FORMULA ONE
Hamilton blasts Ecclestone
World champion Lewis Hamilton on Friday labeled Bernie Ecclestone as “ignorant and uneducated” after the former Formula One supremo said that “black people are [sometimes] more racist than white.” Ecclestone had been asked to comment on Hamilton’s recent anti-racism initiatives. While praising the six-time world champion for his campaigning, 89-year-old Ecclestone said that he doubted that the creation of the driver’s Hamilton Commission, which hopes to steer more black youngsters into motor racing, would have any great effect. “I don’t think it’s going to do anything bad or good for Formula One,” he told CNN. “It’ll just make people think which is more important. I think that’s the same for everybody... In lots of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are,” he said. Hamilton hit back at Ecclestone. “Bernie is out of the sport and of a different generation, but this is exactly what is wrong — ignorant and uneducated comments which show how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “If someone who has run the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep-rooted issues we as black people deal with every day, how can we expect all the people who work under him to understand?” he wrote.
GOLF
Mickelson leads by one shot
Phil Mickelson on Friday used a solid finish to seize a one-shot lead following the second round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Mickelson closed with a birdie at the last hole of the TPC River Highlands course for a seven-under-par 63 that brought him to 13 under on the week and one shot clear of first-round leader Mackenzie Hughes (68) and sponsor invite Will Gordon (62). Meanwhile, Denny McCarthy withdrew ahead of his second round after he became the third PGA Tour player to test positive for COVID-19. Bud Cauley, who played the first round with McCarthy, tested negative twice, but withdrew as a precautionary measure, bringing the number of coronavirus-related withdrawals this week to seven.
TENNIS
Anisimova turns tide
Amanda Anisimova saved a match point en route to a 5-7, 7-5, 10-2 victory over fellow American Caroline Dolehide at the invitational women’s tennis tournament in Charleston, South Carolina. Anisimova, 18, was staring at defeat when she trailed 5-7, 3-5 against her hard-hitting opponent, but the 2019 French Open semi-finalist blasted a forehand down the line to save match point and turned the tide, eventually triumphing in a 10-point tiebreaker. “That’s why I miss being out here, just trying to face challenges and get yourself back together mentally as quick as possible,” said Anisimova, who won 25 of the match’s final 28 points.
SOCCER
Fans ordered to go home
Police issued a dispersal order on Friday after crowds gathered for a second consecutive night at Liverpool’s center near the Mersey Ferry terminal to celebrate their team’s Premier League title win. “I am really concerned about scenes at Pier Head tonight. I appreciate LFC fans want to celebrate but please, for your own safety, and that of others, go home and celebrate at home,” Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson wrote on Twitter.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
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