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Venus Williams turns down Indian Wells wildcard

Published in Tennis
Sunday, 23 February 2025 22:42

Former world number one Venus Williams has turned down a wildcard for next month's Indian Wells tournament.

Organisers said last week the 44-year-old had been invited but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has not taken it up.

"Our team has been informed that Venus is not accepting the wildcard this year," the event posted on X in a statement attributed to tournament director Tommy Haas.

"We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future."

Williams has dropped to 974th in the world and has not played a WTA Tour-level match since losing in the first round of the Miami Open last March.

She earlier told the TennisWeekly podcast she would not be making her return at the Indian Wells tournament, which runs from 2-16 March.

"I'm not playing - I'm going to be overseas. I'm not going to be here," she said.

Briton Evans loses in first round in Dubai

Published in Tennis
Monday, 24 February 2025 06:19

Britain's Dan Evans lost to Russian Karen Khachanov in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

Evans, who received a wildcard for the tournament, had won all five of their previous meetings, including a five-and-a-half-hour classic at last year's US Open.

However, world number 24 Khachanov triumphed 6-1 6-3 in one hour 20 minutes.

He will face Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the second round.

The ITTF-African Cup kicks off on 25 February at the Palais des Sports dEl Menzah in Tunis, Tunisia. This 3-day event, running from 25-27 February 2025, serves as the final crucial stepping stone for African players to qualify for the mega event. The tournament offers an opportunity for top African paddlers to showcase their skills, fight for bragging rights, and compete for a $25,000 prize pool.

With 29 men and 21 women competing, four qualification spots are up for grabs in both Mens and Womens singles events.

World No.18 and multiple-time African Cup winner, Egyptian Omar Assar leads the pack in the Mens singles as the top seed, followed closely by defending champion and Nigerian legend Aruna Quadri. The field also comprises young stars like Matthew Kuti (Nigeria) and home favorite Wassim Essid.

Egypt dominates the womens singles seedings with young superstar Hana Goda leading the charge with a world ranking of 27. She is followed closely by experienced compatriot and defending champion Dina Meshref, a 6-time winner of the event. World No. 64 Mariam Alhodaby, last years runner-up, is also in the fray.

The tournament will begin with a round-robin format, with players split into groups. The top 2 players from each group will qualify for the knockout stages, with all 4 semifinalists in both Mens and Womens singles earning a spot to compete at the ITTF World Cup Macao 2025.

The ITTF African Cup 2025 represents the final chapter in the continental qualification journey. With established champions defending their titles and emerging talents eager to make their mark, the competition promises to be fierce. As the last continental tournament in the Road to Macao, Africas table tennis stars will be looking to write an exciting new chapter in the sports history.

How to Follow:

Watch the best moments from week three of the Six Nations, including a rousing choir in Cardiff, Fin Smith's "monster" kick for England and France's multiple tries against Italy.

READ MORE: Five talking points from Six Nations round three

WATCH MORE: Singing Adele & cracking jokes - Marler's BBC Sport debut

Watch highlights on Six Nations Rugby Special on BBC iPlayer.

Available to UK users only.

Fiji centre Nayacalevu joins Ospreys from Sale

Published in Rugby
Monday, 24 February 2025 09:01

"It's a real honour to be signing with the Ospreys," said Nayacalevu.

"There's some world-class talent here and I'm looking forward to playing alongside them.

"Stepping into a team where quality experience is combined with exciting potential is ideal for me at this stage of my career.

"I believe I can contribute heavily to the squad this season, both on and off the field."

Ospreys are 13th in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and have not given up hope of reaching the play-offs by finishing in the top eight, while they also face Scarlets in Europe's Challenge Cup last 16 in early April.

Watkin suffered a serious knee injury playing for Wales against France in the Six Nations opener in January and will miss the rest of the season.

"It's not often a player of Waisea's calibre becomes available in the season," said Ospreys head coach Mark Jones.

"He brings a wealth of experience and leadership credentials with him, which can only be a good thing for our youngsters coming through.

"We feel Waisea can make an instant impact and be a real difference for us in Owen's absence.

"It stands us in good stead in a season where we still have a lot to play for."

Ireland must be better for Grand Slam - Easterby

Published in Rugby
Sunday, 23 February 2025 23:09

For the second game in this championship, Ireland were behind at half-time against Wales before scoring 17 unanswered points to secure their 19th Six Nations victory from their past 21 games.

The hosts were certainly better than advertised throughout their 15th consecutive loss - Easterby called commentary around Wales in the build-up "unnecessary" - but the head coach feels his side will need to improve against France.

"Yeah, we'll need to be better. There's things we weren't good enough at [on Saturday] and we gave Wales the opportunity to get into the game, but also they played well.

"They did things which we expected and we certainly weren't coming into the game underestimating what they could achieve with a different mentality, different coaching group. They were always going to get a bounce and we saw that."

Ireland have won their past two meetings with France but lost the three before that.

In recent seasons, it has come to be billed as the championship's key fixture with the winner going on to claim the title in each of the past three years.

"It's exciting that we get a chance after two away games to go home and play in the Aviva," added Easterby.

"I think we're really looking forward to that and I'd say it will be a cracking atmosphere. They will be challenging, of course they will.

"We'll feel like we've had a couple of good wins against them recently but we also know they've got great strengths and we need to get better ourselves."

Five talking points from round three of Six Nations

Published in Rugby
Sunday, 23 February 2025 22:10

In January, it was announced that this year's Six Nations will use 20-minute red cards for the first time.

Lawmakers say the 20-minute red card trial is designed to "punish the player and not the team", with sides able to replace a dismissed player after 20 minutes instead of playing the rest of the game with 14.

Ireland centre Garry Ringrose got his timing wrong on a big first-half hit on Wales' Ben Thomas and his high tackle was later upgraded to red.

With Ireland down to 14, Wales had their best period of the match and scored a superb try in the corner through Tom Rogers.

Once the 20 minutes passed, Bundee Aki replaced Ringrose and played a key role in seeing the game home for Ireland.

"Ringrose is an exceptional player and defends so physically but in my opinion those collisions need to be out of the game," Barclay said.

"That is a player who has made a decision to fly in. In my view, and a lot of other people, that should be a straight red card."

Warburton says players' behaviours have not changed enough since he retired in 2018.

"There needs to be a much firmer punishment on individuals off the field," he said. "If Ringrose gets a one or two-week ban then he is going to do that again.

"A four-week ban and he probably doesn't do that tackle again. We need to punish the player individually much more harshly off the field."

Scotland's Russell bottom of Six Nations kicking stats

Published in Rugby
Monday, 24 February 2025 09:48

Finn Russell's wayward form off the tee has cost more points than any other front-line kicker in this year's Six Nations, according to Opta stats.

Russell, who missed only one of 24 kicks in last season's tournament, has landed just three from eight in Scotland's three matches so far this campaign.

Opta's 'expected points' model - which predicts a cumulative points return based on where kicks are taken from, a kicker's previous success rate and even venue-specific factors such as altitude - says Russell has landed 5.3 fewer points than expected in this edition of the Six Nations.

The expected return from Russell's three conversions attempts against England on Saturday was 3.7 points.

Instead the 32-year-old, who was so influential in Scotland's dynamic first half, missed all three - including a potential last-minute match-winner - as his side lost 16-15 at Twickenham.

Russell's final kick was from a tough angle, out on the left touchline, but could potentially have been slightly easier.

Wing Duhan van der Merwe went in out wide when, despite cover from England's Tommy Freeman, it appeared he could have crossed closer to the posts to improve Russell's chances.

Showtime Vs. Southern Sprints Date Set

Published in Racing
Monday, 24 February 2025 10:04

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. Showtime Speedway Sprints and the BG Products Southern Sprint Car Shootout announced a winged challenge race between the two series is scheduled for March 8 at Showtime Speedway on Monday afternoon.

The event will be a full points night for both series. In addition, the event will be run on both Hoosier Racing Tires and American Racer Tire. Showtime Sprints utilize Hoosiers while the SSSS uses American Racer. To accommodate both series, teams will be able to pick one or the other as well as mix and match.

Showtime Speedway was once a mainstay on the SSSS schedule from 2016 through 2023. When the SSSS switched to the American Racers last season, Showtime Speedway elected to continue doing its own sprint car series utilizing Hoosier Tires.

A full field of cars is expected. Combining both series on the same night should create a field larger than normal. The event will pit the best from both series with bragging rights on the line. American Racer will also go head-to-head in a pavement sprint car event on the same night with Hoosier Racing Tire for the first time in many years.

Talks about the possibility of a co-sanctioned event between Showtime Speedway promoter Robert Yoho and SSSS President Rick Day began almost immediately after a successful Dave Steele World Sprint Car Championship Weekend this past weekend.

Additional details including event purse and format will be announced in the coming days.

Stewart Added to Gainesville All-Star Callout

Published in Racing
Monday, 24 February 2025 10:16

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Tony Stewart will race in the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout for the first time in his NHRA career, as the motorsports legend and reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year is officially part of the eight-car bonus race that takes on March 8 as part of the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway.

Stewart will move into the eighth spot as Tony Schumacher will not be racing in Gainesville. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion and 88-time event winner is expected to announce his racing plans for 2025 in the coming weeks.

The big-money specialty race takes place with a unique callout format, offering an opportunity for eight Top Fuel stars the chance for a major double-up weekend to kick off the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in Gainesville.

Im looking forward to competing in the Top Fuel Callout at Gainesville, Stewart said. The field is stacked with talent and we wont know who we are up against until we get there, so that adds an exciting element to the event. Hopefully were able to bring home the trophy and some extra bonus money for the team for all of their hard work.

Four-time world champ Steve Torrence secured the top spot in the one-day specialty event for a second straight year, while the official eight-car field looks like this:

Final Top Fuel All-Star Callout Field

1.   Steve Torrence

2.   Doug Kalitta

3.   Shawn Langdon

4.   Justin Ashley

5.   Antron Brown

6.   Brittany Force

7.   Clay Millican

8.   Tony Stewart

With the unique callout aspect of the bonus race, Torrence will get the first opportunity to select his first-round opponent. If he doesnt select Kalitta, the 2023 champ will get the second pick, moving down the line until all first-round matchups are set. The driver who makes the quickest winning run in the first round will then select their semifinal opponent, locking in the other matchup.

Stewart, who advanced to a pair of final rounds during his first Top Fuel season, will have his first opportunity to take part in the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout, and being in the eighth spot, he will get called out by a driver in the opening round.

Those first-round selections take place at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, March 7 in the Top Eliminator Club, with the opening round of racing slated for 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. The semifinals follow at 2:20 p.m. and the final round takes place at 3:30 p.m.

Torrence won the inaugural Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout in 2022, with the Texan capturing the victory after weather pushed the completion of the bonus race to Indy. Local native Josh Hart provided a feel-good story in 2023 by earning the victory from the No. 8 position, while Browns championship run started with his memorable specialty race victory a year ago.

Brown defeated Brittany Force in the final under the lights in Gainesville in 2024, setting the stage for a run at his fourth world championship. This year is a loaded field in the bonus race, as Torrence, Kalitta, Langdon, Brown and Force have won world titles. With a big purse, a special Callout trophy and plenty of bragging rights on the line, it can also provide the perfect boost to open the season at one of the most historic races on the NHRA schedule.

In 2024, Langdon (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Gatornationals to open the year. It marked the first double-up victory for Kalitta Motorsports, while six-time world champ Enders won the historic race for the first time.

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