Jamie Murray missed out on an eighth Grand Slam title when he and Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost to Nikola Mektic and Barbora Krejcikova in the Australian Open mixed doubles final.
Britain's Murray and his American partner were beaten 5-7 6-4 10-1 by the Croatian-Czech pairing.
It was a first Grand Slam title for Mektic, while Krejcikova retained the title she won with Rajeev Ram in 2019.
Britain's Joe Salisbury is in Sunday's men's doubles final alongside Ram.
More to follow.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – After setting fast time among 52 TQ Midget contenders on Friday afternoon, Andy Jankowiak then raced to victory in the first of four 20-lap TQ Midget A-Main Qualifiers Friday night in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
Also winning TQ A-Main Qualifiers were Tim Buckwalter, Scott Kreutter and Bobby Holmes. Given that Buckwalter’s car was a house car fielded by race car builder Mark Lafler, all four qualifier winners were rooted in upstate New York.
Kyle Hutchinson, of East Aurora, NY won the first TQ race of the afternoon, capturing the 15-lap Dr. Lowe Non Qualifiers preliminary event. In so doing, he joined the other TQ heat race winners in the Saturday night feature field.
In Slingshot qualifying Friday action, Scott Neary was was fastest among 39 entries. Dylan Hoch, Matt Mertz and Alexendre Tardif won the three heat races
Tyler Brown topped the Friday Champ Kart time trial field, which consisted of 49 entries, one of the largest in Indoor Auto Racing Series history at Boardwalk Hall. Doug Stearly, Jeremy Tuttle, and Ron Midford Jr. were the Champ Kart heat winners.
In the first TQ Midget heat race, Joey Jarowicz cartwheeled through the third turn on the 12th lap caroming off the concrete wall. He was awake and alert as he was being assisted from the track by EMTs and was transported to an area hospital.
Bangladesh have dropped Imrul Kayes, Mustafizur Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain, among four changes to the squad for the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi next week. While Mushfiqur Rahim had opted out of touring Pakistan, Shadman Islam and Mehidy Hasan have been ruled out with injuries.
Tamim Iqbal makes a comeback to the Test side after last playing in the format in March 2019 against New Zealand. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rubel Hossain and Soumya Sarkar also return to the squad.
Bangladesh squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar. More to follow
More to follow
American Sofia Kenin fulfilled her potential by winning a first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open.
Kenin won 4-6 6-2 6-2 against two-time major winner Muguruza in Melbourne.
The 21-year-old was a child prodigy, who started making television appearances from the age of five and hitting with the stars soon after.
"My dream has officially come true," said Kenin, the eighth first-time women's champion in the past 12 Slams.
"Dreams come true. If you have a dream then go for it - it will come true.
"These two weeks have been the best two weeks of my life."
Kenin, who turned 21 in November, is the youngest Australian Open champion since Russian Maria Sharapova in 2008.
The American 14th seed was gifted victory when Muguruza produced a double fault on the second match point - the Spaniard's third of the game and eighth of the match.
Kenin dropped her racquet to the court and covered her face in shock, before going over to the opposite corner where her dad - and coach - Alex was sitting.
The pair warmly cupped hands before she returned to the court, spinning around and lifting her arms up towards him again in a gesture which summed up her shock.
Kenin was born in Russia but was a few months old when she moved with her parents to the United States, where she picked up a racquet at the age of five.
Raised in Florida, she quickly became a star in the States, featuring on television programmes and the covers of magazines which predicted a successful professional career ahead.
Famously, aged five, she claimed she would be able to return a serve from hard-hitting American star Andy Roddick, then practised with Grand Slam champions John McEnroe, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
Two years later she spoke of her ambition to win one of the sport's biggest prizes.
Now she has achieved her dream. And that confidence illustrated while still at primary school remains one of her key attributes.
Kenin never gives up and never shies away from a fight on court, which is what she found herself in after Muguruza won the opening set.
Demonstratively frustrated, she came out punching in the second, returning even more relentlessly than usual. Muguruza could not cope.
Breaks at 2-1 and 5-2 enabled Kenin to take the match into a decider, before she swung the momentum of a tight third set her way with a monumental hold for 3-2.
Trailing 40-0, she fought back with five points of the highest quality. Two backhands down the line under the most intense of pressure were outrageous, a third winner - this time down the other flank - almost ridiculous.
An ace out wide and a crosscourt forehand winner - after drawing Muguruza into the net - clinched the hold. It also virtually clinched the championship.
From that point, Muguruza's confidence waned, with the Spaniard losing serve in the next game and again - in the most painful of circumstances - in what proved to be the final game.
Unseeded Muguruza, 26, was aiming to cap a remarkable return to form with a third Grand Slam title to follow victories at the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon a year later.
Some may have thought the former world number one was the favourite to beat Kenin at Melbourne Park, based on her previous success and the way she powered through the draw by beating four seeded players.
Three of those victories came against top-10 opponents in Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina and Dutch ninth seed Kiki Bertens.
However, the streaky nature of Muguruza's game appeared when she needed it least.
Four unforced errors surrendered a 40-15 lead in the fifth game of the final set, gifting a crucial break which Kenin would not give up.
Muguruza's serving was erratic throughout, but particularly illustrated by the final game where two aces on the way to 40-15 were undone by the costly double faults.
The Venezuelan-born player was crestfallen as she lost the match in the worst possible way, apologetically pledging to keep her runners-up speech short because she was "going to get very emotional".
The prestigious event, taking place in Magdeburg, Germany, is pitting many of the world’s star table tennis players against one another in search for much-coveted silverware, prize money and World Ranking points. The six-day event will culminate with final showdowns taking place on Sunday 2nd February 2020.
QG Sports is an emerging sports company dedicated to new business development in the field of table tennis training and events. For over one year, under the guidance of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), QG Sports has successively organised a series of top-level training camps designed for budding youth talent from China and Japan, providing a platform for participants to exchange ideas, learn from one another and build friendships. The activities have been praised by people both inside and outside the table tennis industry.
Last year, QG Sports officially became the ITTF Youth Development Strategic Partner. In December 2019, the ITTF Hopes training camp was held in Ningbo, China: the first joint project organised by ITTF High Performance and Development and QG Sports, whose commitment to the global development of table tennis will continue into the future.
Changxing Group, a leading high-end menswear brand, serves as the professional consultant for the Chinese national table tennis team, regarding their image and apparel, whilst also sponsoring Team China’s apparel for the World Table Tennis Championships. A long-term strategic partner of QG Sports, Changxing Group also owns and manages two brands, namely Dale and Tishden Denton, which are among the top mid- to high-end menswear market segments.
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For the first time in nearly six years, India have been found guilty of slow over-rate. The players were docked 40% of their match fee for a violation in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Wellington, bringing to an end a streak that had lasted 264 matches. This was also the first such violation under Virat Kohli.
As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the stipulated time. Notwithstanding time allowances, India were found to be two overs short of the requirement at Westpac stadium and thus the fine was doubled.
ALSO READ: Breaches and bans - All you need to know about over-rate offences
On-field umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig, and third umpire Ashley Mehrotra, reported the matter to match referee Chris Broad, who imposed the sanction, which went uncontested as Kohli accepted the charge. There was no formal hearing needed.
India clinched that cliffhanger on Friday after it resulted in a second Super Over in as many matches to extend their series lead to 4-0. The final T20I will be played at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Sydney Thunder 7 for 151 (Hales 59) beat Adelaide Strikers 9 for 143 (Wells 34, Sams 3-26) by eight runs
The Sydney Thunder would not have qualified for any Big Bash League finals series before this one. Having benefited from the addition of a fifth team, they are now a game from playing off for the trophy against the Sydney Sixers after edging past the Adelaide Strikers in a nervy-wracked affair at Adelaide Oval.
All three BBL finals so far have been won by the team batting first, and once again the pressure of the situation got to the Strikers just as they appeared set to run down the Thunder's 7 for 151. From 3 for 115 needing 37 from 31 balls, the Strikers lost 6 for 24 to ultimately fall nine runs short of winning through to face the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Thursday night.
The tale of the game was ultimately told in how the Thunder captain Callum Ferguson was able to rely upon three outstanding spells from Jono Cook, Daniel Sams and Chris Morris, whereas the Strikers' otherwise excellent bowling display had been let down by Billy Stanlake and Wes Agar leaking 75 off seven overs between them.
Hales feasts on short stuff
Heavy rain in Adelaide had provoked doubt over whether the match would begin on time or even be completed at all, but the skies cleared and the ground drained with more than enough time to spare. The weather left in its wake a fresher pitch than usual for an Adelaide Oval T20 match, convincing the Strikers captain Travis Head to send the Thunder in, having batted fist whenever possible in earlier home matches.
The strategy for the Strikers, then, would have appeared obvious, in terms of bowling a little fuller than usual to seek movement and outside edges. However, Stanlake and Agar appeared not to have got the memo, dropping down obligingly short for Usman Khawaja briefly and then Alex Hales at length to use their power off the back foot. Siddle and Michael Neser were far more intelligent in their approaches, often beating the bat whenever they bowled a driveable length, meaning the Thunder scorecard soon developed a lopsided appearance.
Strikers keep Thunder middle order quiet
So while Hales scored freely, others struggled, though Ferguson was very unfortunate to be fired out lbw to Siddle by the umpire Paul Wilson - the ball looked to be comfortably clearing the stumps as the batsman tried to pull it. Hales' innings was ended when he misread a Rashid Khan leg break as a wrong'un and edged it tamely to point, and the sight of Arjun Nair walking out to bat at No. 5 did not say much for the Thunder's batting depth.
Consequently, the innings gradually decelerated, as 2 for 89 after 11 overs deteriorated to 7 for 151 after 20. While Stanlake and Agar went for 75 between them from seven overs the e other Strikers bowlers cost just 76 from the remaining 13, and only Morris could pass 20 from among the Thunder's middle-order players.
Hosts' chase begins uncertainly
There was some excellent bowling upfront by the Thunder to give themselves a chance of defending their mediocre tally. Sams flummoxed Phil Salt with a slower ball to draw a catch to mid-on, Jake Weatherald was hurried out by an excellent bouncer from Chris Tremain, and Head, after looking composed and proactive, contrived to drag Cook's wrist spin onto the stumps to have the Strikers uncertainly placed at 3 for 65 in the 10th over.
But the depth of the Strikers' batting line-up was underlined by the fact they had Jon Wells - the leading middle-order batsman in the tournament - coming in at No. 5 whereas the Thunder had needed to send in Nair. What followed was a 50-run stand in 35 balls between Wells and Alex Carey, as the target was quickly whittled down through deft placement and strategically timed boundaries. It was a surprise, in fact, when Carey was run out by a direct hit from Ferguson, leaving Wells with the primary responsibility.
Thunder squeak home at the last
He could only watch at the non-striker's end as Rashid slogged Cook into the outfield to leave him with another fine set of figures, and Matt Short was then pinned lbw by a Morris delivery that was swift and straight. Wells and Neser then allowed the equation to drift out to 34 required from the final three overs, before they sized up Tremain. Neser's obvious intention to walk towards the off side had Tremain bowling wide, and four times in the 18th over he pitched on our outside the tram lines to hand the Strikers a run.
Two more boundaries meant the over cost 16 all up, and though Neser and Siddle departed in the penultimate over, Wells was left on strike needing 13 from the 20th. Given his tournament, Wells could reasonably have been expected to do the trick, but he edged an eminently cuttable Morris delivery first ball to depart, and more or less decide the game. The Thunder had, remarkably, required the bottom Melbourne Renegades to beat the Brisbane Heat to reach the finals at all, and now they are a game from a competition decider against their crosstown rivals.
Briton Andy Lapthorne said hearing cries of his name during his Australian Open quad wheelchair singles final defeat would live with him forever.
Australian Dylan Alcott made it six successive titles with a 6-0 6-4 win.
US Open champion Lapthorne, 29, said: "If there's one disabled person at home that's watching this and wondering whether to go for their dreams, we are proof down here that you should.
"Gutted to lose but it has always been about the bigger picture."
Lapthorne added: "I've been coming here for years watching Andy Murray and hearing, 'Come on Andy'. For that to be me today, that will live for me forever."
It seems like there wasn’t any way back for Wang Yidi, as Chen Meng won 4-1 (6-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5, 11-6) in an exuberant performance here at the GETEC-Arena.
In just about 40 minutes, there was a barrage of powerful shots from the world no.1 – who won 26 points on her opponent’s serve – and Wang simply had no answer.
World no.1 Chen Meng is up against her Chinese compatriot, Wang Yidi for a place in the semi-finals of the German Open.
Chen has the lead currently 2-1 (6-11, 11-8, 11-1) despite having initially lost the first game to Wang. Is there any way back for the world no.13?
China’s Ding Ning found the solution to seeing off the hard battle that her Japanese opponent, Mima Ito was giving her. In five games, spanning just over 41 minutes, Ding secured a 4-1 (11-7, 11-13, 14-12, 11-8, 11-5) win with some measure of class.
After winning the third game, Ding addressed Ito forehands with patience and took her shots long when she needed to. This meant longer rallies that Ito could not win with pace, and thus the experience of Ding led her to her first semi-finals of this year’s World Tour.
Welcome to the penultimate day of the first World Tour Platinum event of the decade, with Japan’s Mima Ito battling against China’s Ding Ning.
The ‘Queen of Hearts’ and Ito have both started with a strong attack-minded strategy, and have won every alternate game. The score reads 2-1 (11-7, 11-13, 14-12) to Ding for now, but Ito is still very much in this.
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