Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka yesterday got her season off to a winning start for Japan in the United Cup, after the UK’s Emma Raducanu pulled out of their singles clash with a fitness issue, while in Brisbane, Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Wu Fang-hsien crashed out of the women’s doubles.
In Perth, despite Osaka’s win, the UK took the match 2-1 with a deciding mixed doubles victory.
Osaka was too strong for reserve and 276th-ranked Katie Swan, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 as Raducanu watched from the sidelines.
Photo: EPA
“I’m proud of how I fought,” Osaka said. “I’d never played here, it was tough.”
Britain captain Tim Henman said Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, could appear later in the event.
“I don’t think she’s necessarily out of this tournament just yet. So we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Henman said.
In Sydney, Alexander Zverev clinched victory for Germany against The Netherlands as the world No. 3 demolished Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-0.
Canada defeated China 2-0.
On Saturday, Coco Gauff rode to the rescue with a 6-1, 6-1 hammering of Solana Sierra to nudge the US toward a 2-1 defeat of Argentina, while Stan Wawrinka launched the final season of his career with a marathon 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) win over Arthur Rinderknech to give Switzerland an unassailable 3-0 lead over France.
Also on Saturday, in Sydney, Zhang Zhizhen led China to a 2-1 win over Belgium to begin their tournament, and despite Norway’s Casper Ruud stunning Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-3, the hosts prevailed 2-1.
Meanwhile, at the Brisbane International, Wu and Japanese partner Eri Hozumi lost 6-4, 6-0 to Priscilla Hon of Australia and the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova.
Chan and China’s Jiang Xinyu fell 6-2, 6-3 to Russians Mirra Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
Algeria on Sunday became the third country after Egypt and Nigeria to qualify for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations by edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat through a Riyad Mahrez penalty. Defending champions Ivory Coast failed to join the trio after drawing 1-1 with Cameroon in a lively showdown in Marrakesh. Elsewhere, Mozambique ended a 39-match wait for a first victory by beating Gabon 3-2, while Sudan got back into contention for a last-16 slot by beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca. Captain Mahrez converted from the penalty spot midway through the first half and Algeria then held on
Stan Wawrinka’s 40-year-old legs did not let him down over three-plus hours in his first singles match of a farewell tour yesterday. Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Wawrinka beat Arthur Rinderknech of France, who is ranked 29th to Wawrinka’s 157th, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). The match went 3 hours, 16 minutes. Wawrinka last month announced that this year would be his last on the ATP tour. “Today was a tough battle ... it’s amazing to come here for the first time, to have so much support,” Wawrinka said yesterday. “Twenty years on tour, you kind of always play in the same place
BOUNCING BACK: Antetokounmpo had just returned from an eight-game injury absence last month, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their third win in four games Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down the game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and grab a slice of NBA history on Friday. The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 on their home floor, but Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter to help seal the win in a frantic finish that saw five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) added 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and
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