SNOOKER
Williams sorry for nap
Triple world champion Mark Williams has apologized to snooker fans for falling asleep during his own match at the UK Championship, blaming the after-effects of COVID-19. The 46-year-old “Welsh Potting Machine” lost 6-5 in the second round to Anthony Hamilton in York, England, on Sunday evening and revealed afterward that he had nodded off in his chair while leading. Williams apologized on Twitter and said his slumbers had nothing to do with his opponent’s style of play. “After 30 years as a pro, that’s the first time I have fallen asleep during a match,” he told the World Snooker Tour Web site. “The score was 3-2 and I was sitting in my chair, then I was out like a light,” he said. “My head dropped down, which woke me up, and for about five seconds I had no idea where I was... It’s been a few weeks since I had COVID and I am feeling better, but I still get very tired. It was a good match though, we both made some good breaks.”
SOCCER
Rangnick new United boss
As the pioneer of a high-intensity pressing game adopted widely across Germany, Ralf Rangnick was an inspiration for coaches like Juergen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel who have gone on to be successful at two of England’s biggest soccer teams. At the age of 63, Rangnick is heading to the English game himself, ready to take on his countrymen as manager of Manchester United. Rangnick was on Monday hired to lead United until the end of the season, an appointment that is likely to shake up the playing style and management structure of an English Premier League giant seeking to return to the top after nearly a decade of underachievement. United are planning to hire a permanent manager in the off-season. Rangnick would then take up a “consultancy role for a further two years,” the club said.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
The Philippines curling team has been rocking it in Harbin, claiming the tropical nation’s first Asian Winter Games medal yesterday with a victory in the men’s final against South Korea. The team of Marc Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister and alternate Benjo Delarmente took gold with a 5-3 win at Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena. The Philippines Olympic Committee was quick to celebrate with a post on Instagram to mark the historic gold. “This is the first-ever medal for the Philippines at the Asian Winter Games, and the highest achievement for a Southeast Asian athlete in the Games’ history! What an incredible
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien on Tuesday dumped compatriot and second seed Hsieh Su-wei out of the women’s doubles at the Qatar Open to set up another potential Taiwanese showdown, while world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat in the second round. Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu, who earlier this year won the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Hobart International, defeated Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 10-5 in 1 hour, 29 minutes on Grandstand Court 3 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Wu and Jiang on Sunday advanced to the round-of-16 with a 7-6 (7/7),
Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. She is No. 17 in the pickleball rankings and constantly appears on the main court at events because she is always a big draw. However, just to be absolutely clear, she is not retired from tennis. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist still practices on the tennis court, still competes at tennis events and still has a Women’s Tennis Association ranking (No. 1,288). The Canadian standout just has a new sport that has caught her attention. Bouchard is one of several familiar tennis names — like Jack Sock and Donald Young — crossing over to