CYCLING
Evenepoel falls into ravine
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel was injured on Saturday after plunging several meters down into a ravine in a dramatic crash on the Tour of Lombardy, the one-day classic won by Denmark’s Jakob Fuglsang. Race favorite Evenepoel lost control on the steep descent from the Colma di Sormano that leads to the race finish at Lake Como, hitting a bridge wall and plunging 6m into a ravine. The 20-year-old was taken to the Sant-Anna hospital in Como where he remained under observation for 24 hours, but early tests showed a fractured pelvis, right lung contusion, cuts and bruising. Deceuninck-QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere said that the rider’s promising season was now “practically over.” “Remco suffered multiple injuries,” the team said. “[He] was conscious at all times as he underwent a series of examinations to reveal the extent of his injury,” the team said, adding that he would remain in the hospital overnight under observation, before flying yesterday to Belgium. Fuglsang crossed the line alone after the 231km race from Bergamo to Como, finishing 31 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s George Bennett, riding for Jumbo-Visma.
TENNIS
Brady heads to WTA final
The US’ Jennifer Brady defeated compatriot Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4 at the Top Seed Open on Saturday, earning a spot in her first WTA final. At the outdoor, hard-court tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, world No. 49 Brady used a powerful serve to her advantage over Gauff, firing off eight aces and winning nearly 85 percent of her first-serve points, to set up a final clash with Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann. “I’ve been working a little bit on all aspects of the serve, mainly the stroke and the timing of the serve, more technique, things like that,” Brady said. “If I’m able to serve well, I’m able to start the point aggressive, start it in my favor.” Teichmann, who won both of her two WTA titles at clay court tournaments last year, defeated the US’ Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-2 to earn her final berth. “Obviously everyone thinks I’m just a clay court player — I think I’ve proven it’s not only this way,” the 23-year-old said. “I’ve been feeling great on hard courts since the beginning of the year... My goal was just to keep on this level.”
CRICKET
Burns out on a duck
Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi needed just four balls to remove England’s Rory Burns for a duck yesterday before bad weather again interrupted the second Test at Southampton. England were 7-1 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 236 when rain stopped play at 12pm on the fourth day. In gloomy conditions that, with the floodlights on, favored Pakistan’s pacemen as they had England’s quicks, left-arm fast bowler Afridi produced a superb delivery that moved away from left-hander Burns, who edged to second slip Asad Shafiq. It took England until the third over to score their first run as Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley struggled against Afridi and the accurate Mohammad Abbas. When the umpires called a halt, Sibley was two not out and Crawley — recalled in place of Ben Stokes after the star all-rounder withdrew from this match to be with his ill father in New Zealand — five not out.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
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