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Former world 100m champion Yohan Blake edges out Brit Adam Gemili at the Müller Grand Prix in Birmingham
It took a photo finish to separate Yohan Blake and Adam Gemili in the 100m, but both men left the Alexander Stadium in good spirits and knowing their countdown to Doha is on track. Blake, the 2011 world champion, was given the verdict as each athlete shared the same time of 10.07. Runner-up Gemili was happy, though, as he continues his comeback from hamstring problems.
Helped by a following wind of 2.0m/sec, Mike Rodgers was third in 10.09 with fellow American Christopher Belcher fourth in 10.13. Andre De Grasse, the Olympic 100m bronze medallist from Canada, was fifth followed by Jamaican champion Tyquendo Tracey and Commonwealth gold medallist Akani Simbine of South Africa.
“It was good, it was coming,” said Blake. “The weather wasn’t great but I’m saving the big day for the World Championships and the Diamond League finals in Zurich.”
Gemili said: “It wasn’t my best start but I’m just so happy to be healthy and back up running. It’s good to be in the mix with some of the best sprinters in the world.
“To win my heat and finish second in the Diamond League race, it bodes well for the British Champs and hopefully I can make the team for Doha. I’ve put a lot of training in this winter and I’m healthy finally.”
The men’s 800m saw a number of top domestic runners going head to head one week before the British Championships. An English man won, but it was Mark English from Ireland who timed his kick to perfection to run 1:45.94 to beat Kenya’s 1:42 man Alfred Kipketer.
Close behind, Elliot Giles won the battle of the Brits as he clocked 1:46.27 ahead of Jamie Webb, Guy Learmonth and Spencer Thomas. In a rare race in the UK, Colorado-based Thomas Staines misjudged his effort and finished eighth, while UK junior record-holder Max Burgin found the early pace of 50.6 at the bell too hot and the 17-year-old will now make a decision over whether to tackle the British Championships back in Birmingham next weekend.
Cheng Chao-tsun, the Asian record-holder from Chinese Taipei, caused a mild upset to take the men’s javelin with 87.75m from Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic as Magnus Kirt, the 2019 world No.1 from Estonia, was third, German duo Andreas Hofmann and Thomas Rohler fourth and seventh, while London Olympics winner Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago was last.
Akeem Bloomfield of Jamaica took the men’s 400m in 45.04 as local star Matt Hudson-Smith ran a decent 45.55 in third. It was the European champion’s first race for almost a year due to what he described a ‘career threatening injury’ sustained in the spring. But he is back on track for the British Championships and confident of getting back inside 45 seconds in Doha.
“It’s always good to be home,” said the Florida-based and Birmingham-born athlete. “I put on a good showing and it’s nice to do that. Now it’s on to the trials.”
There was another Jamaican victory in the 110m hurdles as Omar McLeod won in 13.21 (-0.2) – one 10th of a second ahead of Freddie Crittenden as Cameron Fillery finished first Brit in fifth in a PB of 13.54.
At the start of the afternoon the European champion Thomas Young, 19, continued his build up to the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai by winning the T35-38 100m in 11.37 (1.4m/sec).
Elsewhere, Yasmani Copello took the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.08 ahead of South American junior record-holder Alison Santos (49.20) while Britain’s Jacob Paul was seventh in 50.71.
Ronald Musagala of Uganda won the men’s 1500m in 3:35.12 from Stewart McSweyn of Australia and Craig Engels of the US. Chris O’Hare was the best of the Brits but only in 10th as he clocked 3:41.98.
Brandon Starc jumped 2.30m to win the high jump as home hope Chris Baker finished sixth with 2.19m.
Britain's Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski lost their Cincinnati Masters semi-final in straight sets.
Murray and Skupski were defeated 6-1 6-4 by Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek in the rain-hit match.
A torrential downpour stopped the game for around an hour at 4-3 in the second set, but the delay did not effect the winning duo's dominance.
Murray, 33, and his partner reached the semis by beating his brother Andy and Feliciano Lopez in the previous round.
Bosnia's Dodig and his Slovakian Polasek will play Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in Sunday's final, after they defeated Bruno Soares and Mate Pavic 6-3 6-2.
Day Three: 2019 ITTF World Tour Asarel Bulgaria Open
Second consecutive title
Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, the no.2 seeds, overcame Japanese qualifiers, Yukiya Uda and Kazuhiro Yoshimura (4-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8) to secure men’s doubles gold; thus repeated they repeated the success of one month earlier when they had won in Australia.
A second consecutive title, overall it was their sixth as a partnership on the ITTF World Tour.
Revenge as China prevails against Japan
Earlier in the day it was a pair from Japan that beat China to the top step of the mixed doubles podium but in the women’s doubles final revenge was achieved as China’s Gu Yuting and Mu Zi outclassed the Japanese duo of Miu Hirano and Saki Shibata.
On paper Hirano and Shibata entered the match as favourites but the fifth seeds were completely blown away by their unseeded opponents with Gu and Mu needing just three games to seal the title (11-7, 11-6, 11-5).
Quadri Aruna stuns Jun Mizutani!!!
Unbelievable scenes in Panagyurishte after Nigerian hero Quadri Aruna knocks Japanese no.4 seed Jun Mizutani in a seven-game thriller!
Trailing 1-2 on games but Aruna is well known for his comebacks and his fighting spirit shone through on this occasion, saving two game points in game four before going on to recover from 4-9 down to win game five 11-9. Mizutani responded well to claim game six, forcing a decider: 9-6 down Mizutani refused to give up the fight, going on to hold two match point opportunities. However, Aruna showed nerves of steel, saving both points before going on to steal the win (8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11).
Freit-train arrives!
Portuguese qualifier Marcos Freitas is through to the last four in Panagyurishte thanks to a fantastic victory over no.15 seed Chuang Chih-Yuan.
At the start of play it was the Chinese Taipei player who looked good for the win, claiming the opening game by an eight point margin but Freitas also enjoyed his spells of dominance over the course of the match. Ultimately it was game seven that produced the main story: 6-7 down Freitas opted to call a timeout, a decision that proved useful as the Portuguese star fought back to win the decider 11-9 and earn his spot in the penultimate round (3-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-13, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9).
Top seed Harimoto sails through
Tomokazu Harimoto takes his place in the semi-finals of the men’s singles draw following a tight affair with fellow Japanese compatriot Takuya Jin.
Down 3-0 on the scoreboard Jin needed to form a response and one did arrive with the qualifier pulling a game back. Then in game five Jin held game point advantage on two occasions but failed to convert as top seed Harimoto held his nerve, sealing the win by a 4-1 margin (11-7, 11-6, 14-12, 7-11, 13-11).
Dima falls
Dimitrij Ovtcharov’s men’s singles run has concluded at the quarter-finals stage in Panagyurishte after the second seed from German lost out to world no.110 Zhao Zihao in an exciting battle.
The 22-year-old penhold grip player from China started strongly and deservedly gained a healthy 2-0 lead. Up against the ropes Dima raised his performance, winning two of the next three games to reduce the deficit to 3-2. In game six the two players gave it their all but there could only be one winner and that proved to be Zhao Zihao (11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9).
Aruna vs Mizutani
Who’s excited to see Nigerian star Quadri Aruna take on mixed doubles champion Jun Mizutani?
Jun & Mima strike Gold
In the first final of the day, Japanese duo Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito struck Gold as they beat the Chinese pairing of Ma Te and Wu Yang 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9).
It was a hotly contested encounter, with neither pair looking to back off from the table too much, meaning shorter rallies and important points. Mizutani and Ito took an early two game lead, forcing their opponents to hit back in the third to keep the match going. Eventually, it came to nothing as Japan’s favorite team-up took the win which was their first ever mixed doubles title!
Xingtong continues impressive run
Chen Xingtong has totally re-written the script in the women’s singles tournament here in Bulgaria, as she defeated Jeon Jihee in straight games to reach the semi-finals (11-6, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4).
The 22-year-old Chinese had previously defeated Japan’s Miu Hirano convincingly and facing off against the Korean today, she looked even more of a threat. Chen’s service was unmatched as she played her shakehand attacking grip to perfection. She now faces Mima Ito in the semis.
Mima makes the semis
Mima Ito turned the morning around for Japanese fans as she glided past Yu Mengyu, defeating the Singaporean 4-1 (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8).
Having beaten Miyu Kato in the previous round, a lot was expected from Yu when she lined up against Ito. But it seemed like Ito was out to avenge her compatriot’s loss and pushed Yu into corners with powerful drives off her forehand. It ended a good run for Yu, who will look back at this match and take a good experience back from it.
Double morning blow for Japan
It was hardly an ideal start for Japan today, as two of their athletes exited at the quarter-final stage to Chinese opponents-with one of them suffering an illness.
Hitomi Sato had to withdraw early in the hours of Saturday, giving Wu Yang a simple passage to the semi-finals. Top seed Kasumi Ishikawa suffered a loss in four straight games, after a dominant performance by He Zhuojia in a match lasting just under 39 minutes (12-10, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4)!
And the main stages continue!
Catch all the live scores and upsets, here:
However, lower down the order there were surprises, pride of place going to Peru’s Juan Luna Nuñez; notably he beat Aziz Zarehbin of the United States, the no.7 seed (11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9) to secure first place and direct progress to the main draw.
Similarly, Sweden’s Jens Holmqvist excelled; he accounted for Ecuador’s Mathias Lecaro, the no.12 seed (9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7). Disappointment for Ecuador but Jeremy Cedeño more than balanced the books for the country that takes its name from the Equator; the lowest ranked player in his group, he remained unbeaten, the key match being the success against Chile’s Cristian Carrillo, the no.13 seed (1-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-14, 11-4).
Second place was the lot of Aziz Zarehbin as it was for Mathias Lecaro and thus progress to the main draw. Alas for Cristian Carrillo it was third position, a situation that applied also to Guatemala’s Luis Ton, the no.14 seed; the player to excel being Nanden Naresh of the United States. He posted a straight games win against the Guatemalan (11-9, 11-3, 11-8) to reserve top spot.
United States duo attracts attention
Noteworthy performances; in the initial phase of the junior girls’ singles event, the players to catch the eye were Nicole Deng and Linda Shu of the United States, both remained unbeaten to end the day in pole position. The lowest rated player in her group, Nicole Deng excelled to beat Guatemala’s Mercedes Mendizabal, the no.7 seed (11-3, 11-6, 11-8); the second highest listed, Linda Shu overcame Chile’s Natasha Ruiz, the no.8 seed (11-6, 11-4, 18-16).
Defeats for Mercedes Mendizabal and Natasha Ruiz; however, it was their only defeats and thus progress to the main draw.
Top four secure first positions
Similarly, in the cadet boys’ singles event, the leading names in the guise of Alve Sjoeveld, Mexico’s Rogelio Castro, Sid Naresh of the United States and Ecuador’s Diego Piguave all topped their respective groups as their top four status advised. Success as predicted but there were unexpected names that ended the day as group winners, Chile providing the players to exceed expectations. Sebastian Castro, Benjamin Alfaro and Jaime Lama alongside Canada’s David Mandelstam all reserved first positions contrary to status.
Equally, in the cadet girls’ singles event there were somewhat surprise first places. Chile’s Sofia Perez and Fernanda Arenda finished the day in top spots as their highly rated status advised; conversely, Linda Shu and Nicole Deng in addition to El Salvador’s Angie Orellana and Victoria Guevara upset the odds.
Successful in youngest age group
Meanwhile, in the mini cadet boys’ singles event, Nanden Naresh of the United States, Sweden’s Elias Sjögren and the Dominican Republic’s Eduardo Darley topped their groups; a situation that applied also to El Salvador’s Diego Quinteros. Likewise in the mini cadet girls’ singles event, it was first place for Nicole Deng, Chile’s Sofia Perez, Ecuador’s Maybelline Menendez and Peru’s Alessia Colfer.
Play in El Salvador concludes on Sunday 18th August.
Quadri Aruna topples Jun Mizutani to reach semi-finals
Starting his men’s singles campaign with a fine 4-3 victory over China’s Ma Te (11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7); in round two Quadri Aruna went on to claim a major scalp, by the same score-line eliminating seventh seed Wong Chun Ting (11-9, 11-9, 4-11, 3-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5).
Aruna’s reward was a quarter-final meeting with no.4 seed Jun Mizutani, a player he met at the 2017 Men’s World Cup in Liège where he suffered a straight games defeat.
Heading into the match as the favourite, it was Mizutani who made the stronger start in Panagyurishte, picking up two of the opening three games to establish an early advantage.
However, Aruna’s standout abilities include his strong will and never say die attitude, traits we saw in game four as the African athlete saved two game points to level the scores at 2-2. But, it was game five that really stole the show as Aruna fought back from 4-9 down, winning seven points in a row to move ahead.
With momentum against him, Mizutani did well to compose himself in game six and deservedly went on to force a seventh and deciding game.
Leading at the halfway point in the game, Aruna then gained a commanding 9-6 lead only for Mizutani to claim the following four points to hold match point. Aruna did well to put the pressure behind him, levelling the scores at 10-10, he then saved another match point opportunity soon after to keep his chances afloat. Then it was the Nigerian’s turn to hold match point and without hesitation he grabbed it with open arms to earn another career highlight victory (8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11).
Scenes of emotional celebration followed with Aruna dropping his racquet fist pumping the air and falling to his knees before a respectful shake of the hand with the defeated Mizutani. Victory for Aruna sees him move through to his second-ever Bulgaria Open semi-final having achieved the same feat in 2017.
Another statement win for Quadri Aruna – can he go all the way in Panagyurishte?
Mixed fortunes, dramatic defeat for Jun Mizutani
Likewise for colleagues Yukiya Uda and Kazuhiro Yoshimura there was disappointment in the men’s doubles event, as there was in the women’s doubles for Miu Hirano and Saki Shibata; both had to settle for runners up spots.
Men’s Singles: Quarter-Finals
…………Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, the no.10 seed, brought the quarter-final round to a nail-biting conclusion; he beat Jun Mizutani, the no.4 seed, by the very narrowest of seven game margins (8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11).
…………Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov was the biggest name to fall; he was beaten by Chinese qualifier, Zhao Zihao (11-6, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9).
…………Portugal’s Marcos Freitas continued his outstanding run; he accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan, the no.15 seed (3-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-13, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9).
…………Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, the top seed, emerged the one player not to be at the receiving end of a shock defeat; he beat colleague Takuya Jin (11-7, 11-6, 14-12, 7-11, 13-11).
…………At the semi-final stage Tomokazu Harimoto meets Marcos Freitas, Quadri Aruna opposes Zhao Zihao.
Men’s Singles: Quarter-Finals
…………China’s He Zhuojia, the no.5 seed, ended the ambitions of Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa, the top seed and aiming to win for a third time in Panagyurishte; she prevailed in four straight games (12-10, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4).
…………Sadness for Japan, there was more; Hitomi Sato, the no.7 seed, was forced to withdraw when due to face China’s Wu Yang.
…………Mima Ito, the no.2 seed, balanced the books for Japan; she accounted for Singapore’s Yu Mengyu (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8).
…………China’s Chen Xingtong, the no.11 seed, was in the express lane; she overcame Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee on four straight games (11-6, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4).
…………In the penultimate round He Zhuojia meets Wu Yang, Mima Ito confronts Chen Xingtong.
Men’s Doubles: Final
…………Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, the no.2 seeds, claimed the title at the expense of Yukiya Uda and Maharu Yoshimura (4-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8).
…………Victory for the duo from the Korea Republic meant a second consecutive ITTF World Tour men’s doubles title and a sixth overall as a pairing; in July they won in Australia.
Women’s Doubles: Final
…………China’s Gu Yuting and Mu Zi beat Miu Hirano and Saki Shibata, the no.5 seeds (11-7, 11-6, 11-5), to reserve the top step of the podium.
It was for Gu Yuting and Mu Zi their second such career success as a partnership; in 2018, they won in Japan.
Mixed Doubles: Final
…………Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito, the no.7 seeds, claimed gold; in the final they overcame the defensive skills of China’s Ma Te and Wu Yang.
…………It was the first ever ITTF World Tour mixed doubles title for Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito; the previous month they had been the runners up in Australia.
Day Four: 2019 ITTF World Tour Asarel Bulgaria Open
The main stages conclude today!
Catch all the live scores and upsets, here:
Scotland need to make 'big improvements' - Townsend
Scotland need "big improvements" after being hammered by France in their opening warm-up match for the World Cup, says head coach Gregor Townsend.
Scotland conceded five tries in Nice as France overpowered them to cruise to a 32-3 victory.
The teams meet again at Murrayfield on Saturday, before Scotland play a double-header with Georgia prior to travelling to Japan.
"We need to see big improvements," the Scotland head coach told BBC Scotland.
"We've got 40 in our squad and the majority of them are going to Japan, so we'll be working with them to improve. Some might not get as many opportunities after tonight, but that might have been the case anyway.
"We all know we have to show a better picture of ourselves next week at Murrayfield," he added.
France dominated from kick-off as Fiji-born wing Alivereti Raka crossed within two minutes, with Maxime Medard and Gregory Alldritt adding further scores to put the hosts 20-3 in front by half-time.
Scotland struggled to cope with their physicality, including in the scrum, where France won numerous penalties.
Townsend was concerned with his side's fitness.
"We've worked hard and we know the players are in really good physical shape but they're obviously not match conditioned yet and we'll look at how we can accelerate that over the next week or two," he said.
"We allowed them into the game by not making enough dominant collisions, dominant tackles and when you give a French team space they can cause you damage, so that's very disappointing."
Scotland begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland on 22 September.
Dan Biggar: Wales man of the match 'motivated' by JJ Williams criticism
Fly-half Dan Biggar has hit back at former Wales wing JJ Williams following his man-of-the-match display in Saturday's 13-6 win against England.
Williams said Wales "would not win the World Cup" with Biggar lining up at 10 but the Northampton half-back played a starring role in the win in Cardiff.
"Special thanks to JJ Williams for all his comments this week," Biggar told Channel 4.
"It has been really motivating and support for the team."
Biggar has been left as Wales' first choice World Cup fly-half after a serious knee injury suffered by Gareth Anscombe.
Wales coach Warren Gatland also brushed off criticism from former Wales and British and Irish Lions legend Williams.
"Dan needed to play 10 because he has been coming off the bench and doing a great job when we've had Anscombe," said Gatland.
"I thought he was really good.
"I don't know about that former Welsh player. Was he really old? Played in the 70s probably? Did he play over 50-odd years ago? Probably. That does explain a few things."
Wales have also claimed their official place at the top of the world rankings for the first time as they rose above New Zealand.
Gatland's side had the same chance to claim top spot last week but lost 33-19 at Twickenham last Sunday, their first defeat in 14 matches.
"We probably got a little caught up with that last weekend, with the winning run and the world number one tag," said Biggar.
"We want to keep going about our business. We have worked hard for each other today and ground out a win with a huge defensive effort.
"We are looking to get better. It's nice to be where we are but hopefully we can continue the run.
"We played some good stuff and probably could have been a bit more ahead in the first half.
"It was pleasing to get over the line and dig it out as we have done over the years.
"The forwards were brilliant. England's set-piece is their strength and their driving line-out. To front up as we did and keep a world-class team like England try-less is really special.
"We are looking to get better. It's nice to be where we are but hopefully we can continue the run."
No serious injuries
Gatland said there were no serious injuries after the game despite James Davies (head), Jake Ball (dead leg), Aaron Wainwright (dead leg), Biggar (shoulder and groin) and Gareth Davies (hip) all coming off.
The Wales coach also revealed full-back Liam Williams was a precautionary late withdrawal after suffering a hamstring strain in the warm-up when he was replaced by Leigh Halfpenny.
"I spoke to Liam a few minutes before we finished the warm-up and he was gutted," said Gatland.
"I also spoke to him afterwards and said if this had it been a World Cup final or the last game of the Six Nations, you probably strap it up and take the risk.
"The last thing he needed to do was pull his hamstring properly and be out for five or six weeks.
"It was tough on Leigh Halfpenny because he'd done a really tough training session yesterday and he had one this morning as well!"
Halfpenny admitted he was tired as he made his first Test appearance since November 2018 and the Scarlets full-back kicked a late penalty to help seal victory.
"I'm not going to lie, we had a couple of tough sessions in the last couple of days," said Halfpenny.
"Yesterday we had speed endurance training and basically shuttles. The boys put it in yesterday after the Captain's Run.
"Then this morning I had leg weights followed by a watt bike session in the altitude room.
"The boys were coming out of the room in a pretty bad way. I wasn't walking too well, I'll be honest.
"But you get the call and that adrenaline just kicks in and it's an opportunity to put that jersey on."
Wales are favourites for the World Cup - England coach Jones
England head coach Eddie Jones says Wales are "favourites to win the World Cup" after they secured their rise to the top of the world rankings by beating his side 13-6 in Cardiff.
George North's try helped Wales to a victory that will see them become world number one for the first time.
England won 33-19 against Warren Gatland's side in their first World Cup warm-up, but faltered away from home.
"When you go to number one, you're favourites," said Australian Jones.
"It was a fantastic World Cup prep game for us. We found out a little bit about ourselves.
"We had to work hard to get back into the game. We had a number of difficult situations - some of them we handled really well and some of them we didn't handle well."
New Zealand have been top of the world rankings for 10 years but, despite a 36-0 win against Australia earlier on Saturday, the All Blacks will now drop to second on Monday when the ranking is updated.
But Wales head coach Gatland is remaining calm about the ranking honour.
"It's nice for a day but we won't be shouting from the rooftops about it," the New Zealander said.
"We've got to keep things in perspective. Lots of journalists will be out there saying "this is a joke" - probably Kiwi journalists more than anyone! It's just a number.
"We're not making a big fuss of it. We'll keep it in our pocket and go from week to week."
'We have options we haven't shown yet'
North's try left Jones' side 10-0 down at half-time and it was the first occasion England had not scored a point in the first half of a Test since a World Cup match against France in 2011.
Jones' side came close to scoring in Cardiff, but their driving maul let them down as they struggled to find a way through the Wales defence.
The 59-year-old was unperturbed by that though, saying his team want to keep some moves to themselves before their first World Cup match against Tonga on 22 September.
"We set these games up to deliberately practise things," added Jones. "We've got other options five metres from the line that we haven't shown yet and we won't show for a while.
"We want to get our team going. It's a bit easier to defend our maul when they know it's coming. They did it very well and full credit to Wales."
Jones had several players unavailable for selection due to injury, but said back rows Sam Underhill and Tom Curry could return for the match against Ireland on 24 August.
Wing Ruaridh McConnochie, who is in the 31-man World Cup squad but is still uncapped, has a "seven to 10 day" muscle strain, so could also be back in time for the Ireland game, but centre Henry Slade and wing Jack Nowell will not be ready for the match at Twickenham.
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