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.”
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
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