TENNIS
Harrison advances to final
Ryan Harrison yesterday reached his third tour-level final with a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 semi-final win over 18-year-old wild card Alex De Minaur at the Brisbane International in Australia. De Minaur, who defeated former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic in the second round, was two points from another upset when he led 5-3 in the second-set tiebreaker. However, Harrison went on a roll to win the last four points of the tiebreaker to level the match, then got two early breaks to lead 4-0 in the third set to take control of the match. Harrison is to meet either defending champion Grigor Dimitrov or third-seeded Nick Kyrgios in today’s final.
GOLF
Leishman, Harman in lead
Marc Leishman and Brian Harman on Friday birdied the 18th to grab a one-shot second-round lead over world No. 1 Dustin Johnson in the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Australia’s Leishman, who held a one-stroke overnight lead, had four birdies without a bogey in his four-under 69 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. He was joined on 10-under par 136 by America’s Harman, who had seven birdies in a five-under par 68. The leading duo pulled out of a tie with Johnson, who shook off back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth holes to card seven birdies in a five-under 68 that left him on 137. Leishman notched the only bogey-free round of the day. He rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-three second and drained an eight-footer at the par-three eighth. He rolled in another eight-footer for a birdie at the par-four 14th, and at the par-five 18th he missed a 31-footer for eagle by inches and came up with the birdie.
FOOTBALL
Landry fined for behavior
Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry has been fined US$48,620 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct, but he avoided a suspension for his role in a brawl with the Buffalo Bills. Miami running back Kenyan Drake and Bills cornerback Leonard Johnson were each fined US$12,154 for their parts in the fight. Landry and Drake were ejected following the fight in the fourth quarter, and coach Adam Gase described the episode as embarrassing. For Landry, the fine was a record by US$2. He was fined US$48,618 a year ago for grabbing his crotch and spiking his helmet during a touchdown celebration.
SOCCER
Fans injured in celebration
About 40 soccer fans from Oman were injured on Friday evening after a glass barrier broke during celebrations following the country’s Gulf Cup win over the United Arab Emirates.The Pim Verbeek-coached Omanis claimed the title for only the second time in the nation’s history with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win after the game had ended scoreless after 120 minutes. The barrier at the Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City broke as fans from Oman pressed against the glass during celebrations, with the team several metres below at pitch level. The Kuwait Football Association said on its Twitter account “around 40 people” had been hospitalized for minor injuries and posted videos of some of those involved after they had received treatment. Kuwait stepped in to host the keenly contested regional tournament at the last minute after diplomatic issues between original hosts Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain threatened this year’s competition.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
RSS