SQUASH
David, Shabana win titles
Nicol David retained her World Series Squash Finals title on Sunday by defeating England’s Laura Massaro, the player she had also beaten to clinch a seventh World Open last month. The Malaysian star won 11-3, 11-2, 11-9 having trailed 6-8 in the third game. “It means a lot to start 2013 with a good win. Knowing she was in front of her home fans I knew I had to start strongly and not let her feed off the crowd,” David said after the final at London’s Queen’s Club. In the men’s final, Egypt’s Amr Shabana beat England’s Nick Matthew 4-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-6.
GOLF
PGA opener halted again
Mother Nature again turned nasty at the PGA Tour’s season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Sunday, forcing play to be abandoned for a third consecutive day due to strong gusting winds. A little more than an hour of the already long-delayed first round was possible before officials halted the action at the Kapalua Resort, scrapping the scores and aiming to finish a 54-hole event today. Thirty-six holes were planned for yesterday with a two-tee start for the 30-man, winners-only field, followed by 18 holes today.
SOCCER
Boateng was wrong: Blatter
FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng was wrong to walk off the pitch when he was targeted by racists. Boateng was subjected to racist taunts during a friendly in Italy on Thursday and responded by kicking the ball at fans and then storming off the pitch followed by his teammates. However, Blatter said it was the wrong decision. “Walk off? No. I don’t think that is the solution,” the FIFA chief told Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper on Sunday. “I don’t think you can run away. This issue is a very touchy subject, but I repeat there is zero tolerance of racism in the stadium; we have to go against that. The only solution is to be very harsh with the sanctions — and the sanctions must be a deduction of points or something similar.”
CRICKET
Proteas call up new faces
South Africa rested Jacques Kallis and called up four uncapped players on Sunday for the one-day series against New Zealand at the end of the month. The Proteas also brought Ryan McLaren into their Test squad as cover for Vernon Philander, who again tweaked a troublesome hamstring in the series-opener and is doubtful for the second Test against the Black Caps. The 37-year-old Kallis spoke during the first Test of his desire to manage his ODI appearances in order to make the 2015 World Cup. Selectors responded by giving him the three-game ODI series off. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, spinner Aaron Phangiso, batsman Farhaan Behardien and seam bowler Rory Kleinveldt were included in a 14-man squad for the three-game limited overs series, which begins in Paarl on Jan. 19. All four have played Twenty20 cricket for South Africa, while Kleinveldt made his Test debut late last year. Lonwabo Tsotsobe returned to the squad after missing the T20s due to injury.
TENNIS
Tipsarevic claims title
Janko Tipsarevic staved off Roberto Bautista-Agut’s challenge to win the Chennai Open on Sunday. The Serb lost the first set, but found his rhythm to beat the unseeded Spaniard 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. It was Tipsarevic’s fourth career ATP World Tour title. “I think there’s just one word to say and it’s ‘finally,’” he said after winning his first title in Chennai at his sixth attempt.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
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