Wee Wern wins it 13-11 in the fifth as King gets a fat lip
By LINDA ELRIANI – Squash Mad Correspondent

Malaysia’s resurgent Low Wee Wern is sure to continue her rise back up the rankings after beating American star Amanda Sobhy in the second round of the Carol Weymuller Open at Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.

The former world No.5, currently ranked 24, triumphed 13-11 in the fifth after an absorbing contest lasting 54 minutes. World No.7 Sobhy led 2-1 in games after a tough opening to the match but her movement was exposed in the fourth as Wee Wern powered through 11-3 to set up a thrilling fifth-game decider.

We saw two very different players in style and stature. Wee Wern is very nimble, is incredibly steady and likes to slow the ball down more, and Amanda, one of the two left-handed players in the draw, has wonderful power and strength, and volleys as much as she can.

Both players were so fair and respectful to each other and the referee. It was so lovely to see. It’s not easy to keep your composure under pressure but it can be done, and both Low Wee Wern and Amanda Sobhy showed us how.

Amanda took the control of the first game using her powerful volleys and containing Wee Wern nicely. She took the first 11-8.

In the second game Amanda was in control for the majority of the game, but Wee Wern would not let go and hung in there and took advantage of some errors from Amanda. It was a perfect backhand volley drop and a magnificently tight backhand drive that took Wee Wern through to win the second 12-10.

Amanda get her control back in the third and she won 11-8, but you could see Wee Wern starting to expose Amanda’s movement in certain areas of the court, especially over to Amanda’s forehand where she needs to use her once injured foot to push off the spot.

In the fourth Wee Wern dominated and played a perfect game, managing to pin Amanda back and then chop her in the front. Wee Wern won the fourth 11-3.

In the fifth game Wee Wern worked incredibly hard to gain some points and then Amanda would seamlessly win a few points back quickly. Amanda pushed through and reached match ball at 10-8. But with an amazing backhand drop and a great cross court that wrong footed Amanda, they were yet again completely even in this amazing match … two games all and 10-all. Amanda gained another match ball, but Wee Wern ripped the win out of Amanda’s sweaty hand with a series of brave and skilful shots, including a volley boast winner on the return of serve, a fading forehand drop and a forehand boast winner to take the match 13-11.

Wee Wern, who now meets No.2 seed Nour El Tayeb in the quarters, said: “Finally I get a good win. It’s been a while! It was a good match from the both of us and for the crowd. We have both come back from injury and it was can be very frustrating. There is not a day when you wake up and your body is fine or pain free any more!

“Wins like this make it all feel worth it. I do feel for Amanda as I know how it feels to lose 13-11 in the fifth, especially as we have both not had a great start to the year. In the quarters, Nour, she’s a top four players and she has very good hands, but I am looking forward to being back on court and giving it a go.”

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Earlier, Joelle King, the world No.6 from New Zealand, had to leave the court and the building to have two stitches inserted in her lip after an accidental clash of heads with Yathreb Adel, the world No.16 from Egypt. King was leading by one game to love with the score at 7-7 in the second when the incident occurred.

While play was suspended, Mariam Metwally (Egypt) overcame the higher-ranked Joshna Chinappa from India 11-9 in the fifth. Chinappa, ranked 12, held leads of 7-1 and 9-5 in the final game but Metwally, ranked 30, simply would not give up. Her winners were also accompanied by some loud rants at the referee as the match grew tense.

King returned to the court to complete a 3-1 victory over Adel but it was a tough challenge. Adel won the reconvened second game and the third game took on vital proportions. Kingmanaged to squeeze it 11-9, though she got clipped in her mouth again and luckily this time it did not bleed.

In the fourth game King managed to straighten up the ball really well, especially from the front when Yathreb was expecting a cross court. There was more blood, though, as Yathreb’s racket accidentally caught Joelle’s arm and it started to bleed.

Joelle came off the court yet again and we bandaged it up. Joelle still managed to return to the court with a positive and focused state of mind which was impressive. Yathreb felt the pressure from Joelle’s early volleys and tight lengths and the errors started to creep in, Joelle came through to take this epic match 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6.

I asked Joelle how she felt and she replied: “Good! I’m glad to get through that one! It was good mentally to come through a match like that that had a lot of challenges. We started the match at 5.30pm and we eventually finished at 9.15pm.

“As a top player these matches are the ones you need to get through. I think my main goal after being hit in the mouth was that I didn’t want to use that as an excuse. If I was going to lose the match it had to be because she played better than me. In these tournaments whoever you play is a tough match. Mariam and I have only played once before so we will see what happens.”

Reigning champion Nour El Tayeb faced young compatriot Farida Mohamed, who is only 18 and already 52 in the world.

These two players had not met before. And, as we saw, they also have completely different games. Nour likes to use the whole court and take the ball in short if there is an opportunity, varying the pace. Farida is the hardest hitting female player I believe I have ever seen! Even though she is young, she is tall and very strong and has an imposing presence on the court.

Nour really had to grind and suck up the power to get her opportunities. Nour won the first and second games, taking both by an 11-5 margin.

It was in the third that Farida’s relentless power really started to have an effect. It was difficult for Nour to control and use her finesse as Farida won the third 11/9.

In the fourth game Nour found more composure and tried to step forward and volley more to get her position on the T. This definitely worked as she came through to take it 11-7. If Farida manages to bring some variation in pace and some fading drop shots into her game, I’m sure she will become a very formidable player.

Nour said: “I’m very happy, actually. I fought hard, but the squash wasn’t fun, because it was hard to control her hard hitting. It was very difficult to play my own shots as the ball was so warm. So I had to dig in and play squash that’s not really my game to hang in there. I am very happy to be in the quarter finals.”

PSA $51,250 Women’s Carol Weymuller Open 2020, Heights Casino, Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Second Round (bottom half):
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt [9/16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6
[9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) bt [6] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9 (62m)
[9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt [5] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 8-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3, 13-11 (54m)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (37m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Donna Lobban (AUS)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) v [8] Salma Hany (EGY)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) v [9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 

Pictures courtesy of JEAN ERVASTI

ST. LOUIS -- It might be a work in progress when it arrives, but the NHL will have puck and player tracking in every arena beginning next season.

During his All-Star Game news conference, commissioner Gary Bettman said that puck and player tracking will be "up and running in the arenas of all 16 teams that make the playoffs this season, and all arenas leaguewide for the 2020-21 season."

The technology has been a long time coming in the NHL. Bettman announced at last year's All-Star Weekend that puck and player tracking would be implemented this season. But last year, the league split with Jogmo World Corp., the German company developing the smart puck and wearable technology. Working with partner SportsMEDIA Technology, the NHL will use a combination of sensors placed on the players and inside the puck, with data collected by in-arena antennas, and optical sensors at ice level.

"I believe the players will generate something like 200 data points per second and the puck 2,000 data points a second, so in terms of getting inside the game, telling stories, as a fan delving in to get what you're interested in, you're going to be able to do more things than ever before and even imaginable," Bettman said.

"As a fan and a viewer, what you want it to be. You'll be able to watch the game as you've always watched it traditionally if that's what you want. There'll be broadcast enhancements that the broadcasters can use either on the primary screen or on secondary screens. There will be more data than ever before."

Puck and player tracking isn't just a storytelling device, however: It's potentially big business. The NHL has licensed its data to sportsbooks such as MGM and William Hill, with the anticipation that the sportsbooks will build new ways to wager on hockey around that data.

But collecting that data will be a work in progress. As it has in the past, the NHL is testing puck and player tracking at All-Star Weekend in conjunction with its broadcast partners in the U.S. and Canada. There will be more tests during the season, specifically to make sure that the puck with the sensors in it can be used in games without any problems.

"We have to make sure the puck performs the same way as a normal puck," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

The NHL has tested the puck before in games, and once players learned they were using a new puck, some claimed it felt different than the usual game puck. Will the NHL tell players beforehand this season if they're using the sensor puck?

"That's a fair question," Daly said. "We did already send a communication to all the clubs that we intend to test them in some upcoming games. We haven't identified which games. Whether we will, I have to give some thought and talk to some people about it."

Daly said that puck and player tracking will continue to evolve during implementation.

"There will always be more and better. A lot of the ideas that are going to come along are going to be the result of what we see with what we get," he said. "I think it'll be evolutionary. What we end up with in the playoffs will look different than what we get in the next regular season."

ST. LOUIS -- Patrick Kane said the newest NHL All-Star skills competition, which featured elevated players shooting pucks over the heads of fans at targets placed on the ice below, was "a little gimmicky," even as he enjoyed winning the inaugural Shooting Stars challenge.

"I'm kind of a fan of the original drills that used to be done in the skills competition," Kane said after Friday night's skills event at Enterprise Center. "That's kind of the way I grew up watching it and enjoyed that as a kid. I'm not really sure how it was received tonight. But I was up there, and I was having fun."

Ten players, including women's national team stars Hilary Knight (USA) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada), took seven shots from a platform elevated 30 feet above the playing surface in Section 123. The ice was filled with targets of different sizes and different point values. At center ice was a target, shaped like the Gateway Arch, that was worth 10 points.

Kane won the event in a three-way tiebreaker shootout with Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, after all three finished with 22 points. He hit a two-pointer, and the others missed.

There wasn't much mathematic strategy involved in the event. Kane said the players all made a deal beforehand to shoot for the 10-point target. "We kind of had a pact. We're not just going to sauce them into the three-pointers or go for the ones in front. We're all going to try and shoot for the arch," he said.

But that target caused significant confusion Friday night. Shots had to land in the netting to count. Shots that hit the target and landed behind the netting inside of it didn't count for 10 points, as David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins was surprised to discover.

"There was a question about the 10 [pointer]," Pastrnak said after the event. "Can't go against the referees. It was their decision. I'm pretty sure this one would count in Boston, though. Bad preparation by me. I never practiced that. Should've built a 30-feet-high [platform] and practiced that before All-Star. Unfortunately, I was a bad pro and didn't do it. That way I can't deserve a win."

Calgary Flames star Matthew Tkachuk said he didn't recall the targets being that small when the players did a run-through of the event Thursday.

"Today, it was tough," he said. "You can see the winner had 22. So at 22 that means you hit two of the arches -- put two in the netting -- and then you probably miss the arch and you get two points. It's hard. It's really, really hard ... but it's fun."

Marner also had a 10-pointer nullified by the puck landing behind the netting. He said the event was a challenge.

"We were elevated pretty high," he said. "It was just a weird feeling. You don't really know how much power to put into it or anything. I'm not a very good golfer."

Despite the win, Kane said that he was actually looking forward to competing in a more traditional event like the puck-control challenge, which he just missed winning last season. But that event was one of the contests that was dropped this year.

"It was fun to win this," Kane said. "But I think I'm a fan of the original skill stuff, like the puck-control relay, things like that."

Other winners at the NHL All-Star skills competition included Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders beating two-time winner Connor McDavid for fastest skater with a time of 13.175 seconds; Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who won the save streak event with 10 consecutive saves; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who won shot accuracy in 9.505 seconds; and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber, who captured the hardest shot crown again with a top speed of 106.5 mph.

The highlight of the event was the 3-on-3 women's game featuring American national team players taking on those from Canada. In an exciting game, the Canadians topped the U.S. 2-1.

It was an exhibition, but old emotions between the rivals lingered.

"It was a little strange after the game," Canadian player Sarah Nurse said. "We wanted to celebrate a little bit, and we were looking across the room and we see the Americans. Sorry, guys."

SAN DIEGO – There were plenty of high-profile players who didn’t make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open but the most glaring early exit was Phil Mickelson.

After beginning his year last week at The American Express with an abundance of optimism following an intense offseason program to lose weight and improve his game, Lefty is now 0-for-2 in cuts made in 2020 following rounds of 72-73 at Torrey Pines.

Mickelson struggled off the tee hitting just seven of 28 fairways over two rounds for his third missed cut in five years at what is essentially his hometown event.

Lefty went to the practice range after his second round for a session with his swing coach, but his schedule won’t make it easy to turn things around. He’s scheduled to play next week’s Saudi International on the European Tour followed by a trip back to California to defend his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the first week of February.

Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari also missed the cut at Torrey Pines.

SAN DIEGO – Following four birdies through his first six holes, Ryan Palmer figured he was heading in the right direction on the leaderboard but without any scoreboards on the North Course at Torrey Pines he couldn’t know for sure.

“I almost looked at my phone to look, but I said just don't, we'll see when we get done,” he admitted. “I knew it was close [to the lead].”

Seven birdies (and one untimely bogey at the 18th hole) later, Palmer signed for a 62 and a two-stroke lead over Brandt Snedeker at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Earlier in the week, Palmer said he wanted to shoot 2 under each round to give himself a chance this week, but he wasn’t surprised he was able to go low on the North Course, having posted an identical 62 in Round 2 at the event in 2006. But his relationship with the North Course hasn’t always been warm and fuzzy.

“I shot 77 on that golf course the year after that [2010], so that's why I disappeared from this tournament for [several] years,” Palmer laughed.

Palmer returned to Torrey Pines in 2018 and lost a playoff to Jason Day on a South Course he found much more to his liking.

“We came back fine in '18 to play it and I found the golf course I liked. A tough golf course on the South plays to my game right now,” he said.

Flamengo's Spanish defender Pablo Mari is nearing a deal to join Arsenal pending a medical, sources have told ESPN Brasil.

According to the report, the 26-year-old Mari travelled to London on Friday, where he will be on the verge of joining the Premier League side.

Mari has been with the Brazilian giants since July 2019, and was instrumental in the Rubro-Negro winning the domestic and Copa Libertadores crowns.

He also featured for Flamengo in their run at the Club World Cup, where they lost to European champions Liverpool in added extra time.

Mari, who was on Manchester City's books from 2016-2019, was previously at Deportivo La Coruna before his stint in Brazil.

Should his transfer to Arsenal be finalised, he'll compete for playing time in Arsenal's backline that features Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Shkodran Mustafi, and David Luiz.

Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal remain interested in Paris Saint-Germain full-back Layvin Kurzawa, but the French champions may instead send him to Juventus in exchange for Mattia De Sciglio.

The fourth round of the FA Cup is upon us and there are some big matches and possible upsets on the cards. All games can be streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S; Nick Miller previews the action and what to expect.

Jump to: Best chance for an upset? | Best game to watch? | The long shot | The curiousity | The derby

The big questions

Is the FA Cup Jose Mourinho's priority?

Obviously we would never suggest that Jose Mourinho would think about what's best for him rather than his team, but Tottenham's FA Cup campaign raises an interesting question. There are already doubts about his tenure and stories being leaked to the media about dissatisfaction within the squad, but would winning the FA Cup -- Tottenham's first trophy for 10 years and one more trophy that Mauricio Pochettino ever won -- change things?

It wouldn't mean Mourinho replacing Pochettino in the affections of most at Spurs, but it might lead to him being granted a little more legitimacy, patience and respect. Qualifying for the Champions League will still be their priority (they're six points behind a stumbling Chelsea) but Mourinho will place a lot of emphasis on success in the FA Cup, too, for the good of the team, as well as himself. Southampton, who have hit some form of late, will prove a tough obstacle to that path, though (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET)

- Stream live matches and replays on ESPN+

Which kids will Liverpool play?

As the merciless red juggernaut ploughed through another unsuspecting opponent on Thursday, Liverpool's thoughts were a fair distance from a game against Shrewsbury at New Meadow on Sunday evening (live on ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET). The Reds still have a few Premier League and European opponents to flay before their A-team concerns themselves with the FA Cup, so it will be back to the youngsters for a trip that Jurgen Klopp could probably do without, regardless of who plays.

But who will we see face the Shrews? The likes of Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Nico Williams will presumably get a chance, but it will be interesting to see which fringe players Klopp uses. He will be conscious that there are still potentially 22 Premier and Champions League games remaining in the season, and he might look at the injuries suffered by key men elsewhere (as well as James Milner falling lame in the third round) and reason that he can't even risk the likes of Divock Origi, Adam Lallana and Joel Matip. The team sheet will be awaited with interest.

How will Manchester United cope with Tranmere's cabbage-patch pitch?

They were blow-drying the Prenton Park pitch this week, as Tranmere desperately tried to get it ready for their terrific third-round replay win over Watford on Thursday. The pitch has caused some problems this season, being on the end of fierce criticism by Chelsea Women's manager Emma Hayes and of course being deemed unsuitable for the first attempt at that Watford replay.

It's a drainage issue that won't be fixed until they can completely dig it up in the summer, but playing two games in four days will hardly help matters with Manchester United the visitors on Sunday (live on ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET). Odd as it might seem, given the week United have endured, they would surely have preferred to visit the lush and familiar surrounds of Watford rather than the uncomfortable Tranmere this weekend.

The best chance for an upset

Brentford vs. Leicester (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 7.45 a.m. ET)

Admittedly, there are bigger gaps this weekend than between the sides third in the Premier League and fifth in the Championship, but if it's a lower-division team potentially beating a higher division team you're after, then Griffin Park on Saturday is probably your best bet. It will probably be the best game of the fourth round, too -- two teams defying expectations at the business end of their respective leagues going head-to-head.

Brentford are arguably the most impressive club in England, using a combination of traditional scouting and data analysis to create a buy low/sell high system whereby they lose their best player every season, but are getting better. Last season it was Neal Maupay, sold to Brighton, but they're now right in the hunt for promotion and could be playing Premier League football at their new home next season. It will be an upset, but not a huge shock if they beat Leicester.

The game you weren't planning to watch, but should

Millwall vs. Sheffield United (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET)

Clearly the most boring FA Cup draws are between two moderate teams in the same division, while close behind are ties between sides that have very recently been in the same division. But Sheffield United's trip to Millwall is more interesting, if only to see whether Millwall can keep up their remarkable record in the FA Cup: They have reached the quarterfinals or later in three of the past seven seasons, which is seriously impressive for a team who have spent most of that time at either the wrong end of the Championship or in League One.

The Den is your archetypal "tough place to go" and Chris Wilder will realise that, so he will have to weigh up his priorities when selecting his team for the trip to south London.

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The long shot

With Tranmere facing Man United, Shrewsbury against Liverpool, and Oxford United hosting Newcastle (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET), there are a few League One vs. Premier League encounters, but the lowest-ranked team left in the competition are League Two's Northampton Town, who face Derby County on Friday (live on ESPN+, at 3 p.m. ET).

If you consider their form, this should be a pretty decent encounter: Both Northampton and Derby have won four of their past six, the former knocking on the promotion door in the fourth tier, while the latter recover in the Championship after a worrying few weeks when they appeared to be getting into a relegation tussle. If it's a true upset you're after, this is the place to concentrate.

The curiosity

Here's a strange one for you. League One Coventry City are Birmingham City's tenants this year, playing at St Andrew's while their exile from the Ricoh Arena -- nominally their home stadium -- continues. But they were drawn at home in this round ... to Birmingham (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET). So the Blues are playing away in their own home, hosted by the team that doesn't have a home. The game is sold out, but the teams agreed to a near-50/50 split in tickets, so this will feel a little like a low-profile semifinal at a neutral venue, except that neutral venue will be both teams' home ground. This could get confusing.

The derby

West Brom and West Ham (live on ESPN+, Saturday at 10 a.m. ET) are separated by a little over 100 miles and a division these days, but this one carries some interest because of the man in the Baggies' dugout.

Slaven Bilic spent two seasons as a player and two and a half as manager at West Ham, but after he was dismissed a couple of years ago took on the challenge of getting West Brom back into the Premier League. It was going pretty well until a few weeks ago, when their form suddenly disappeared, and their previously massive lead in the promotion race has dwindled to virtually nothing in recent weeks. The FA Cup might thus come as a handy distraction for West Brom, but for Bilic this game will mean a bit more.

Toss Bangladesh opt to bat v Pakistan

In what is a must-win game for the visitors if they are to keep the series alive, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah decided to bat first on a wicket with significantly more grass than there was on the pitch yesterday.

They make one change from the team that succumbed in the final over to a five-wicket defeat, with offspinning allrounder Mahedi Hasan coming in for Mohammad Mithun.

Pakistan have made no change to the side from the first ODI as they look to wrap up the series and keep the No. 1 ranking - which they will relinquish with a loss today. The greenness of the wicket should present a bit of a challenge in the powerplay overs, but with the general consensus being the 141 Bangladesh posted on Friday was well below par, they will look to improve upon it today.

Pakistan: 1 Ahsan Ali, 2 Babar Azam (capt.), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Imad Wasim, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Shaheen Afridi 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mohammad Naim, 3 Afif Hossain, 4 Liton Das (wk), 5 Mahmudullah (capt.), 6 Soumya Sarkar, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Aminul Islam, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

South Africa women 260 for 3 (Lee 99, Wolvaardt 91, Jensen 1-36) beat New Zealand women 259 for 9 (Perkins 78, Bates 53, Klaas 3-37, Khaka 3-43) by seven wickets

Openers Lizelle Lee (99) and Laura Wolvaardt (91*) helped South Africa women pull off a chase of 260 - their second highest in ODI cricket - in the series opener against New Zealand women in Auckland. While Lee was dismissed for a run-a-ball 99, Wolvaardt made a more sedate 91 not out off 124 balls and sealed victory along with Mignon du Preez.

It was Lee who made the early running in the chase, and she brought up her half-century off 51 balls in the 16th over. By then, South Africa were 83 for 0. Lee and Wolvaardt stretched their opening stand to 163 before Lee fell to medium-pacer Hayley Jensen in the 32nd over. Three overs later, Suzie Bates had Luus caught behind for 15 and when Dane van Niekerk departed for 37 in the 47th over, South Africa were all but home. Wolvaardt and du Preez completed the formalities with seven wickets and nine balls to spare.

Lee had struck 13 fours while Wolvaardt hit nine. In all, the entire New Zealand side managed only 20 fours and a six. Fresh off winning the Super Smash title with Wellington Blaze, Sophie Devine had a good start - hitting 27 off 31 balls - but couldn't convert it into a substantial score. It was Katie Perkins who had top-scored for the hosts, with 78 off 83 balls, including six fours. No.3 Suzie Bates produced the next best score for New Zealand, making 53 off 75 balls.

At 146 for 3 in the 34th over, New Zealand seemed to have the upper hand, but Bates' dismissal triggered a meltdown as they lost their last six wickets for 113 runs. After Masabata Klaas had taken down the first two wickets, Ayabonga Khaka picked up three wickets in the middle to peg New Zealand back.

Wicketkeeper Rachel Priest (21) and Jensen (20) made late cameos to help push the total beyond 250, but it was not enough on the day for New Zealand.