TENNIS
Bartoli, Tsonga to team up
Newly crowned Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli will team up with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga when France open the new season at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia. Bartoli blitzed the field at the All England Lawn Tennis Club to win her first Grand Slam title and will be making her second appearance at the mixed team tournament from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4. “It’s great to play with Jo, obviously. He’s an awesome player,” said Bartoli, ranked seventh in the world. Tsonga, the world No. 8 and a four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, said he favored Perth to start his season as it is similar to the courts at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.”It’s the best preparation because it’s the same court as the Australian Open. It’s always really hot there,” he said.
SOCCER
Bayern present Alcantara
UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich presented new signing Thiago Alcantara on Tuesday and said they have no plans to bring in any more players or to let any others leave. Bayern used a buyout close in Alcantara’s contract with Barcelona and spent 25 million euros (US$33 million) to sign the midfielder to a four-year deal. The player was signed at the express wish of Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, who coached Alcantara in Barcelona. Alcantara joins a crowded, star-studded midfield, but Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the competition is “fantastic.” Bayern have signed Mario Goetze from Borussia Dortmund, defender Jan Kirchhoff from FSV Mainz 05, while releasing striker Mario Gomez to ACF Fiorentina.”I don’t think that we’ll sign another player. I also don’t think we’ll give up any other players,” Rummenigge said. Guardiola inherited a team that completed an unprecedented treble last season, winning the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, as well as the Champions League.
SOCCER
Seagulls stand firm on Poyet
Brighton and Hove Albion have upheld their decision to sack manager Gus Poyet following an appeal by the former Uruguay international, the second-tier English side said on Tuesday. Poyet was suspended in May and discovered he had been sacked while working as a pundit on live television. “Despite the extremely disappointing end to Mr Poyet’s career with Brighton and Hove Albion, the club would like to acknowledge Mr Poyet’s service to the club,” the Championship club said on its Web site. The League Managers Association said they were surprised by the decision and would continue to support Poyet, who was suspended for an unspecified breach of club discipline.
CRICKET
Sinclair hangs up his boots
Former New Zealand Test batsman Mathew Sinclair pulled the stumps on his cricket career yesterday, revealing he would instead sign on for unemployment benefits to support his family. Sinclair remains the only New Zealander to ever score a double-century on debut, smashing 214 against the West Indies in Wellington in 1999. At 37, Sinclair, who has a wife and two young children, said he could no longer rely on income from playing for the Central District Stags during the summer, then looking for casual work in the off-season. He said prospective employers were reluctant to take him on when they knew he would be unavailable during the cricket season, so it was time to look for a long-term career. Until then, Sinclair said he would have to sign on for the dole — a stark reminder that not all promising cricket stars go on to fame and fortune.
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
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