SOCCER
Leverkusen net fastest goal
Bayer 04 Leverkusen scored the fastest goal of the season on Sunday and beat Hertha BSC 2-1 in the Bundesliga return for their new coach, moving up one place to fourth. In the late match, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim beat Augsburg 2-0 to move within two points of their opponents in eighth place. Stefan Kiessling notched his 15th goal of the season with a header 40 seconds after kickoff to give Leverkusen a flying start under interim coach Sascha Lewandowski. Lewandowski was co-trainer until he quit a year ago, leaving Sami Hyypia in sole charge of the team. Hyypia was fired last week. Leverkusen doubled their lead after Anis Ben-Hatira had hit the post for Hertha. Son Heung-min collected the rebound, launched a quick counterattack and found Julian Brandt, who chipped over goalkeeper Thomas Kraft. Sandro Wagner pulled one back for Hertha with a header in the 38th minute. Hoffenheim controlled their match against Augsburg and went ahead in the 19th minute when Sejad Salihovic curled a left-foot free-kick over the wall into the left corner. Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitzdived dived to his left, but failed to turn the ball around the post. Salihovic now has 11 goals this season, 10 of them from free-kicks. Hoffenheim secured their 200th Bundesliga victory in the 41st minute. Hitz failed to punch a corner far enough and Tarik Elyounoussi fired at goal. Paul Verhaegh cleared on the line, but Jannik Vestergaard headed the ball back into the net.
SOCCER
Coach ruptures his Achilles
Torino’s last-gasp win over Genoa on Sunday was too much for their goalkeeping coach Beppe Zinetti, who got so carried away that he ruptured his Achilles tendon as he celebrated. Torino said in a statement on their Web site that Zinetti, 55, a former Serie A goalkeeper, would undergo surgery and would not be able to work for the rest of the season. “There was a hint of sadness lingering in the Torino dressing room, despite the extraordinary victory over Genoa,” the club said. Genoa were leading 1-0 until Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci scored in stoppage-time to give Torino a 2-1 win.
TENNIS
Cornet wins her fourth title
France’s Alize Cornet won her fourth career WTA Tour title on Sunday when she saved a match point on her way to a 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 7-5 victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the Katowice final. Cornet, the world No. 22, added the Poland title to trophies at Budapest in 2008, Bad Gastein in 2012 and Strasbourg last year. The 24-year-old had knocked out world No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi-finals. “What a match. It was definitely a huge fight, which is what I expected, and I had to save a match point to win the title, so it feels very special,” said Cornet, who faced match point at 4-5 in the decider. “I gave everything I had. I’m so happy I could win here at this beautiful tournament in Katowice.” Sunday’s 3 hour, 11 minute match was the fifth-longest of the year and the longest WTA final since the 3 hour, 12 minute Osaka final in October 2012. Giorgi was contesting her first WTA Tour final.
TENNIS
Garcia upsets Jankovic
France’s Caroline Garcia opened her WTA Tour account in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday, the world No. 74 taking her first title with a 6-3, 6-4 upset over Serbian top seed and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic. Both Garcia and Cornet are members of captain Amelie Mauresmo’s Fed Cup team set to meet the US at the weekend in St Louis, Missouri.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
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