TENNIS
Burgos advances in Munich
Victor Estrella Burgos advanced to the second round of the BMW Open by beating Viktor Troicki 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Monday. In the other main-draw match, wildcard entry Alexander Zverev rallied to beat Benjamin Becker 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, hitting 11 aces. Andy Murray is the top-seeded player in the clay-court event, and had a bye in the first round. Second-seeded Gael Monfils pulled out with a knee injury.
SWIMMING
Phelps to keep coach
Olympic legend Michael Phelps says he will stick with his long-term coach Bob Bowman, who last week was named Arizona State University’s (ASU) swimming coach. The 18-time Olympic gold medalist, who previously worked with Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, confirmed the move in a series of tweets on Monday. “I am pumped for Bob, this is a great opportunity for him and I know he will be successful in building a great program at ASU,” the 29-year-old said. “He has been there for me throughout my career and he will always be my coach. I’ll continue to train under him in Arizona and look forward to following the training program we have set in place as we work towards 2016.” Phelps, who registered his latest win since returning to competition after a ban eight day ago, has his sights set on a fifth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.
CRICKET
Tour to Pakistan likely
Zimbabwe are close to accepting an invitation to play in Pakistan next month in a one-day series that could mark the first visit by a Test-playing nation since 2009. Zimbabwe were keen to undertake the tour, but still need to settle financial guarantees and a memoranda of agreement has yet to be signed, Zimbabwe Cricket communication manager Lovemore Banda told reporters from Harare on Monday. “We are still talking, but hope that it can be finalized any time from now. We need to agree matters with Pakistan and also have to get our own players to agree as well,” he said. Zimbabwean media reported that players were seeking as much as US$10,000 per man to tour to Pakistan, where security concerns have stopped international teams from touring since March 2009, when Sri Lankan cricketers and officials were shot at in Lahore.
RUGBY UNION
Richie McCaw ruled out
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has been ruled out of the Canterbury Crusaders’ crunch Super Rugby match against the Wellington Hurricanes after suffering a head knock. The 34-year-old flanker was briefly knocked unconscious after being hit by a knee to the temple during last week’s match against the Auckland Blues. After McCaw came to training still suffering a mild headache on Monday, the team decided not to risk him, coach Todd Blackadder said. “He was a little bit blurry and felt a little bit off, so it’s best not to risk him,” Blackadder told reporters in New Zealand yesterday. “He just got his head on the wrong side and just got kneed in the temple. Even after the game he was really chipper and was fine, and even today, he was 100 percent, but it’s just not worth risking him. All signs are pretty positive. Hopefully, he’s back for next week.” Matt Todd is likely to step in as the starting No. 7 against the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington, but the loss of McCaw will be a big blow to the Crusaders, whose hopes of making the playoffs are on a knife-edge. All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg will also miss another match for the Crusaders as he battles to recover from a calf injury.
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
HSIEH ADVANCES: In the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei was to play in the second round last night, but Taiwan’s Ray Ho exited in the men’s doubles It is more than 10 years since Grigor Dimitrov reached his sole Wimbledon semi-final and back then it still seemed a reasonable bet that the Bulgarian once dubbed “Baby Federer” would win a Grand Slam title. There were semi-final runs at the US Open and Australian Open after that, but it has never quite happened and despite him still being ranked No. 21, it most likely never will. Dimitrov, 34, remains one of the most stylish players on the circuit though, with his elegant single-handed backhand and smooth all-court game a rare reminder of how tennis was before the power merchants turned
TAIWANESE WIN: Chan Hao-ching and Wu Fang-hsien and their partners won their first-round matches in the women’s doubles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club Late-night finishes and five-set matches are becoming a habit for Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon this year. On Wednesday, he wrapped up his win over Gabriel Diallo before the match was suspended — making sure the fifth-seeded American would not have to come back on court for a fourth straight day. Fritz overcame a bloodied elbow to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0), 4-6, 6-3 on No. 1 Court a day after he finished off another five-set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a match that was halted on Monday at about 10:15pm after Fritz forced a fifth set with Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew looming. He
Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund had taken three crazy turns during nine minutes of second-half stoppage time when Marcel Sabitzer chested the ball and sent a right-footed volley toward Thibaut Courtois’ post. Courtois leapt to his right, extended the long arm on his 2m frame and just managed to get his gloved fingertips on the ball, knocking it down. Courtois hit the ground as the ball bounded up. He looked skyward, planted his right hand to regain his balance, grabbed the ball with both hands on the second bounce and fell onto it with his chest. Sabitzer turned
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