GOLF
Levy leads in Spain
Alexander Levy of France shot a five-under 66 for a one-shot lead over a group of four including defending champion James Morrison of England after the first round of the Open de Espania on Thursday. Levy, a two-time European Tour winner, opened with a birdie at the 10th at the southwestern Valderrama course, and consolidated his lead with six more in a nine-hole spread, but mixed that with two bogeys. Delighted with his round, Levy said it was “a very tough course, in fantastic condition.” Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Welshman Stuart Manley and bogey-free Englishman Andrew Johnston all carded 67s alongside Morrison. Pablo Larrazabal of Spain trailed behind alone in sixth on three-under 68. Tournament host Sergio Garcia finished the day on a three-over 74.
TENNIS
Vickery advances in Bogota
Sachia Vickery of the US defeated Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 at the Claro Open Colsanitas at the Club Campestre El Rancho in Bogota on Thursday to move into the quarter-finals. She is to face Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, who ousted Anne Schaefer of Germany 6-1, 6-0. Others to advance were Silvia Soler-Espinosa, who beat Anna Tatishvili 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1; Alexandra Panova, who defeated Conny Perrin 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (9/7); and Amra Sadikovic, who eliminated Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 6-4.
CRICKET
Fill-in coaches named
Former England batsman Graeme Hick and former Tasmania bowler Adam Griffith have been drafted temporarily into Australia’s coaching set up for a limited-overs tri-series against the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean. Griffth is to deputize as bowling coach in the wake of Craig McDermott’s resignation. Griffith works with Western Australia State bowlers under head coach Justin Langer, who is to fill in as Australia coach for the June 6 to June 26 tournament for head coach Darrren Lehmann. “West Australia have some talented young fast bowlers that have developed under Adam’s watch,” Lehmann said. “It’s great to be able to offer him the chance to work with the Australian side.” Hick, who works at Cricket Australia’s center of excellence in Brisbane, will be assistant coach for the series. Griffith played 50 first-class matches for Tasmania as a right-arm, fast-medium bowler, but his career was curtailed with serious injuries before took up a coaching role with Western Australia in 2011.
SOCCER
Villa captain set fitness goal
Aston Villa club captain Gabriel Agbonlahor is to miss the next two weeks of the season while he works on his fitness levels, caretaker manager Eric Black said. The 29-year-old was dropped for the 4-0 defeat by Chelsea on April 2 after pictures emerged of him apparently smoking a shisha pipe, but an investigation by the Premier League’s bottom club resulted in no further punishment. The striker, who has only scored once this season, also missed Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against AFC Bournemouth with a virus and Black said he and Agbonlahor had agreed that action was required. “We have decided together that we don’t think he’s up to the fitness levels of the Premier League at this moment in time,” Black was quoted as saying by the club’s Web site. “He’s got an individual program that he will follow. Some of it will involve being with the group, some of it not with the group. We will reassess it in two weeks.” Villa face fifth-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford today.
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite