Local favorite Alicia Molik was sent crashing out of the Sydney International tennis tournament yesterday, dealing a blow to her preparations for the year's first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open.
Molik, a former world No. 8 who earned a wild card entry, failed to overcome the steady play of Czech Lucie Safarova, who won the first-round encounter 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (12/10).
Molik, who beat Safarova at the Hopman Cup just nine days ago, had her moments but failed to convert on the key points.
"Some days I play great in patches, often some days I'll be feeling the same as I did a couple of years ago but it's just a little bit patchy at the moment," said Molik, who won this tournament in 2005.
"It's just a matter of playing at a higher level on a more consistent basis," she said.
"I don't feel like I'm far from it -- it's maintaining it and not having these ebbs and flows that I'm having in a few matches," Molik said.
Molik was forced off the tour in 2005 after an ear infection threw off her ability to balance. She finished last year ranked at No. 58.
She was joined on the sidelines by fellow wild cards Nicole Pratt of Australia and Nadia Petrova of Russia.
Australian tennis officials were criticized for giving a wild card to Pratt, who at 34 is likely nearing the end of her career.
She did little to prove the critics wrong, losing quickly to France's Virginie Razzano, 6-2, 6-1.
Petrova lost in straight sets to Austria's Sybille Bammer, 7-5, 6-3.
Amelie Mauresmo's buildup to the Australian Open suffered a setback yesterday when she was forced to withdraw from the Sydney event.
The former world No. 1 from France was planning to finish offer her preparations at the Sydney International but pulled out with a groin strain.
"It's very disappointing to me that I won't be able to compete in the [Sydney International this year]," she said in a statement.
"Unfortunately I have re-injured my left adductor. I felt it yesterday during my training session and did not practice today.
"This is an injury that I am familiar with and know that it will not get better overnight.
"I know that I would not be 100 percent fit and ready to play on Monday. I have to take a few days to rest in order for it to get better."
China's Li Na also pulled out of the Sydney tournament yesterday because of a knee problem.
"The problem with my knee seemed to get a little worse after I tried to practice this morning and I just could not move very well," she said.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB