PICKLEBALL
Agassi to play Open
Andre Agassi, who retired from professional tennis in 2006 after playing his last match at Flushing Meadows, is to line up alongside teenager Anna Leigh Waters in the mixed pro division at the US Open Pickleball Championships next week in Naples, Florida. Agassi, who turns 55 next week, has participated in made-for-TV pickleball exhibitions with other former tennis players and can be seen pitching pickleball equipment via social media. This will be his first professional pickleball appearance. Pickleball is a mix of tennis and table tennis that uses paddles and a wiffleball.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Man City move to third
Manchester City on Tuesday took a big step toward securing European qualification with a 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa thanks to Matheus Nunes’s 94th-minute strike. Guardiola’s men climbed two spots to third in the league table, 18 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Photo: Reuters
SOCCER
Tite takes break
Former Brazil coach Tite on Tuesday said he is pausing his professional career for an undetermined amount of time to deal with physical and mental health issues. The 63-year-old had been expected to sign a contract with Corinthians, but local media reported that he had an anxiety attack overnight before flying from Rio de Janeiro, where he lives, to Sao Paulo. “I have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable. Admitting to that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said. “I love what I do and I will continue to, but as I spoke to my family and noticed the signs that my body was giving me I decided to do what is best now and interrupt my career to take care of myself as long as I need.”
Photo: AP
SOCCER
South African player dies
South African player Sinamandla Zondi died on Tuesday after collapsing in the warmup before a second-tier match, his club Durban City said. He was 22. Zondi was taken to hospital ahead of Durban’s game against Milford and the match was abandoned at halftime when officials were told that Zondi had died. The cause of death was still to be determined. “It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Sinamandla Zondi, aka Sgora, a loved member of the Durban City family,” the club said in a statement. “Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer, He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him.”
CRICKET
Stackpole passes away
Former Australia Test vice-captain Keith Stackpole, one of Wisden’s cricketers of the year in 1973, has died, Cricket Australia said yesterday. He was 84. Stackpole made his international debut in 1966 and played 43 Tests, scoring 2,807 runs and taking 15 wickets with his wrist spin. He also played in the very first one-day international, taking three wickets in Australia’s five-wicket win over England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1971. He produced his best cricket in the Ashes, averaging 50.6 in 13 Tests, including his high score of 207 against England at the ’Gabba in 1970. Stackpole had a long career in the media and broadcasting after his international retirement in 1974. Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird said Stackpole’s “legacy will live long into the future.”
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
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