WTA - players.bio

McIntosh, Ledecky set up 800m world title showdown

SINGAPORE: Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky set up a showdown for the ages at swimming’s world championships in Singapore when both stars cruised into the 800m freestyle final on Friday.American great Ledecky, 28, is the undisputed master in the event, having won the title at the last four Olympics and updating her own world record in May this year.But McIntosh, 10 years Ledecky’s junior, is in the mood to snatch her crown as she looks to join Michael Phelps as the only swimmer to win five individual titles at a single world championships.The 18-year-old Canadian has already bagged three golds from three events in Singapore and she clocked the third-fastest 800m freestyle time ever in June.The other nine times on the top 10 all belong to Ledecky but McIntosh’s form suggests a changing of the guard could be on the cards.Ledecky fired the first shots in Friday morning’s heats, qualifying for Saturday’s final fastest in a time of 8min 14.62sec, with McIntosh third in 8:19.88.McIntosh said she felt in good shape after winning 200m butterfly gold the previous night, and she had the rest of the day and the following morning to recover before the final.“I felt a lot better than I thought I was going to this morning,” McIntosh said after her heat.“I’ve been recovering really well, probably the best I ever have in a big meet like this.“We’re on day six so to feel like this is really promising.”Ledecky made her international breakthrough in the 800m free, winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 15.She went on to dominate the event for more than a decade and showed that she still had plenty to offer in June when she smashed her own world record, which had stood since 2016.McIntosh also headed to Singapore in red-hot

Venus Williams, 45, becomes oldest winner of WTA match since Martina Navratilova

Venus Williams became the oldest player since Martina Navratilova to win a tour-level singles match at the Citi Open in Washington.

Lucky number 3? 76ers bring V.J. Edgecombe to Abu Dhabi as a new era dawns

DUBAI: For the Philadelphia 76ers, the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft has proven to be a lucky number.

YouTuber Paul cruises past Chavez Jr

ANAHEIM, United States: YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul cruised to victory over Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday in a one-sided cruiserweight bout in California.Paul, whose last fight was a controversial clash with 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in November, dominated from the outset to win by unanimous decision.The 28-year-old influencer, who has earned millions from a string of lucrative contests in a ring career that has spanned 13 fights, had too much speed and power for Chavez Jr.The three judges at ringside scored the 10-round fight 99-91, 97-93, 98-92 in Paul’s favor.Chavez Jr., the 39-year-old son of Mexican boxing great Julio Cesar Chavez, barely looked capable of mustering a response during a one-sided bout.Chavez Jr.

Chelsea overcome Club World Cup weather delay, set up Palmeiras quarter-final

PHILADELPHIA: Chelsea beat Benfica in a game which went on for close to five hours at the Club World Cup on Saturday to set up a quarter-final showdown with Brazilian side Palmeiras at the tournament in the United States. The London club were grateful to extra-time goals by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to give them a 4-1 victory over Benfica. Their late burst of scoring settled a last-16 tie which took four hours, 39 minutes to complete at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina after a near two-hour weather delay. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was left satisfied with his team’s victory but slammed the delay that turned the tie into a near five-hour marathon. “I think it’s a joke, it’s not football,” Maresca said. “For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We created enough chances to win the game.

Cena beats Punk to retain WWE Undisputed Championship title in chaotic showdown at ‘Night of Champions’ in Riyadh

RIYADH: WWE’s Night of Champions delivered a dramatic spectacle in Riyadh on Saturday night, headlined by John Cena retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship title against CM Punk in their first singles clash in 12 years.

Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global — amulets and charms included

ABUJA: The first strikes in Dambe are thrown before the boxers even leave their house. Fighters don charms and amulets, dye their fist or even score their arm with a razor, inserting traditional medicine before it scars over — all guaranteed to protect them in the ring or deliver a knock-out punch. Combined with prayers from “mallams,” or spiritual guides, they are unstoppable — not just in Nigeria, but increasingly around the world. The Dambe World Series kicked off in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday in the latest evolution of a sport that traces its roots back centuries among west Africa’s Hausa speakers. “Instead of trying to Westernize it, or instead of trying to make it something else, for us the goal is to professionalize it,” said Maxwell Kalu, founder of the West African Fighting Championship, the group organizing the tournament. At the same time, a key goal is also “opening the door in terms of inviting people to compete in Nigeria.” Held on the ground of the national stadium and broadcast by DAZN, a British sports streaming service, the tournament is a far cry from the social tradition said to have been organized by 10th-century Hausa butchers. “This one is big, I’m very happy,” said Abdullahi “Coronavirus” Ali, a 20-year-old who has been fighting since he was a child. “The audience is growing every day.” As Coronavirus — nicknamed for his ferocious punches — spoke to AFP, two amateur fighters worked the ring behind him, in a pre-tournament exhibition match in Dei Dei, a working-class Abuja exurb. Chickens pecked under the rickety wooden stands while cigarette smoke wafted above the crowd. In Dambe, in lieu of a glove, the fighters each have one fist tightly bound in rope — their striking arm.

Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala’s history bid

EASTBOURNE, UK: Australian teenager Maya Joint saved four match points to clinch the WTA title at Eastbourne with a dramatic victory over Alexandra Eala that ended the Filipino’s history bid on Saturday. Joint survived a tense clash lasting two hours and 26 minutes, emerging with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win to seal her second WTA Tour title. In the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981, world number 51 Joint staved off the four championship points in a gripping final-set tie-break. She finally wrapped up the title by drilling a backhand winner before collapsing to the turf in delight.

Contacts

WTA Sport News

McIntosh, Ledecky set up 800m world title showdown

Venus Williams, 45, becomes oldest winner of WTA match since Martina Navratilova

Lucky number 3? 76ers bring V.J. Edgecombe to Abu Dhabi as a new era dawns

YouTuber Paul cruises past Chavez Jr

Chelsea overcome Club World Cup weather delay, set up Palmeiras quarter-final

Cena beats Punk to retain WWE Undisputed Championship title in chaotic showdown at ‘Night of Champions’ in Riyadh

Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global — amulets and charms included

Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala’s history bid