BARRE, Vt. – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl and American-Canadian Tour officials have announced that the 41st Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic has been rescheduled for Sept. 14 at 5 p.m.
As part of the rescheduling, Thunder Road’s Barre Granite Association Championship Night has been moved to Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1:30 p.m. All Thunder Road track champions will be crowned at that event as previously planned.
However, the post-race pit party that was scheduled for Championship Night will remain on Sept. 14 as part of the Labor Day Classic schedule. Thunder Road will now officially celebrate its 60th season of racing following its oldest event – one that began in the track’s inaugural season of 1960.
Much of the Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic remains to be completed. Several qualifying races are still on tap of the ACT Late Model Tour and Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers. They’ll be followed by the Labor Day Classic 200, the 50-lap Flying Tiger feature, and the 50-lap Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Challenge.
All general admission tickets and pit bracelets from Sept. 1 will be honored at the make-up date. Those who are unable to return on Sept. 14 can mail their tickets or bracelets to the Thunder Road/ACT offices for a full refund. These must be postmarked prior to Sept. 14.
Eight member associations will continue their bid to host the expanded Women's World Cup in 2023, FIFA confirmed on Tuesday.
FIFA agreed to increase the number of participating teams for the 2023 event from 24 to 32 following this year's edition in France, and it subsequently reopened the bidding process.
Bidding member associations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea, who are interested in a joint bid together with North Korea.
Belgium, who registered their interest last month, as well as Bolivia were not on the latest list.
"FIFA has dispatched updated bidding and hosting documents to all eight member associations, which will have until Dec. 13 to submit their bid book, the signed hosting agreement and all other hosting and bidding documents," FIFA said in a statement.
"Up until the deadline for bid submissions, any member association wishing to join an existing bid will be permitted to do so provided it also submits a bidding registration to FIFA."
Interest in the women's game has arguably never been higher, with broadcast records broken all over the world in the June-July showpiece.
Almost 59 million people watched France beat potential 2023 hosts Brazil in the round of 16, becoming the most viewed women's football match of all time.
FIFA will conduct official inspections for relevant member associations in January and February 2020, and the hosts are expected to be named in May.
It was a modern transfer saga, the unprecedented football tale that will be remembered for a very long time, the telenovela that made headlines all around the world for nearly three months.
Everything was in place for the biggest move of the summer. Two years after going from Spain to France for €222 million, Neymar, 27, would this time go back the other way. He, his father and their trusted ally, super-agent/intermediary Pini Zahavi, were convinced it would happen sooner rather than later, too.
Yet despite being desperate to leave, the Brazilian superstar is still a PSG player. Both clubs involved were frustrated, fans are unhappy and the player is stuck.
How did we get here? Where did this move break down?
With additional reporting from Jonathan Johnson, Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal, Moises Llorens, Dermot Corrigan, Sam Marsden and Rodrigo Faez
Marcotti: PSG won't be bullied, Neymar likely to stay put
Gab Marcotti says it would take "divine intervention" for PSG to sell Neymar to Barcelona before the transfer window closes.
At first, it looked simple: The Brazil star wanted to leave Paris Saint-Germain to return to Barcelona and PSG were opened to selling him at the right price -- their price -- to Barcelona. Barcelona wanted him back, too: in particular, his presence was desired by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, perhaps hoping to reunite the world-class attack that yielded back-to-back La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League in 2014-15.
There was no need for a public fight between player and club and there would be none of that drama, either. He enjoyed a good preseason with PSG, looking every bit involved and committed to the cause, smiling at times and bringing his brand of fun to the squad. He didn't play a single minute because PSG didn't want to take any risks that could have hindered his potential move.
The drama began in Paris midway through the 2018-19 season, another tough campaign for Neymar. He suffered another major injury, following his broken metatarsal a year prior, and made just 17 Ligue 1 appearances. In January, he could only watch from the box seats at the Parc des Princes as PSG were humiliatingly knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester United, who won 3-1 to overturn PSG's 2-0 first-leg win and advance on away goals.
When Neymar finally returned, he was fit enough to start the French Cup final at the end of April, against Rennes, in which PSG raced out to a 2-0 lead inside 21 minutes -- Neymar scored the second -- but fell apart and went on to lose on penalties. After the game, Neymar slapped a spectator in the face and also publicly criticised his teammates for their inexperience. Neymar was issued a three-match suspension for his postmatch punch.
By all accounts, this seemed to be the beginning of the end of his PSG adventures. Despite having three years left on his contract, the Brazilian had made his mind up. He wanted to leave.
PSG send a message and Barca hear it: Neymar is available
play
2:11
Is Neymar using Real Madrid to seal a Barcelona return?
Sid Lowe provides the latest surrounding Neymar's future amid rumours Barcelona and Real Madrid are both making a final push for the Brazilian.
At this point, the biggest star in Paris became the Frenchman, not the Brazilian, and Neymar could probably feel the shift. He started letting people know in private that he wasn't happy in Paris and that he wanted to go back to Barcelona. However, one big change at the club would unwittingly shape the whole summer saga: Leonardo returned as sporting director on June 14, six years after leaving the club. Instead of Antero Henrique, a figurehead regarded as ineffective and incapable of the role, PSG regained a leader, a tough negotiator and a strong character. The message from Leonardo was simple: Neymar could leave, but only on PSG's terms.
Two days after Leonardo's comeback, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG chairman and CEO, gives an explosive interview to France Football where, for the first time, he opened the door to Neymar's departure.
It was an unprecedented move by PSG's owners, the Qatar royal family, to allow such a senior figure in Al-Khelaifi to speak on the record. Behind the scenes, they'd grown frustrated by Neymar's conduct, his injuries and of the fact that he'd failed to take PSG to the next level. (The 2018-19 season, with just the Ligue 1 title won, was their worst since taking over the club in 2011.)
Long before any official negotiations, Barcelona had been working to exert influence on the Brazilian and apply pressure for an eventual move. On June 18, for the first time, sources at the club confess that a deal for Neymar would be considered and is possible.
Before that, Neymar's return was not anywhere in Barcelona's offseason plans. Their summer strategy was simple: secure Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie De Jong, add a left back (Junior Firpo) and offload some fringe first-team squad members. But the players were in contact all summer long. Neymar wanted to come back and Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez want him back. Messi, Suarez -- the pair were on holiday together in Ibiza -- and Neymar were exchanging messages in the hopes of finally being reunited.
At the club, there were still conflicting feelings about it. Some Barca directors don't want him back after his acrimonious exit two summers ago while others know that two years before the next round of presidential elections -- Barca "members" vote every six years on who will run the club -- it would be a great coup for Bartomeu to bring Neymar back. It would also have made Messi very happy as he began initial talks for a new deal at the club, so the Catalans start working on the structure of a deal. How can they afford him after confirming Griezmann's move? They are confident they can still do Neymar.
In Paris, Neymar was late coming back from Brazil after the injury he suffered that led him to miss the Copa America. Despite a scheduled July 8 return date, he appeared on July 15 but his father claimed the club was aware of the delay.
By this point, tensions were running quite high, with PSG actively preparing for life without their superstar. Leonardo began looking at players to replace him, making tentative plans as to how he could use the money from Neymar's exit to strengthen the squad. He held meetings with Thomas Tuchel. The German manager loves the Brazilian and wanted to keep him, but he also understood the positions of the club and Neymar himself.
At the executive level, Leonardo, wanting to avoid a long saga, took charge of all negotiations. He spoke to Neymar's father, who told him that his son wanted to go. On July 9, Leonardo finally confirmed what everyone had known for weeks: Neymar wanted to leave and could leave if the right offer came in.
Barcelona continue their Neymar chase, Real Madrid enter the race
Leonardo put pressure on Barcelona, Neymar's former club. "If they want him, they can come now," he said in private and on July 15, Neymar and Leonardo met for the first time. It was a short meeting and both sides confirmed where they stood: one wanted to leave, the other was happy to let him go. There was no love there.
So Leonardo and Neymar waited before having further talks; they also waited for Barcelona to make official contact. At that time, it was one of the few credible options for a transfer given the money involved and, most importantly, it was where the player wanted to go.
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu insisted again on July 20 that Neymar was not available but behind the scenes, he continued to talk to PSG. He was seen as the main person at the club pushing for a deal. The next step was to get Barca players involved.
At the beginning of August, Gerard Piqué talked about the discussion between Neymar and his former teammates. Barca midfielder Carles Alena revealed that the whole dressing room wanted the Brazilian back. It's a familiar charm offensive: from here, the two Spanish daily newspapers, Mundo Deportivo and Marca, filled their front pages with Neymar stories, running polls showing how many fans want him back and reporting on Messi's desire for an official reunion.
The Brazilian traveled to China with the squad for their summer tour but didn't play a single minute of preseason action, although he did participate in off-field activies like PSG's kit promotion. In the luxurious Raffles hotel in Shenzhen, Neymar had long chats with some of his teammates, who tried to convince him to stay. In return, he expressed how confident he was that he had played his last game for PSG and that soon, upon returning to France, things would finally evolve. And they do.
On August 11, Leonardo confirmed that talks with Barcelona were now more advanced. His stance was no different: Bring me what I want and Neymar is yours.
What PSG wanted was simple: to recoup as much as the €222m they paid for the player two years ago. A sale price of 200m would have been optimal, but the club left room for negotiation. However, Leonardo and the club had doubts over Barcelona's ability to pay that kind of money. They had heavily spent already on De Jong and Griezmann in 2019, leaving them with little leverage other than offering players in the deal too. Leonardo was prepared for that.
Real Madrid also entered the race. It was a blessing for PSG, who'd hoped for a bidding war between the two Spanish giants.
Were Real Madrid honestly interested in Neymar?
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1:40
Will Cavani and Mbappe's injuries affect Neymar's future?
ESPN FC's Gab Marcotti discusses PSG's current injury situation and how it will effect Neymar's future with the French club.
Real were never far off the conversation but never got too close, either. Madrid president Florentino Perez was briefly enamoured by the incredible coup it would have been to snatch Neymar away from Barcelona. After all, it was a long-held dream for Perez. When he was 14, Neymar trained at the Bernabeu and Real believed he was theirs before Barcelona got a deal done quicker back in 2013. Their interest appearsed to be one of revenge, a desire to not only add a significant Galactico to their squad but to get one back on the old enemy.
On July 12, stories emerged about the conversations between Madrid directors and Neymar's camp. Perez knew he has historically enjoyed a great relationship with PSG and Al Khelaifi, and that they would rather sell to him than to Barcelona.
Yet it took until Aug. 6 for Real to seriously enter the race. They believed that a deal for Paul Pogba would be very hard to secure with Manchester United and therefore, Neymar is the second Galactico option. As more time passed, they felt more confident they could put a good offer together, either a cash-and-player deal or a straight cash deal. They also had the money despite heavily investing in the summer.
And so, they began a public courtship through their all-star squad. On Aug. 13, it was revealed that some of their players have been calling Neymar to convince him to join them at the Bernabeu. Real got serious about Neymar and they believed they were in the best position for a deal, but Real never made a formal offer. PSG would have been keen on getting Vinicius Jr as part of the deal but that brought an immediate rejection from Perez.
Why didn't Real make a proper offer? Did they think that it would hinder their chances of getting Mbappé next summer? Or did they just want to trouble their longtime rivals?
Bizarrely, the two clubs were in constant contact over the final 10 days of the transfer window, eventually engineering a deal sending Keylor Navas to the Parc des Princes with Alphonse Areola moving in the other direction. But nothing on Neymar. It was almost as strange as Barcelona's stance on the deal from start to finish.
Barcelona, PSG can't make the deal work
On August 11, PSG beat Nimes at the Parc des Princes in the first Ligue 1 game of the 2019-20 season. Neymar was absent from the squad but the most important thing wasn't the victory or the performance: it was the hatred shown by the PSG ultras towards Neymar. They insulted him and waved banners expressing their ill will. They hadn't forgiven his incredible claim a few weeks earlier that his best footballing memory was the "Remontada" (comeback) with Barcelona against against PSG in the Champions League.
Things were bad between Neymar and the Parc des Princes faithful but also between Neymar and Leonardo. The two men, and the player's dad and entourage, stopped seeing eye to eye. The sporting director is charming but can also be tough and short if he chooses, refusing to be bullied or outsmarted. PSG rejected the first offer from Barcelona, received on Aug. 13 after a first sit-down meeting between the two clubs, which included a swap with Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic. After three hours of negotiations, PSG were not happy with what the Catalans were offering.
Talks continued but without a breakthrough, which frustrated Leonardo and Neymar, and with only two weeks left in the transfer window, negotiations became even more tense.
PSG were confident by that point that Barcelona couldn't afford Neymar at the price they demanded. They believed they were in a strong position and to make their position even stronger, Leonardo began rebuilding his relationship with the Neymar clan. The Brazilian playmaker started looking happy again in Paris. He still wanted to leave but softened his stance to the point that staying would not be an issue. Furthermore, PSG expressed that they'd welcome him back.
On Aug. 20, Barcelona proposed a loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer. PSG don't bother responding, feeling that Barcelona's wheel-and-deal approach was embarrassing for a club of their size and influence.
Barca tried different approaches. They considered including Ousmane Dembélé in the deal. Tuchel was keen on working with Dembele again, given their time together at Borussia Dortmund, but the World Cup winner with France didn't want to move.
Cash was also still a problem, as Barça didn't have enough of it. On Aug. 27, there was a second meeting in Paris, this time at PSG's HQ in the posh suburbs on the east side of the French capital. Different options were discussed, with a €170m fee loosely agreed upon -- Rakitic and Dembele's names were also on the table -- but no consensus over how and when the payment would be made or how much each installment would be.
While Barcelona were more optimistic, the French champions were still very sceptical. Dembélé was still uninterested in leaving the Camp Nou and privately, PSG were almost convinced that the deal would not happen. There was one more meeting planned, on Aug. 29 in Monaco prior to the Champions League draw. Both club presidents, PSG's Al-Khelaifi and Barcelona's Bartomeu, were in attendance but crucially, Leonardo remained in Paris with the team. Nothing meaningful could happen in his absence and his decision to remain away showed that PSG never believed there would be a breakthrough in Monaco.
People at the club had wondered all summer if Barcelona truly wanted their former player back and there were still plenty of question marks over how Barcelona could afford their former star. On July 14, at Griezmann's unveiling, Bartomeu explained that a €35m loan was needed to pay the full €120m release clause in his contract. They barely could afford the former Atletico star. How could they bring back Neymar considering what PSG were asking?
"We are talking about one of the biggest players in the world," a source said. "If you want him and you have the money, you pay and you recruit him. If you can't afford him, you say it and you are out.
"You don't waste people's time."
The end of the Neymar saga
Two incidents would complicate everything.
On Aug. 15, Bartomeu had a chance to meet up with Al-Khelaifi at the European Clubs Association (the group representing clubs in UEFA) meeting in Liverpool but decided not to attend at the last minute.
Two days later, Barcelona agreed to loan Coutinho to Bayern Munich even though he was one of the players PSG were willing to include in a deal for Neymar. This marked a huge step back in negotiations. Later on Aug. 17, the Spanish champions lost Suarez and Dembélé to injury and were beaten in their la Liga opener at Athletic Bilbao to an injury time strike by Aritz Aduriz.
After that loan offer was quickly rebuffed by Paris, it was back to the drawing board for the Catalans and in the background, Barca sporting advisor Eric Abidal focused on finding a solution. He tried to convince Dembélé to be part of the package but the Frenchman and his agent, Moussa Sissoko, refused everything.
Despite little progress, there was a glimmer of hope after the second meeting in Paris on Aug. 27. Following his return to Catalunya, one of Barca's directors, Javier Bordas, told the media waiting for him at the airport that the club is "closer" to bringing Neymar back.
Zahavi, the super-agent who tried to broker the deal, is in constant contact with the two clubs and the Neymar camp. Despite all his efforts and a final conversation between Bartomeu and Al-Khelaifi in Monaco on Aug. 29, an agreement was never even close.
In the end, Barcelona spent a lot of time and energy chasing a player they were never capable of affording.
Will this saga begin again in 2020?
For now, the rehabilitation is ongoing in Paris. Neymar will be brought back into the squad and into the PSG first-team. He has a lot of work to do to rebuild his relationship with the fans but make no mistake: at his best, Neymar is a huge asset for this team. It is down to him now to recover his best form, to forget what could have been (or should have been), to put the injuries behind him and finally be a real success in Paris.
For PSG, sporting wise, marketing wise, they are obviously better with the Brazilian than without in every sense. Their goal will be to forget what happened and make a fresh start even if it's just for this season.
At the moment, nobody inside PSG knows what Barcelona's next move might be, or when. Will they come back for Neymar in January? It seems unlikely to succeed with such a complicated transfer in midseason but a return to the negotiation table seems very likely next summer. Suarez will be 33, with only one year left on his contract, while Messi will be a year older too and it would make more sense then for Neymar to come back. By then, Barça might also have more cash available.
If you liked this saga, brace yourself for a repeat next summer only Barcelona and Neymar will be hoping for a different ending.
Cris Cyborg has signed with Bellator MMA after a messy three-year run with the UFC.
One of the best women's fighters in the history of the sport is now under a multi-year, multi-bout contract with Bellator, promotion president Scott Coker announced Tuesday on Twitter. Coker wrote that it was the biggest contract ever given to a women's MMA fighter.
Cyborg, whose real name is Cris Justino, accompanied Bellator's announcement with a video message to her fans on Facebook.
"My goal is to become the only female fighter to hold four different major titles in the same division," said Cyborg, who has already held the women's featherweight title in the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC.
The final fight on Cyborg's UFC contract came against Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 in July, a bout Cyborg won via unanimous decision. The fighter and UFC president Dana White have had a long history of butting heads and White said in the aftermath of that bout the UFC was out of the Cyborg business. The UFC waived its 90-day exclusive negotiating window with the Brazilian knockout artist, making her a free agent.
Cyborg, who is No. 3 pound-for-pound among women in ESPN's MMA rankings, won the UFC women's featherweight title by beating Tonya Evinger by third-round TKO at UFC 214 in July 2017. She dropped the belt to Amanda Nunes, also the UFC's women's bantamweight champ, at UFC 232 last December via first-round knockout. That defeat was Cyborg's first in 13 years, since her pro MMA debut in 2005.
From 2005 up until 2018, Cyborg was the most dominating and fearsome force in the history of women's mixed martial arts. Justino, now 34 years old, went undefeated and won 17 of 20 victories by finish. Cyborg has beaten the likes of Holly Holm, Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano. Historically, she has also been one of the best-known women's MMA fighters in the world, drawing solid numbers on television and pay-per-view.
"I have worked with countless athletes over my 30-plus years of promoting combat sports, but there is no one quite like Cyborg," said Coker, who promoted Justino with Strikeforce. "Her ability to excite the crowd from the moment she makes her walk to the cage is special, and having had the pleasure of promoting several of her fights in the past, I am looking forward to the opportunity of promoting her once again. Cyborg is the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport and she will be a perfect fit here at Bellator, where champion Julia Budd and the other women that make up best female featherweight division in the world have eagerly awaited her arrival."
Cyborg was brought into the UFC in 2016 at a catchweight of 140 pounds. She had competed previously at 145 pounds, a more natural weight. The idea at the time was to set up a fight between Cyborg and Ronda Rousey, but it never materialized. Cyborg was too big to get down to Rousey's 135-pound weight class and Rousey departed the UFC later in 2016.
Cyborg and the UFC had an embattled relationship even before Cyborg was under contract. In 2014, White infamously made fun of Cyborg for her appearance at an MMA awards show, saying she looked like male fighter Wanderlei Silva in a dress. Cyborg took it like White was saying she looked like a man; White has said that he was making a comment on Cyborg's past history with performance-enhancing drugs. Cyborg tested positive for a steroid and was stripped of her Strikeforce title in 2011.
After Nunes beat Cyborg last December, White repeatedly said Cyborg did not want a rematch, which Cyborg vehemently denied. Meanwhile, Cyborg felt like the UFC never truly built out a women's featherweight division in which she could compete, which was a valid criticism.
On Ariel Helwani's MMA Show in July, Cyborg said she wanted a public apology from White as a condition of her re-signing with the UFC.
"Of course, he has to apologize," Justino said. "I think he has family, he has kids. ... I don't know if he has a heart, but I think one thing he's doing is not just touching me, because he doesn't like me. He's touching the people around me, he's touching my family. It's not right."
The rocky relationship came to an end in earnest after UFC 240 when Cyborg's team posted a doctored video online that inaccurately quoted him in subtitles while talking to Cyborg backstage in Edmonton, Alberta. Cyborg apologized on social media, but White said in an interview on the UFC's YouTube channel that the promotion was done with Cyborg.
"I'm going to release her from her contract and I will not match any offers [she receives]," White said. "She is free and clear to go to Bellator or any of these other promotions and fight these easy fights she wants. Done. Done deal. I will literally, today, have my lawyer draft a letter to [Justino's team saying] that she is free and clear."
In the Bellator release announcing her signing, it makes note of the promotion's healthy women's featherweight division, including Budd, who has won 11 straight.
British number one Johanna Konta missed out on the US Open semi-finals after she was worn down by Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
Konta, 28, was unable to impose herself in a 6-4 6-4 defeat on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 16th seed, aiming to complete the set of major semi-final appearances, was forced into errors by 24-year-old Svitolina's impressive retrieving.
She saved two match points before rock-solid Svitolina served out the win.
Svitolina, the highest seed left in the draw, will play American 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams or China's Wang Qiang in the last four.
Konta was the first British woman to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Jo Durie in 1983, but could not match her feat by going one step further as Svitolina maintained her record of not dropping a set during the tournament.
Svitolina, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and also won the WTA Tour Finals last year, is one of the most consistent ball-strikers in the women's game and her ability to keep putting the ball back into play proved Konta's downfall.
It led to Konta trying to force the points with her aggressive returns, leading to 35 unforced errors - and 20 more forced by her opponent - outweighing 24 winners.
Konta falls short against familiar rival
Konta had come into this meeting having lost all four of her previous meetings with Svitolina.
The Ukrainian, coached by Englishman Andy Bettles and formerly based in London, broke first for a 3-2 lead before allowing Konta to instantly level, leaving the world number five hammering a ball into the court in anger at letting the advantage disappear.
That soon subsided, however, as three backhand winners snatched the momentum straight back, to the frustration of Konta's box, which again included by British actor Tom Hiddleston.
Konta, playing in her third successive Grand Slam quarter-final, saved a set point with a stunning volley but a long return gave Svitolina another chance which was taken when the Briton pushed a backhand past the baseline.
Konta's service game has been the bedrock of her success in New York, yet she was let down by a second serve which yielded just 48% of winning points.
Remarkably, the second set followed exactly the same pattern as the opener as the pair again traded three breaks of serve in Svitolina's favour for a 4-3 lead.
Konta's first double fault of the match indicated her growing anxiety as Svitolina threatened to end the match on the Briton's serve, a mis-hit forehand bringing up a match point which the Ukrainian hit long.
Another overcooked backhand from Konta brought up a second opportunity, but the Briton dug deep to prolong the match with three accurate serves which Svitolina had no answer to.
Konta, who valiantly played with variation to try and unsettle her opponent, had already proved she could damage Svitolina's serve.
However, she could not break again when it mattered most.
A superb cross-court winner from Svitolina, greeted with a massive roar and a raise of both arms to urge more noise from the crowd, brought up a third match point and she sealed victory when Konta went long.
That brought another wild celebration from Svitolina towards her team and boyfriend Gael Monfils, who will aim to reach the last four of the men's singles on Wednesday.
Analysis
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Johanna Konta had the chance to complete a full set of Grand Slam semi-final appearances, but this was not the crushing disappointment of her Wimbledon quarter-final defeat by Barbora Strycova.
Konta was beaten by a world number five who is yet to drop a set in the championships. Svitolina was just a little sharper, and a little more consistent throughout the match.
She made only 13 unforced errors, and is gradually putting the pieces in place to make her a Grand Slam champion. Svitolina's serve is much improved, and her confidence buoyed by winning last year's WTA Championships.
That season-ending event is now Konta's target. She is likely to rise to 11 in the world rankings and will probably also be in 11th place in the annual race to qualify for the eight-woman field in Shenzhen.
So, she is within striking distance, but will need to play exceptionally well in Wuhan and Beijing - the two big-money WTA events coming up in China over the next month.
Tennis coach Judy Murray on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra commentary
That was a masterclass in consistency, court coverage, resilience.
Svitolina served well, she fought quietly. I don't think Jo played badly, she just didn't have the consistency to break Svitolina down.
The one remaining berth stands in abeyance. Notably, at the moment there is no reservation for Japan.
Asia is eligible for three places in each of the boys’ team and girls’ team events at the 2019 World Junior Championships. The one further place will be decided following the conclusion of the individual events.
In each of the boys’ singles and girls’ singles events, third place will be awarded to the losing semi-final team whose highest listed player, according to the August under 18 world rankings, progresses the furthest in the respective boys’ singles and girls’ singles events. Should the outcome be equal, the leading players departing at the same stage, the finish of the second ranked player from each team and so on is the criteria.
China dominant
Selecting Xiang Peng, Xu Yingbin and Liu Yebo, following a 3-0 quarter-final win opposition to Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen, Dominic Koh Song Jun and Josh Chua Shao Han; China secured their place in the boys’ team final courtesy of success by the same margin in opposition to the Chinese Taipei outfit formed by Feng Yi-Hsin, Tai Ming-Wei and Li Hsin.
Convincing by China, it was rather different for India. Selecting Raegan Alburquerque, Manush Utpalbhai Shah and Anukram Jain, a 3-1 quarter-final win was claimed against Thailand’s Yanapong Panagitgun, Wattanachai Samranvong and Thyme Sanglertsilpachai, before with no changes to the line-up, a full distance success being the outcome in opposition to Korea Republic’s Park Gyuhyeon, Kim Woojin, and Lee Gihun.
Hero of the hour for India was Raegan Alburquerque; in the vital fifth match of the engagement, he accounted for Park Gyuhyeon (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6); the win coming after Kim Woojin had beaten both Raegan Alburquerque (11-6, 11-5, 12-10) and Manush Utpalbhai Shah (11-9, 11-8, 13-11).
A most worthy success, the Korea Republic outfit was in form; at the quarter-final stage they had ousted the Japanese combination of Yukiya Uda, Hiroto Shinozuka and Kakeru Sone. A 3-2 victory margin was the order of the day.
China, an imposing force, it was the same in the junior girls’ team event. Selecting Shi Xunyao, Wu Yangchen and Kuai Man, a 3-0 win quarter-final round win was recorded against Iran’s Shima Safaei, Melika Karami and Kimia Rostami, prior to a 3-1 success being the outcome when, at the semi-final stage, opposing the Korea Republic selection of Choi Haeeun, Shin Yubin and Lee Daeun.
Japan and DPR Korea
Impressive, at the quarter-final stage it was the same in the opposite half of the draw. DPR Korea represented by Kim Kum Yong, Pyon Song Gyong and Kim Un Song recorded a 3-0 win against Chinese Taipei’s Yu Hsiu-Ting, Tsai Yu-Chin and Chien Tung-Chuan. Likewise, Japan with Kyoka Idesawa, Miyu Nagasaki and Haruna Ojio in action, they secured the same margin of success in opposition to the Indian formation of Prapti Sen, Anusha Kutumbale and Swastika Ghosh.
However, with Haruna Ojio replacing Kyoka Idesawa, when the two outfits met in the penultimate round it was a gruelling affair; in a contest lasting four hours and 10 minutes, DRK Korea eventually succeeded in a full distance five match duel.
Star of the show was Kim Kum Yong. In the opening match of the engagement she beat Miyuu Kihara in five games (9-11, 11-2, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12), before in the concluding engagement, overcoming Miyu Nagasaki in four games (11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 12-10). Notably in the second match of the fixture Miyu Nagasaki had beaten Pyon Song Gyong in a titanic contest that had seemingly turned the tide in favour of Japan (12-14, 16-14, 11-7, 8-11, 17-15).
Cadet events
Similarly, in both the cadet boys’ team and cadet girls’ team events, China remained very much on course for gold at the close of play.
Represented by Chen Yuanyu, Xu Hongrui and Huang Yuzheng, a place in the boys’ team final was secured in style. A 3-0 success was posted in opposition to Iran’s Navid Shams and Mohammad Amin Samadi, followed by the same margin of victory when facing Hong Kong’s Baldwin Chan Ho Wah and Yui Kwan To.
In the final, Chinese Taipei awaits; the duo comprising Chang Yu-An and Kao Cheng-Jui recorded a 3-1 win against Singapore’s Daniel Ng and Izaac Quek Yong, before emerging successful in a hard fought full distance semi-final contest against the Korean Republic trio formed by Jang Seongil, Lim Yunoh and Gil Minseok.
Similarly, in the cadet girls’ team event there was no stopping China. A direct entry to the semi-final round, Chen Yi and Xu Yi secured a 3-1 against Japanese contingent of Kaho Akae, Miwa Harimoto and Sakura Yokoi to reserve their place in the final. In the final, they meet Korea Republic’s Kim Nayeong, Kim Seongjin and Lee Yeonhui; in the penultimate round, the trio clinched a 3-1 win against Singapore’s Ser Lin Qian and Zhou Jingyi.
The finals of all team events will be held on Wednesday 4th September.
England centre Henry Slade may go to the Rugby World Cup without playing in any of the team's warm-up matches after he trained separately from the squad before Friday's game against Italy.
The 26-year-old picked up a knee injury in August and has not played international rugby since the draw with Scotland in March.
But assistant coach Neal Hatley insists England are happy with his recovery.
"He has trained exceptionally well. We are really pleased," he said.
"Sladey trained individually, ran well and got up to full tap."
While Slade and Manu Tuilagi were England's first-choice midfield combination in the Six Nations, head coach Eddie Jones has experimented with moving Owen Farrell into the centres in his absence, as well as giving Piers Francis and Jonathan Joseph game time.
England beat Ireland 57-15 in their most recent outing after winning at home and losing away to Wales.
The squad are due to fly out to Japan for the tournament on 8 September.
Third time lucky for McConnochie?
Ruaridh McConnochie should make his much delayed debut against the Azzurri on Friday night after twice being named in starting XVs and then pulling out with an injury before kick-off.
The 27-year-old former sevens player was due to play in the meetings with Wales but had to pull out of both matches with a hip injury and muscle strain respectively.
Fellow wing Jonny May believes McConnochie will take his chance when it finally arrives.
"I don't want to jinx him or anything, but I am really excited for him to get out there. Once he is out there he is going to do what he does," said May.
"All he has to do is do what he does in training, just go out there and be yourself."
CONCORD, N.C. – Venturini Motorsports has revealed the throwback schemes the team will utilize at Salem Speedway when the ARCA Menards Series returns to action Sept. 14.
Celebrating the team’s patriarch and two-time ARCA champion (1987 & ’91), the team unveiled a pair of Bill Venturini retro paint schemes for the upcoming race at Salem Speedway.
Honoring Venturini’s first of two ARCA Series championship, Christian Eckes’ No.15 JBL Audio Toyota will carry the iconic 1987 white with blue striped paint scheme.
“It’s a great honor to run Bill’s championship colors – especially at Salem,” says current championship contender Christian Eckes. “I’ve known Bill and his family since I broke into the series back in 2016. He’s done so much for me personally and so many others over the years. It’s just a really cool deal. Hopefully we’re able to put this JBL Audio Camry in victory lane for him!”
Going further back in time, six time ARCA series winner Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 20 Craftsman Toyota, will pay homage by featuring Venturini’s 1978 United States Auto Club colors and wheel a black car featuring eye popping orange and blue stripes with gold numbers.
“It was a so cool to see all the old school paint schemes at Darlington,” said Smith. “But nothing will compare to driving this throwback car under the lights at Salem. Salem has a rich history. The ARCA Series has been racing there almost forever and Bill and the Venturini family has been running there since the 80’s. I can’t think of another track or paint scheme I’d rather run.”
Both Eckes and Smith have each won at Salem. Eckes, won his first of six current ARCA victories in 2018 at Salem and Smith duplicated his winning effort the same year during Salem’s fall race.
The longtime ARCA team has recorded nine wins at Salem Speedway of its 64 all-time series wins and team co-owner, Billy Venturini, scored his only ARCA win at the southern Indiana track in 2006.
INDIANAPOLIS — He had been everywhere and won everything, so upon hanging up his helmet he had a right to stop and smell the flowers. Or, in his case, to grow them.
But what none of us ever expected was that Merv Treichler, after 20 years in the spotlight, would vanish upon retirement.
But here’s the thing about heroes: You can search out the reluctant ones. Which is what sent me up U.S. 62 out of Buffalo, N.Y., toward rural Sanborn and one of the finest racers I’ve ever known.
He led me toward a small office in a huge greenhouse, one of many at H.A. Treichler & Sons. The family business has been around since 1854, first as a major supplier of potatoes and later as, well, a flower power. Merv and his brother, Gary, ran it for decades; now Gary’s son, Terry, is in charge.
“But I’m here 350 days a year,” said Merv.
We sat down, each of us older — he is 75 — and probably grayer than we’d guessed. For a moment, Treichler just grinned.
“What’s it been, 30 years?” he asked.
That was in the ballpark. We hadn’t spent time together since 1987, when he called time on one incredible career.
In 1970, at Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway, Treichler won the Race of Champions, the premier event on the asphalt modified calendar. In 1981 and ’82, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, he topped the Schaefer 200, America’s marquee race for big-block dirt modifieds.
That versatility was his hallmark. It went back to the two local half-miles where he’d honed his craft: Ransomville Speedway, dirt, and Lancaster Speedway, paved. Well into the ’70s, long after technology confined most modified teams to one surface or the other, Treichler had a dirt car and a blacktop car, and won track championships with both.
And anytime he hit the road — north to Canada, east to New England, south to wherever — a track’s composition never factored into his travel plans.
“Wherever they paid the most,” he said, “that’s where we went.”
On dirt, he squared off weekly against Will Cagle, Davey Moore and Alan Johnson; when he roamed, he’d tussle with Jack Johnson, Dick Tobias and Kenny Brightbill. His regular asphalt foes included Richie Evans, Maynard Troyer and his own fast cousin, Roger Treichler; at distant NASCAR gatherings, he faced Ray Hendrick, Bugs Stevens and Fred DeSarro. He beat them all.
Someone nicknamed him “Marvelous Merv,” and it fit.
In February 1975, he entered a road-course modified race at Daytona Int’l Speedway with a homebuilt Monza. He outran Bobby Allison and 38 others to grab the pole, then dominated the Permatex 200. That September, he and the Monza led every lap of Watkins Glen’s first modified race. Add road racing to the list of things that didn’t trouble Merv Treichler.
By the end of the ’70s, his focus shifted almost entirely to dirt. Actually, to DIRT, which sanctioned several tracks and, importantly, Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds. Treichler loved the spooky mile, but its autumn classic eluded him until trucking executive John Jackson furnished a Troyer Mud Buss in 1981. For two straight Octobers, Treichler ruled the Schaefer 200.
He loved the big spring and fall specials, the revelry common to places like Syracuse and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. “We partied quite a bit,” he chuckled. But once the checkers fell, he’d be out the gate, bound for Sanborn.
“We were expanding. We went away from farming potatoes and got more into the greenhouses and we were just so busy,” Treichler explained
He and Jackson hit upon an idea: What about a limited schedule with the NASCAR Busch Series? It was a new challenge and with a set number of dates, this faraway fling might paradoxically allow Treichler more work time. Today, you get the sense that nine Busch Series races in 1985 and 11 in ’86 reminded Treichler that he’d won too much to be happy flirting with a top-10 finish.
Three races into 1987, on a flight home after breaking a crankshaft at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he had a clear thought: “I said, ‘That’s enough.’ The next day, I told John I was done.”
Any second thoughts? “No. None.”
He disappeared into his work and H.A. Treichler & Sons rolled on. The old potato fields, 227 acres, are rented to farmers who grow wheat, corn and soybeans. Meanwhile, the greenhouses annually yield 250,000 potted plants — a quarter of a million — in addition to 30,000 trays of flowers and 55,000 mums.
Most of that goes to wholesalers, but there’s a retail store on the property.
I asked if the return shoppers know about his racing life.
“Some do,” said Treichler, “and some don’t.”
And the employees?
“A lot of them know, but I don’t talk about it and they know not to bring it up.”
He paused. “Honestly, I don’t look back and I don’t have anything from those days.”
I said, “Not even the trophies?”
“I’ve only got a few,” Treichler said. “I kept the Langhorne trophy; it’s one of those nice silver cups. I’ve got the Daytona trophy and the one from Watkins Glen.”
Imagine that? If those three pieces are all that’s left, his trophy collection would still be the envy of just about anyone he ever raced against. Marvelous, right?
Outside the customers came and went and the greenhouse workers loaded flower trays. Merv Treichler sat there, smiling. Life goes on. His sure did.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — SPEED SPORT and WISSOTA Auto Racing have announced the 34th running of the Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 will air to a national television audience on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 28) in a two-hour special of SPEED SPORT Presented by Hendrick Automotive Group on MAVTV.
The long-running dirt-track event will be run Sept. 10-14 at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. This is the second consecutive year the three-eighths-mile track has hosted the premier five-day event, which typically rotates among various WISSOTA-sanctioned venues. It is also the second consecutive year SPEED SPORT will broadcast the event to a national television audience.
Eight WISSOTA classes will be showcased during the five days of racing — Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mod Fours, Pure Stocks, and Hornets.
“We are very excited to showcase the 34th annual Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 on SPEED SPORT,” said WISSOTA Auto Racing Executive Director Carson Gramm. “This partnership with SPEED SPORT has given us the opportunity to grow as an organization and we expect to continue this great working relationship for years to come. Our drivers display great professionalism, both on and off the track, and we want the entire world to see these great competitors. The staff at I-94 Speedway has created a great facility and while we work closely with our local and corporate sponsors, we will bring fans an experience they won’t want to miss.”
“After introducing our SPEED SPORT television audience to WISSOTA’s extremely competitive and entertaining form of short-track racing last season, we couldn’t wait to come back and do again this year as part of our 85th anniversary celebration,” said SPEED SPORT President Ralph Sheheen. “Showcasing the famed WISSOTA 100 in a two-hour special format on Thanksgiving night is a great way for us shine an even brighter light on the event, as well introduce our new partner, WorkAtHendrick.com, to the series.”
The broadcast will be anchored by Sheheen and veteran short-track racer and commentator, Derek Pernesiglio.
For fans wanting to attend this year’s Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100, please visit WISSOTA.org for additional information. Racing begins at 5 p.m. local time each night. LIVE streaming will be available at RacinDirt.com.
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