.

Metallica to perform at Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix 2025

DOHA: Metallica will perform at the post-race concert of the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix on Nov. 30, Lusail International Circuit announced.

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Tennis Sport News

Germany’s Woltemade not yet in team training after flu

Calculators at the ready to determine African World Cup aspirations

Players get financial lifeline from ITIA in doping and corruption cases

England captain Kane could miss Wales friendly

Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon

Djokovic overcomes fatigue and humidity to reach Shanghai quarterfinals

Netherlands striker Meerdink injured two days into first call-up

Metallica to perform at Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix 2025