SOCCER
Guardiola laments loss
Pep Guardiola on Tuesday wore a lumberjack-style shirt as Real Madrid chopped Manchester City down in the UEFA Champions League once again. “Everybody wants to fire me,” Guardiola said when questioned about his future following the 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium. “One day I will come out here and say: ‘Bye, bye guys.’” Guardiola’s position is the subject of much debate after 10 years at City, which is already by far the longest he has stayed at any club as a manager. He has repeatedly referred to the remaining time on his contract, one season, when questioned, but doubts remain. “The future will be bright and next season we will be back,” he said following the 5-1 aggregate loss in the round-of-16 tie.
Photo: Reuters
TENNIS
Sabalenka calls out Dubai
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she is unsure about her return to the Dubai Championships after its tournament director criticized her withdrawal this year, labeling the demand for tougher penalties on late pullouts a “ridiculous” idea. Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were among several players ruled out due to injury, illness or scheduling changes, leaving lucky losers to fill the depleted main draw in Dubai and taking the gloss off the WTA 1000 event. At the time, tournament director Salah Tahlak told The National news site that Sabalenka and Swiatek pulling out had been an “unfortunate surprise” for the organizers and sought strict action for late withdrawals with ranking points being docked. “I think it’s ridiculous,” Belarusian Sabalenka told reporters at the Miami Open on Tuesday. “I don’t think he showed himself in the best way possible. For me it’s actually so sad to see that the tournament directors and the tournaments not protecting us as players. They just care about their [sales], about their tournament and that’s it. His comment was ridiculous. I’m not sure if I ever want to go there after his comment. For me it’s too much.”
RUGBY UNION
Slipper hailed as ‘special’
James Slipper was yesterday hailed as “a special human” after being named in the ACT Brumbies side to face the Waikato Chiefs for what would be a record-setting 203rd Super Rugby appearance. The veteran prop, 36, is tomorrow to surpass the all-time mark of 202 held by retired All Blacks and Canterbury Crusaders great Wyatt Crockett since 2017. Crockett is making the trip from New Zealand to Canberra to witness the feat. “He just keeps going,” Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said of Slipper. “It’s a special achievement for anyone to get to 100, to get 150, to get to 200, and now to have the record in Super Rugby. He is a pretty special human and offers a lot to the Brumbies both on the field and off the field. One of the best leaders that you will find in the game and we’re lucky to have him.” Slipper made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds in 2010, before moving to the Brumbies nine years later. He played his 151st and final Wallabies Test last year after announcing his retirement from the international game. “It feels like it’s been brewing for a while,” Slipper said of the latest landmark. “I’m just excited to get out there and get the game under way.”
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
Ollie Watkins’ second-half header on Thursday gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. Just past the hour mark, Ezri Konsa sent a deep pass that Emi Buendia headed to Watkins in the home team’s box. The England forward noticed goalkeeper Berke Ozer was off his line before sending a looping header over him and into the net. Minutes later, Watkins wasted a chance to double the advantage when he failed to score in a one-on-one with the ’keeper. Nottingham Forest were stunned 1-0 by Danish club Midtjylland, with substitute Cho
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the US’ 5-3 win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinal on Friday night in Houston. The US faces the Dominican Republic, which crushed South Korea 10-0 in seven innings in its quarter-final, in a semifinal Sunday in Miami for a spot in Tuesday’s championship. The Dominican team has won all five games in this WBC by a combined margin of 51-10. It appeared the US squad was headed toward a cozy victory when it built a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning. A first-inning RBI groundout
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