TENNIS
Petkovic wins title in Sofia
Germany’s Andrea Petkovic claimed her third title of the year when she clawed her way back to beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the WTA Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria. Victory was the perfect morale-booster for the fourth-seeded Petkovic, who will finish off her season next weekend when Germany take on the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup final. “I’m happy I met Flavia in the final because we’ve both been coming back from injury this year,” Petkovic said after wrapping up her fifth career title. “I was so happy when she won Indian Wells because I know what she went through, and so it’s even nicer to play her for this title today. I hope next season is even better for her.” Petkovic, 27, added the Sofia title to earlier wins this season at Charleston and Bad Gastein. She is the fifth player to win three or more tournaments this year, after Serena Williams (seven), Maria Sharapova (four), Ana Ivanovic (four) and Petra Kvitova (also three).
ATHLETICS
Wozniacki runs marathon
Caroline Wozniacki says she is pleased she beat her goal in the New York City Marathon, especially since her training routine included late nights and attending a sporting event on the eve of the run. “I’ve done everything you are not supposed to do before a marathon,” the 24-year old Wozniacki said. “I had a Halloween party three days ago and came back at like 4:00 in the morning. I’ve been really busy. Last night, I actually didn’t have much of a dinner because I went to the [New York] Rangers game. You are supposed to load up on carbs, but I didn’t have too much time for that.” The WTA Tour tennis star finished her first marathon on Sunday in just under 3 hours, 27 minutes, saying she even had enough left in the tank to sprint the final few meters to the finish line. “It was incredible,” said Wozniacki, who set a goal of three hours, 30 minutes. “I’m so happy to have done this. I’m so proud.” Wozniacki raised more than US$80,000 for Team for Kids, which provides money for youth running programs.
ICE HOCKEY
Flying puck kills fan, 8
An eight-year-old ice hockey fan who had gone to watch a match in northern France with his father died on Sunday after he was hit in the head by a puck that flew into the stands. The freak tragedy occurred about three minutes before the end of the match in Dunkirk on Saturday evening, when a player hit the puck toward the end of the rink and a teammate then diverted it, sending it into the stands. Hugo, who was with his father, was hit on the ear and suffered cardiac arrest. Rescue workers on site were able to revive him, but he died on Sunday of his injuries in hospital. A puck weighs around 170g and can travel at more than 180kph.
SOCCER
Lippi coaches last game
World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has signaled an end to his stellar managerial career after the Italian guided Guangzhou Evergrande to their fourth successive Chinese Super League title on Sunday. The 66-year-old’s Chinese adventure was the final chapter in a remarkable coaching career that began with a host of managerial roles at lower-tier Italian clubs in the 1980s. He went on to win five Serie A crowns during two stints with Juventus and secured a Champions League triumph with the club in 1996. Lippi also had two stints with the national side, with the highlight being when he coached Italy to victory at the 2006 World Cup. He resigned after they made a poor defense of their title in South Africa and joined Guangzhou in May 2012.
“I don’t remember the moment, but ever since I was a kid, that’s the first thing I loved,” two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas said of his lifelong romance with basketball. However, that journey unfolded against the limitations of his size in a game where height often dictates opportunity — a reality he confronted throughout his career. At 175cm, Thomas is less than 2cm taller than the average Taiwanese adult male, while NBA players during his career stood at about 200cm on average. Compared with the NBA’s average career length of less than five years, Thomas’ 13-season career stands out as
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties, but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco. Now, the AFCON trophy is something of a thorn in the two countries’ sides. On Rue Mohamed V, the street where Moroccan vendors are based in the Senegalese capital, a police van is parked. “The police have been on high alert since the Confederation of African Football [CAF] decided to award the title to Morocco, but there have been no incidents,” a local resident said.
Top seeded Jessica Pegula on Friday once again fought back from a set down to reach the WTA Charleston Open semi-finals with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Russia’s Diana Shnaider. Defending champion Pegula has lost the first set in all three of her matches at the tournament so far, but again dug deep to maintain her hopes of retaining the title. The world No. 5 from the US took 2 hours, 10 minutes to defeat 19th-ranked Shnaider, relying on a formidable service game that included eight aces. Shnaider battled well in the first two sets and broke early for a 2-0 lead
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