Agence France-Presse Sports looks back on some of the biggest sporting shocks of last year, with rugby union and tennis featuring.
JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA
Japan caused the biggest shock in Rugby World Cup history as they stunned two-time former champions South Africa 34-32 in their opening pool match in Brighton.
Photo: Reuters
The Brave Blossoms had won just one of their 24 previous matches in the competition, but the Asian champions, under the stewardship of Eddie Jones, signaled their intent early with captain Michael Leitch crossing to put the underdogs 10-7 up.
However, the experienced Springboks, whose starting 15 featured a combined 851 caps, went in with the half-time lead and appeared to have ended the plucky Japan challenge when Adriaan Strauss ploughed over to make it 29-22.
However, Japan fullback Ayumu Goromaru converted his own try to level the scores with 10 minutes to play. The Springboks responded with Handre Polland slotting over a penalty to seemingly put them back on top for good.
Photo: EPA
There was one final dramatic twist though as Japan, opting for a scrum rather than kicking a penalty as time expired, shifted play across the width of the field before finding replacement wing Karne Hesketh, who touched down in the corner to seal an incredible victory.
VINCI, SERENA
Serena Williams looked almost certain to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988, and just sixth player overall, to complete a calendar Grand Slam after reaching the semi-finals of the US Open.
With Flavia Pennetta then dumping out second seed Simona Halep in the first semi, the odds on the American landing a historic title shortened further. Riding a 26-match win streak at Flushing Meadows, the world No. 1 was overwhelmingly expected to sweep aside unseeded Roberta Vinci, the veteran Italian more renowned for her doubles success, and set up a showdown with eventual champion Pennetta, against whom Williams owned a 7-0 career edge.
Instead her bid was crushed in stunning fashion as the 32-year-old Vinci rallied from a set down to claim a sensational 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph, beating Williams for the first time to set up the first all-Italian women’s Grand Slam final in the Open era.
FURY, KLITSCHKO
British boxer Tyson Fury registered one of the sport’s biggest upsets by outpointing longstanding heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko in Duesseldorf, Germany, to end the Ukrainian’s nine-year reign.
Manchester-born Fury, 27, handed Klitschko his first loss since 2004 after winning a unanimous points decision 115-112, 115-112, 116-111 as the self-styled “Gypsy King” landed the WBA, IBF and WBO world title belts.
Fury, whose biggest previous win was against fellow Briton Dereck Chisora, was undeterred by the step up in class and backed up his pre-fight promises by confounding his decorated rival as well as the doubters with a skilful, measured performance.
Fury likened his “masterclass” performance to a “mongoose in a cobra’s nest, taking all the eggs home” in his first press conference as world heavyweight king.
EURO 2016
Semi-finalists at the 2014 Soccer World Cup, the Netherlands were expected to routinely qualify for the expanded 24-team European Championship finals and perhaps even contend for the title.
Placed alongside the likes of Czech Republic, Turkey and Iceland, their Group A draw was not overly complicated, but an opening defeat in Prague signaled the start of a disastrous campaign.
A pair of losses to Iceland were damaging, but not terminal, but just three days later a 3-0 defeat in Turkey left Holland’s fate out of their hands. Danny Blind’s men needed three points at home to the already-qualified Czechs coupled with a Turkey loss against Iceland from the final round of matches to rescue a desperate situation, but the Dutch succumbed 3-2, a comical Robin van Persie own-goal typifying their dire qualifying campaign, as the 1988 winners missed out on the European championship for the first time in 32 years.
MELBOURNE CUP
Michelle Payne became the first woman to win Australia’s 154-year-old Melbourne Cup after riding 100-1 outsider Prince of Penzance to a historic victory in November. Those long odds were nothing compared with the obstacles 30-year-old Payne, the youngest of 10 siblings, overcame on the road to eventual success.
She lost her mother, Mary, in a car accident when she was just six months old, and her career was sidetracked by a litany of injuries — including a head-first fall from a horse when she was just 18 that left her with a fractured skull and bruising on her brain.
However, none of that could prevent Payne, reportedly just the fourth female entrant in Cup history, from winning the world’s richest two-mile (3.2km) handicap race, as she held off Max Dynamite (12-1) by half a length, with Criterion (18-1) close behind.
“I thought a girl would win the Melbourne Cup, but I didn’t think it would be one of mine,” Payne’s father said afterward.
WAWRINKA, DJOKOVIC
Novak Djokovic completed one of the most remarkable seasons in tennis history last year with victory at the World Tour Finals, but the all-conquering Serb was denied a career Grand Slam at the French Open as he was beaten in the final by Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka.
All appeared to be going to plan as Djokovic grabbed the opening set 6-4, but a sublime show of stroke-making from the Swiss wrapped up a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
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