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Lightning strikes tree during scary storm at U.S. Women's Open

Published in Golf

Friday, 31 May 2019 11:45

A severe thunderstorm halted played for nearly two hours at the U.S. Women's Open at the Country Club of Charleston, where lightning struck a tree Friday afternoon.

Play was suspended at 4:47 p.m. ET as storms moved into the area.

During the delay, a bolt of lightning came down onto the golf course, scarring a tree and ripping up its roots.

Play resumed at 6:45 p.m. in Charleston, with players heading back out to see how many holes they could complete before dark.

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NBA Finals ratings dip while Canada sets records

Published in Basketball

Friday, 31 May 2019 16:32

TORONTO -- The NBA correctly anticipated that television ratings would dip for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, for two very important reasons.

There's no LeBron James.

And Canadian numbers don't count.

ESPN said Friday that the Game 1 of the Toronto-Golden State series drew a 10.1 overnight rating, the lowest for Game 1 of a title series in a decade -- though all the numbers come with a serious catch. Canadian viewership does not count toward the metered-market ratings formula used in the U.S., and it was the most-watched NBA game in Canada's history.

"Put aside perception, there is the actuality of the ratings," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday. "Of course, I pay a lot of attention to those. I also pay a lot of attention to the numbers in Canada, where we set an all-time record for viewership. In the U.S., I recognize it's a changing television marketplace. We knew we would be down a bit by virtue of both not having two U.S. markets and we've come off eight years of having LeBron James in the finals."

Meanwhile, the first finals game for a Canadian team was a smash north of the border.

It was the most-watched NBA game on Sportsnet, reaching 7.4 million Canadians -- basically 20 percent of the nation's population. The average size of the Canadian audience, Sportsnet said, was 3.3 million viewers and peaked in the final minutes of the game with 4.1 million Canadians tuning in to see the finish.

Ratings throughout the playoffs have been down in the NBA, with James and the Los Angeles Lakers not making the playoffs surely a major factor.

"I'm not overly concerned," Silver said about the current numbers. "But I'm certainly paying attention to it."

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Rockies option struggling Freeland to Triple-A

Published in Baseball

Friday, 31 May 2019 15:41

The Colorado Rockies are sending left-hander Kyle Freeland to Triple-A Albuquerque to work on his mechanics after a rough start to the season.

Freeland is 2-6 with a 7.13 ERA and nowhere near the form he displayed a season ago, when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. He currently leads the NL in home runs given up (16) and earned runs (47).

A year ago, the left-hander went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA and 173 strikeouts.

The 26-year-old Freeland said it "stinks'' that he must return to the minors, but welcomed the chance to work on aspects of his game out of the big-league spotlight.

He said he's not sure how many starts it might take to turn things around. In other moves, the Rockies reinstated lefty Chris Rusin (strained back) from the 10-day injured list, recalled righty Jesus Tinoco from Albuquerque and optioned outfielder Yonathan Daza to Triple-A.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cards place Molina on IL due to thumb injury

Published in Baseball

Friday, 31 May 2019 16:11

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was put on the 10-day injured list with a strained right thumb tendon.

The 36-year-old, a nine-time All-Star, got hurt during Saturday's game against Atlanta and tried to play through the injury.

St. Louis announced the roster move Friday and said it was retroactive to Wednesday.

Matt Wieters will get most of the playing time while Molina is sidelined. St. Louis selected the contract of Andrew Knizner from Triple-A Memphis.

Molina is batting .265 with four home runs and 33 RBIs and started 49 of the Cardinals' first 53 games.

The 24-year-old Knizner was batting .286 with five home runs and 17 RBIs at Memphis.

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Correa: Knew something was wrong after 'crack'

Published in Baseball

Friday, 31 May 2019 16:46

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, detailing the events that led to his fractured rib in a nearly five minute video posted Friday, said he heard a "crack" when a masseuse pressed on his right side.

"I was getting a massage on this area on the ribs [on his right side] and I heard a crack when my masseuse pressed on this area over here on my ribs," Correa said in the video, which was posted to his fiancee's YouTube channel. "I looked and I was [like], 'What was that?'

"Immediately after, my side started hurting when I was breathing, when I was walking. At that point I figured something was not right, so I obviously called the Astros to let them know."

Correa, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year who is hitting .295 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs this season, had an MRI and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

"I had a scheduled massage like I do every single morning when I'm at home, taking care of my body," Correa said. "... Unfortunately, it was not like every other day."

Both Correa and his fiancee, Daniella Rodriguez, wanted to detail what happened and thank fans for their concern. During the video, Correa lifted his shirt to show there was no bruising on the area where the rib is fractured.

"There's no bruises like I fell on something or I got hit," Correa said.

Rodriguez said she heard the masseuse gasp following the audible crack of the rib.

"We're going to stay positive and focus on the rehab now and focus on everything we can do to get back on the field and help the team perform," Correa said. "... I can't wait to be back on the field."

The Astros also are without All-Stars Jose Altuve, who recently felt "fatigue and soreness" in his right leg, and George Springer (hamstring). Utility infielder Aledmys Diaz, catcher Max Stassi and right-hander Collin McHugh are also on the injured list.

The Astros lead the American League West at 37-20 entering Friday's games.

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Elina Svitolina column: I hope injury won't threaten Wimbledon hopes

Published in Tennis

Friday, 31 May 2019 13:01

World number nine Elina Svitolina, who has won 13 singles titles on the WTA Tour, has been writing columns for the BBC Sport website during the French Open.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian lost 6-3 6-3 to 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round at Roland Garros on Friday.

In her final column, she talks about her concerns a knee injury may disrupt the grass-court season, what went wrong against Spain's Muguruza, how living in London has led to British habits and paying 12,000 euros (£10,500) for a young Ukrainian player to have surgery on a serious injury.

The hours after being knocked out of a Grand Slam are not the moments to make rash decisions.

But I've been managing a knee injury for a while and against Garbine it felt the same.

So maybe I will need an MRI scan on my knee next week and see what is the best option going into the grass-court season.

Of course there is a concern I might not play on the grass at all if a scan shows something really serious.

But, feeling how I feel now, I think I will have enough time to recover for Wimbledon.

Against Garbine it was very tough to keep focus and concentration - maybe it was the lack of matches at the highest level over the past two or three months.

Before Roland Garros I had only played two matches - losing in Madrid and Rome - since the Miami Open in March.

The problem didn't get any worse in the match against Garbine though, so that is good.

Grass is tricky because you have to be ready for movements which could maybe damage the knee more.

It has not been easy for the past two months. I need to see where I am now and take my time.

I have to speak with my team and speak with doctors about when I should start playing on the grass.

'I was lost on court'

It is tough to say if Garbine is now the favourite to win Roland Garros but she definitely can play well here - obviously she won here three years ago.

It wasn't an amazing match but she took her chances and served well when she had to.

I made too many unforced errors and too many poor decisions.

Normally my game is about getting balls back and not making many unforced errors. Normally I'm dictating the point.

But I was a bit lost on court. I didn't feel so good with the decisions I made.

I hadn't played since Sunday - when I beat Venus Williams - because my next opponent Kateryna Kozlova pulled out of our match on Wednesday with illness.

It's tough to say if losing serve five times in the first set and only landing 37% of first serves was down to not playing for so long.

She returned well and I was not concentrating on what I had to do.

I have to go back and analyse and see what I did wrong and move forward.

There is no time to be sad. You have to be ready for the next tournament.

I have to be mentally strong. This is a big part of tennis, getting through these moments.

'Now I drink tea like the British'

As a top-10 player, I have the privilege of being allowed to practise at Wimbledon early so - injury permitting - I can start playing on the grass in plenty of time.

At the moment I am scheduled to play Birmingham and Eastbourne before Wimbledon, but it depends on my health.

I used to live in London and still have an apartment there so I enjoy going back.

I love the city and that will be my base for the grass-court season.

I love the parks, the small cafes, the nice people and the atmosphere. I enjoy simply walking around and spending time there.

My favourite place is Chelsea, by the harbour, that's really nice.

And I've actually started drinking English tea - with milk. In Ukraine we don't put milk in tea, we only have green tea.

So that's the most British thing I've learned!

'I didn't hesitate to help'

Two weeks ago I heard a 16-year-old Ukrainian player called Daria Lopatetska got injured at a 25k event in Rome and her parents couldn't afford to pay 12,000 euros (£10,500) for her knee surgery.

As soon as I saw the news, I didn't hesitate before calling them and offering to pay.

It was important for me to react straight away.

I was sad when I heard because it is a very young age to go through bad injuries. It can damage your future.

I think it is important to help the young generation of Ukrainian players because we can't afford to lose any future stars.

She was happy that I could help and her parents were very thankful.

It is important to help people when you can and I hope she recovers soon because she is one of Ukraine's rising stars.

Elina Svitolina was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Roland Garros.

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Federer & Nadal make more history as they move into French Open fourth round

Published in Tennis

Friday, 31 May 2019 13:04

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are safely through to the fourth round of the French Open for a record 14th time.

The pair move ahead of American former world number one Budge Patty for most fourth-round appearances in Paris.

Federer, a French Open champion in 2009, also became the oldest person to reach this stage of a Grand Slam since Jimmy Connors at the US Open in 1991.

The 37-year-old beat Norway's Casper Ruud 6-3 6-1 7-6 (10-8) and is the first to play 400 Grand Slam matches.

The third seed, who is playing in his first French Open since 2015, will face Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in the fourth round.

Reflecting on his return to Roland Garros, Federer said: "I feel that my 20 years on the tour went too fast. When I started on the tour, Ruud was hardly born.

"I guess it's mainly due to the fact that I didn't come here for many years. A few months ago, I didn't know what to expect with anything. Now I know where my level's at. I still don't know exactly where my absolute best is, but I feel like it could be there."

Nadal, who recorded a 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Belgian 27th seed David Goffin on Philippe Chatrier, will play Argentina's Juan Ignacio Londero.

"The first set-and-a-half was really fantastic, incredible. It's difficult to play so well. I did everything perfectly. Serving. Almost all the time I was attacking," said the defending champion.

"I was controlling the direction, the height of the ball, the width, the length of the ball. I was moving into the ball, and my opponent could not find any place to be."

On course to meet in semi-finals

Federer's victory over Ruud was fairly routine after the Swiss broke twice in the opener and went on to win nine games in a row, taking a 5-0 lead into the second.

But world number 63 Ruud, playing in the French Open for only the second time, bounced back to break in the third and although Federer immediately broke back, the Norwegian took it to a tie-break.

He saved two match points then had set point at 7-6 in the tie-break but Federer's experience came through in another straight-set victory.

Nadal was also made to work for his win despite easing to a two-set lead in an hour and 15 minutes.

Goffin, a quarter-finalist in 2016, was broken twice in the first two sets but broke late in the third to take Nadal into an unexpected fourth set.

The Belgian ran out of steam though, as Nadal showed composure to regain his dominance and wrap up the win in just under three hours.

It is only the second time in 17 matches in Paris that defending champion Nadal has dropped a set and he remains on course to face Federer in the semi-finals.

The Spaniard, who is bidding to become the first player in history to win 12 singles titles at any Grand Slam event, last dropped a set against Argentinean Diego Schwartzman in last year's quarter-finals.

Emotional farewell for Frenchman Mahut

Elsewhere, Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori came through a thrilling five-set battle with Serb world number 32 Laslo Dere on Court One.

The two-time quarter-finalist won 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-6 8-6 in four-and-a-half hours after coming back from two breaks down in the fifth set and will face French world number 38 Benoit Paire in the fourth round.

Earlier, Frenchman Lucas Pouille, seeded 22nd, lost 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 3-6 9-7 to Slovak world number 55 Martin Klizan after the match was suspended during the fifth set for bad light on Thursday evening.

Pouille later criticised ticket holders and told a French radio station: "They'd rather have a glass of champagne than watch the tennis, that's the main reason they come. They should [fill the stands] with people who want to watch the tennis."

Compatriot Nicolas Mahut, 37, who was described as tennis' answer to Benjamin Button in a press conference on Thursday, lost 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to Argentine world number 68 Mayer, who faces Federer next.

He was in tears after losing the fourth set tie-break and waved goodbye to the Simonne Mathieu court with his son by his side.

Stan Wawrinka's match against world number 46 Grigor Dimitrov was suspended because of bad light, with the Swiss 24th seed leading 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4).

Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and world number 60 Filip Krajinovic were not able to finish their match either. The Greek 20-year-old is up 7-5 6-3 5-5 going into Saturday.

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Konta reaches French Open fourth round with emphatic win

Published in Tennis

Friday, 31 May 2019 13:56

Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the French Open last 16 since 1983 by thrashing Slovakia's Viktoria Kuzmova at Roland Garros.

Konta, 28, continued her fine clay-court season with a 6-2 6-1 late-evening victory on the new Court Simonne Mathieu.

Despite suffering sickness this week, the 26th seed broke serve five times to seal an impressive win in 54 minutes.

Konta will play Croatia's 24th seed Donna Vekic on Sunday.

"I get my attention brought to these different little milestones - it is definitely a nice pat on the back," she said.

"It's a nice thing to hear, especially after winning a match."

The Briton had never won a main-draw match at Roland Garros before this week, but now finds herself with a shot at the quarter-finals.

Anne Hobbs and Jo Durie were the last British women to get to the last 16 in Paris in 1983, Durie going on to reach the semi-finals.

Stunning Konta outclasses Kuzmova

Konta has now reached at least the last 16 in all of the four Grand Slams.

That achievement was secured by a stunning performance against 21-year-old Kuzmova, in which she won 80% of the points behind her first serve and hit 20 winners.

Konta showed exactly why she has surged back up the world rankings after a productive clay-court season which has seen her reach the Morocco Open and Italian Open finals, beating Sloane Stephens, Venus Williams and Kiki Bertens along the way in Rome.

The Briton would have expected to meet Bertens again in this match, but that match-up did not materialise after the Dutch fourth seed retired from her second-round match against Kuzmova because of illness.

Konta has also been struggling with sickness in Paris, suffering with a blocked nose and sore throat after Wednesday's win over Lauren Davis.

"There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is the most human I have felt the last few days," Konta said.

Konta had needed mental resilience to beat the American - this match was much more straightforward.

Kuzmova, ranked 46th in the world, offered little resistance in a first set where Konta rocked her with some pounding first serves and stunning winners.

Konta broke on her way to winning the opening three games and, after a blip when Kuzmova broke back for 3-2, refocused to rattle off the next three games for the set.

Kuzmova's woes were summed up by a double fault on set point and she continued to look edgy in the second set.

With Kuzmova's body language indicating she was there for the taking, Konta continued to pummel her opponent and conceded just nine points as victory was quickly wrapped up.

"I feel pleased with the way I was able to deal with my opponent - I didn't give her an opportunity to play," Konta added.

"Being able to do that from the beginning to the end is a nice feeling."

'A seriously impressive performance' - analysis

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller at Roland Garros

This was a seriously impressive performance by a woman high on confidence.

Kuzmova is having a fine season but proved erratic in her first appearance in the third round of a Grand Slam.

And that was hardly surprising as Konta served superbly and hit a lot of heavy balls deep in the court to put enormous pressure on the 21-year-old.

A quarter-final opportunity now knocks for either Konta or Donna Vekic.

There is a little to choose between them: they have split their six meetings to date, and Vekic is seeded just three places higher.

A repeat of their Wimbledon second-round match of 2017 would not go amiss. Konta won 10-8 in the final set, as flying ants descended on the All England Club.

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Nine lives of Lin Gaoyuan claws way back to sensational win

Published in Table Tennis

Friday, 31 May 2019 07:04

In the second round of the men’s singles event, the local boy from Shenzhen, Lin Gaoyuan looked down and out against Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

He was down 2-3 in games and in the sixth was 2-7 in arrears; he recovered levelled at 8-all, led 10-9, before eventually succeeding on his second game point. A life line but in the vital seventh it appeared that line had been cut; at the change of ends he trailed 2-5, then 2-7 and 5-10, the door was closing, there was the narrowest glimmer of light.

Point by point Lin Gaoyuan recovered, one stroke of fortune to take the score to 7-10 as the ball clipped the top of the net; crucially Lin Gaoyuan kept calm, there were no histrionics, no great outward emotion, just play one point at a time, keep the pressure on your opponent. He levelled at 10-all; then saved four further match points before at his second opportunity converting; the score line read success in seven games (9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 17-15).

Throughout those vital points, until 14-all, the point was won by the player serving, always Dimitrij Ovtcharov employing his favoured backhand service from the forehand; a fact arguably adds to the quality of Lin Gaoyuan’s success. The serving action of Dimitrij Ovtcharov, whichever selection he chooses, is very precise. It reflects his character; watch the way he carefully folds his towel before putting it in the box. He pays great attention to detail; he is not a high risk player, a fact which makes the recovery executed by Lin Gaoyuan even more creditable. He does give what might be considered easy points.

Moreover when the match concluded, Lin Gaoyuan celebrated, arm in the air but he did not roll over on the floor in ecstacy or rush to his coach for a fatherly hug, he shook hands with Dimitrij Ovtcharov who, to his great credit nodded in congratulations and conducted himself perfectly. Both behaved as true professional sportsmen; it was not to be for Dimitrij Ovtcharov but behave in such a correct manner, do everything correctly, does than not add to the overall mental concept and enhance the chances of success in tight situations?

Painful for Dimitrij Ovtcharov just as it had been on Saturday 17th December 2005 at the World Junior Championships in Cairo, at the semi-final stage against Japan’s Kenta Matsudaira, he led 3-2 in games, held three match points at 10-7, one more at 11-10 before experiencing defeat (11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 4-11, 11-5, 15-13, 11-8). No doubt he learned from that reverse.

However, if there is one player who has suffered pain more than any other it is Lin Gaoyuan. In 2009 he reached the semi-final stage of the boys’ singles event at the World Junior Championships in Cartagena de Indias; then on each of the next three editions he was the runners up, the silver medallist in Bratislava, Manama and Hyderabad.

A period of time followed as a support player for those preparing for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games; then is 2017 on first team duty at the Liebherr World Championships, safely through to round four, a quarter-final place beckoned. He led 10-5 in the vital seventh game against colleague Xu Xin, the faintest of edges, it spelt doom; overall Xu Xin won seven points in a row to snatch victory (10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 12-10).

Later in the year in the Belgian city of Liège, he experienced the same fate at the quarter-final stage of the Liebherr 2017 Men’s World Cup, he led 10-4 in the seventh game against Timo Boll; the German levelled but then at 11-10 the balance was in favour of Lin Gaoyuan, he didn’t win another point, Timo Boll celebrated a sensational victory (5-11, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 14-12. 13-11).

Now it would seem Lin Gaoyuan has learned, stronger for the agony; in Shenzhen against Dimitrij Ovtcharov, he saved five match points in a row; then another four as he clawed his way back to victory.

Does he now earn the nickname of the “Cat”? They do say a cat has nine lives!

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Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem set example, time for a change in thinking?

Published in Table Tennis

Friday, 31 May 2019 11:41

Wong Chun Ting makes them different from most. He is a pen-holder, the grip that is perceived the better when the ball is short near the net, an essential skill in doubles to create opening for your partner.

However, there is one further most salient factor, both Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem are right handed.

Consider the other pairs on mixed doubles duty in Shenzhen, of the partnerships that reached the quarter-finals, the only other combination that was all right handed was that of Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs. Check the top eight seeded pairs, the only all right handed partnership was that of Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem.

Now with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games approaching is it time to think again? Is the left hander partnering the right hander the best option? In the past decade, the so-called “banana” return of service from the backhand has become a staple diet, the forearm vertical, the wrist flexible and the racket circumnavigating the ball.

In any form of doubles where the formation is right and left hand, to realise this form of return, the right hander crosses the path of the left hander when receiving service; was this not a reason for the preliminary stage defeat of Fan Zhendong and Ding Ning? After Fan Zhendong had made the “banana” return were they not rather out of position.

Should the priority be on hand skills? In the likes of Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and Japan’s Koki Niwa, both left handers, the have skills for which most mortals is dreamland; equally despite defeat in Shenzhen China’s Xu Xin is no mean doubles player.

However, the majority of nations do not have such luxuries; so as more and more players become adept with the “banana” return should the focus now change? Should the priority no longer be left and right?

Do Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem set an example to follow?

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