It's on to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, and we're previewing all four games on the weekend's slate. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and final score predictions.
Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a stat to know for each game, and the Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a matchup rating (on a scale of 1 to 100) and a game projection. NFL analyst Matt Bowen identifies a key matchup to watch, ESPN Chalk's Mackenzie Kraemer hands out helpful nuggets, and national NFL writer Kevin Seifert focuses in on each game's officiating crew. It's all here to help get you ready for a loaded weekend of NFL football.
Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET | NBC Matchup rating: 82.3 | Spread: SF -7 (44)
What to watch for: These teams tied for fifth in sacks (48) this season while finishing in the bottom 10 in blitz percentage. In other words, they both can create pressure while relying solely on their defensive fronts. And quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo (64.9 passer rating) and Kirk Cousins (61.0 passer rating) both had their struggles when under duress in 2019. -- Nick Wagoner
Bold prediction: This game will be decided on the final possession. Minnesota and San Francisco might be the most evenly matched teams in the postseason, both with dominant running games and defensive line play. And while the Vikings are coming off a 26-20 overtime victory in the wild-card round, every 49ers game since Week 13 has been decided by a play in the final 10 seconds, including three on the final play. That trend continues Saturday with a nail-biting finish. -- Courtney Cronin
Stat to know: Expect plenty of play-action on Saturday. Garoppolo had NFL-best 1,670 passing yards off play-action in 2019, while Cousins led the league with 13 play-action passing touchdowns.
Key matchup: 49ers tight end George Kittle vs. split-safety coverage. Look for Niners coach Kyle Shanahan to create open voids and defined throws for Garoppolo versus the Vikings' zone coverages. That leads to catch-and-run opportunities for Kittle, who averaged 7.2 yards after the catch during the regular season. Think crossers and in-breakers here. Read more.
Betting nugget: Since 2014, San Francisco is 1-12-1 against the spread (ATS) as a favorite of at least six points (9-5 outright), including 0-6-1 ATS this season. Garoppolo is the 10th quarterback to make his postseason debut for a No. 1 seed under the current playoff format, and the previous nine are 4-5 outright and 2-7 ATS. Read more.
Officiating nugget: Referee Walt Anderson's regular-season crew led the NFL in flags per game (18.8), but fortunately both the 49ers and Vikings finished among the NFL's 10 least-penalized teams. This could be Anderson's final game on the field, but his name has surfaced as a candidate for a new job as the NFL's vice president of officiating training and recruitment.
Cronin's pick: Vikings 28, 49ers 25 Wagoner's pick: 49ers 27, Vikings 23 FPI prediction: SF, 66.1% (by an average of 5.5 points)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET | CBS Matchup rating: 72.3 | Spread: BAL -10 (46.5)
What to watch for: Can the Titans become the first team this season to stop the NFL MVP front-runner under the bright lights? Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is 3-0 in prime-time games this season, throwing for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions (135.4 passer rating). The Titans are one of eight teams to allow more than 4,000 yards passing and 25 touchdown passes this season. -- Jamison Hensley
Bold prediction: Titans running back Derrick Henry rushes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, despite the Ravens owning the NFL's fifth-best run defense (93.4 yards per game). Expect to see him break a long run (40-plus yards) at some point in the game too. -- Turron Davenport
Stat to know: Baltimore blitzed on 48.7% of opponent dropbacks, the highest rate by any team since the 2013 Cardinals. The Ravens turned those blitzes into an NFL-best 16 takeaways, 49.8% opponent completion percentage and 29 opponent QBR. But Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw seven touchdowns and only one interception against the blitz this season, and he ranked third in yards per attempt (9.8).
Key matchup: Henry vs. the Ravens' defensive front. We shouldn't expect the script to change for Henry and the Titans' offense. Run outside zone and give Henry options to cut inside or bounce to the outside. The Titans running back is averaging 26.2 carries over his past five games. Get him that high volume again, control the tempo and limit the possessions for Jackson. Read more.
Betting nugget: Baltimore covered nine of its final 10 games in the regular season, and it won its final 12 games of the season outright. However, Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel is 7-1 ATS and 6-2 outright as an underdog of at least four points, and he won all three games in that situation this season (including last weekend's victory over the Patriots). Read more.
Officiating nugget: Referee Bill Vinovich's regular-season crew called the fewest penalties per game in the league (13.7). Crews are mixed in the postseason, but the referee is always responsible for quarterback protection. And Vinovich threw only two flags for roughing the passer during the regular season; six referees threw at least 10. The referee is also involved in offensive holding, and Vinovich's regular-season crew called a total of 32 such penalties -- less than half that of the league leaders.
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Orlovsky gives the Ravens the edge over the Titans
Dan Orlovsky predicts the Ravens will defeat the Titans because of their superior performance in the red zone.
Davenport's pick: Ravens 27, Titans 24 Hensley's pick: Ravens 30, Titans 10 FPI prediction: BAL, 81.8% (by an average of 12.0 points)
Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET | CBS Matchup rating: 70.2 | Spread: KC -10 (51)
What to watch for: The Chiefs had trouble getting Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson off the field when the Texans were in Kansas City in October. Houston ran 83 plays and scored 31 points. And while the Chiefs have made significant gains defensively since then, they also haven't faced a QB with Watson's skills over the past six games. -- Adam Teicher
Bold prediction: Watson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will combine to gain more than 650 yards. Neither had his best game in the first matchup, but Watson is coming off of a spectacular second half against the Bills, and the Chiefs have had an extra week to rest and prepare. -- Sarah Barshop
Stat to know: According to NFL Next Gen Stats data, Watson's 60 completions and 10 touchdown passes on rollouts (designed or scramble) lead the NFL this season (including the playoffs). But the Chiefs' defense has tightened up there of late. From Weeks 1-10, it allowed 28 completions on rollouts, third most in the NFL. Since Week 11, the unit has allowed just nine, the second fewest in the league (Steelers, seven). Kansas City also has allowed the lowest QBR in the NFL against rollouts over its six-game winning streak (5.1).
Key matchup: Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu vs. Watson. Looking back at the Week 6 head-to-head matchup, we should anticipate the Chiefs rolling out a very multiple defensive game plan versus Watson and the Texans. Man and zone coverages, and pressure to heat up the pocket. Look for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to put Mathieu in a position to make splash plays while catering to his rare versatility in the secondary. Read more.
Betting nugget: Watson is 13-4 ATS in his career as an underdog and 10-8 outright as an underdog in his career. This is the second-most points Watson has ever been an underdog by. In 39 career NFL starts, Watson has lost by double digits only three times, including only once as an underdog. Read more.
Officiating nugget: Shawn Hochuli, the son of retired legend Ed Hochuli, scaled back significantly this season from his flag-happy 2018 rookie debut. After his 2018 crew led the NFL with 20.8 flags per game, his 2019 crew brought that average down by 21% (16.3 per game).
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Orlovsky, Ninkovich agree Chiefs will take down Texans
Dan Orlovsky and Rob Ninkovich predict a Chiefs win against the Texans because Andy Reid and a healthy Patrick Mahomes are too much for Houston to handle.
Barshop's pick: Chiefs 38, Texans 35 Teicher's pick: Chiefs 30, Texans 23 FPI prediction: KC, 81.5% (by an average of 11.8 points)
Sunday, 6:40 p.m. ET | Fox Matchup rating: 65.9 | Spread: GB -4 (47)
What to watch for: Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is winless in three career games at Lambeau Field, including the 2016 game in which he threw a career-worst five interceptions. In seven games overall against the Packers (including playoffs), he has 10 interceptions, his most against a single opponent. In fact, he has fewer interceptions against every team in the NFC West, despite playing each one at least 16 times. And the Packers have made a living off turnover differential this season. At plus-12, they were better than all but two teams. -- Rob Demovsky
Bold prediction: The Packers' Davante Adams will have more than 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. He has done a lot of his damage this season out of the slot, where he could be matched up against Ugo Amadi (assuming the Seahawks stick with the rookie fourth-round pick as their third cornerback). Additionally, the Packers were first in ESPN's pass block win rate this season while the Seahawks had one of the NFL's least effective pass rushes, their seven sacks last weekend notwithstanding. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers with time to throw and a rookie covering his No. 1 receiver sounds like a bad combo for Seattle. -- Brady Henderson
Stat to know: According to NFL Next Gen Stats data, Rodgers held onto the ball for 2.88 seconds on average this season, the sixth-highest figure in the NFL, and he might have been doing so to allow his inexperienced receivers a chance to get open. He threw 49.6% of his passes to open receivers (3-plus yards of separation), the third-highest percentage in the league.
Key matchup: Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith vs. the Seahawks' interior offensive line. With Smith's athletic traits and short-area speed, the Packers can bump Smith inside to rush or put him in a two-point stance to work the A-gaps. I expect defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to occupy blockers and create one-on-one matchups inside for Smith to rush against Seahawks center Joey Hunt. That's a matchup advantage for Green Bay. Read more.
Betting nugget: Wilson is 26-13-2 ATS in his career as an underdog (including playoffs), covering 10 of his past 12 games. He is also 10-2 ATS and 7-5 outright in his career as an underdog of at least four points. Read more.
Officiating nugget: Referee Clete Blakeman's regular-season crew threw the second-fewest flags per game (13.8, one flag more than the Vinovich crew). His regular-season crew threw the NFL's fewest number of flags for defensive holding, illegal contact and pass interference (29).
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Orlovsky, Ninkovich predict Packers win over Seahawks
Despite the Seahawks being a resilient road team this season, Dan Orlovsky and Rob Ninkovich believe Aaron Rodgers will be the difference for the Packers against the Seahawks.
Henderson's pick: Packers 24, Seahawks 21 Demovsky's pick: Packers 20, Seahawks 17 FPI prediction: GB, 66.3% (by an average of 5.6 points)
Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam is expected to practice Friday with hopes of returning to the lineup in the next week, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Siakam has not played since Dec. 18, when he suffered a groin injury during an awkward landing.
He is averaging a team-leading 25.1 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27 games this season.
Kevin Durant apparently isn't going to take Twitter criticism about his NBA legacy or decision to join the Brooklyn Nets, jumping into the replies to engage with media members multiple times this week.
Thursday's back-and-forth was with former Thunder teammate and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, on the same night as Russell Westbrook's return to Oklahoma City.
Durant landed one of the first Twitter jabs when he bashed Perkins for averaging a "whopping 2 and 3" during a second-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013.
Yea and our starting center @KendrickPerkins averaged a whopping 2 and 3 during that series. U played hard tho champ lol
Durant's tweet had followed a back-and-forth that started with Perkins declaring that Westbrook was the best player ever to put on a Thunder jersey, with a number of people replying to show support for Durant.
In about 30 minutes I'm going to give my opinion on @SportsCenter on why Believe that Russell Westbrook is the best player to have ever put on a Oklahoma City Thunder Jersey!!! He is MR. THUNDER!!!
Durant responded with a handshake emoji -- but Perkins continued, calling Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 "the weakest move in NBA history" and telling him, "Truth be told you don't even feel like a real Champ."
Boy stop you did the weakest move in NBA History!!! Up on a team 3-1 in the western conference finals and then go join them the following season?! Heart of Champion right there
Durant's response was to continue to question Perkins' contributions.
That's fine!!! You worked that hard and still had to go join a 73-9 team. Truth be told you don't even feel like a real Champ, you have hard time sleeping at night huh knowing that you took the coward way out!!!
On Wednesday, Durant defended his decision to join the Nets when CBS Sports Radio's Brandon Tierney tweeted that Durant "passed up the shot" to play for the New York Knicks while also implying that the Brooklyn team is irrelevant.
Nothing but respect for your game, but the reality is simple: the Mecca had your name all over it, and you passed up the shot. I'm from BK, it's in my blood. But NYC is ALL about the Knicks. And always will be.
The reality is that you wanted me to do what You wanted me to do. I didn't and now you feel some weird way about it. Get over yourself bro, i know u got a lil platform but come out the clouds. It's not real
Durant did downplay the significance of these interactions, tweeting that "this energy doesn't leave social media" and "We talkin hoops not life. There's a difference."
This week continues a history of social media moments involving Durant. In July, he and CJ McCollum went back and forth after the Trail Blazers guard referred to Durant as "soft."
Durant also called it a "total accident" in April 2018 when he liked criticism of Westbrook on Instagram. He also was caught in September 2017 using "burner" Twitter accounts to criticize the Thunder.
Durant is not expected to play this season after he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in June, his final game with the Warriors. He signed a four-year contract worth up to $164 million with the Nets in the offseason.
What are the Los Angeles Dodgers up to, or not up to, as the case may be? There has been a lot of rhetoric flying around in Southern California about the inability of the Dodgers to make a free-agent splash this winter or to pull off a blockbuster trade. It's gotten fairly venemous.
Let's leave aside the ephemeral issues of intent, discontent and all matters pondering who is mad at who, and whether it's justified. Instead, let's just put on our Andrew Friedman hat and try to assess where the Dodgers are and where they should be. Let's begin with a glance at which teams have opened their wallets the widest, while acknowledging that there remains a fair bit of free-agent spending still to come this winter.
Key: fWAR -- projected 2020 FanGraphs WAR; YRS -- total years committed to free agents; SAL -- total salaries committed to free agents, not including incentives; AAV -- average annual value of free-agent contracts signed.
Teams are ordered by their total commitment of free-agent dollars. The data comes from the free-agent tracker at FanGraphs, though I've filled in a couple of blanks based on reported signings not yet officially announced and worked in Davenport translations for players signed out of Japan and Korea. Players signed to minor league deals are not included.
That team could be the Dodgers, if they so desired. The money is certainly there. Only the Yankees have a higher franchise value and a larger revenue base, according to the most recent reports on these things from Forbes. The Dodgers are in essence the Yankees of the West Coast and have been for a long time. Their attendance is robust, topping three million every season since 2001. Last season, that figure reached a franchise apex of 3.97 million. The Dodgers' local television contract is a monster. L.A.'s resources are as vast as any team's in the majors.
On the field, the Dodgers have been unassailably triumphant in recent seasons, with seven straight division titles and two pennants since 2013. Last season, the Dodgers won 106 games and posted the run differential of a 110-win team. They won the National League West by 21 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. During their current seven-year streak of division crowns, the Dodgers have won 118 more games than any other team in the NL West. However you measure it, the Dodgers have been wildly successful.
The Dodgers have not, however, managed to end a franchise championship drought that began after the Tommy Lasorda/Kirk Gibson/Orel Hershiser Dodgers won it all in 1988. That, in a nutshell, is where the discontent stems from. The growing concern seems to be that the Dodgers are willing to do just enough to keep the turnstiles turning, but not quite enough to get over the ultimate hump. At least that's my take on what the beef is, because, to be frank, I don't quite understand the antipathy.
In a meeting of the Angels' new coaching staff the other day, the talk was about the presentation of information to players and the integration of analysis. The first example discussed was something that happened with the best player on the planet.
A couple of years ago, Mike Trout approached Dino Ebel, who, at that time, was a longtime coach with the Angels. Trout's question to Ebel was, boiled down: How can I get better defensively?
Even posing the question reflected so much about Trout. The drive to get better. The deep humility. Even after MVP awards and big money and industry acclaim, the understanding of the constant challenges the game of baseball presents. The deep trust in Ebel and others on the Angels' staff in an era when many of his peers prefer their personal coaches, to the degree that they'll stiff-arm team instruction.
Ebel and others on the Angels' staff presented Trout with feedback about his defense, with suggestions for improvements on specific elements of how he played center field. And Trout got better. Trout always seems to get better.
It's as if a lot of his year-to-year statistics are constructed on the side of a pyramid, climbing relentlessly.
Cross country action returns to King’s Park as the British Athletics Cross Challenge season continues
The next stop on the British Athletics Cross Challenge calendar is Stirling, right in the centre of Scotland, with the meeting on Saturday (January 11) incorporating the Home Countries International, the Celtic International and the Scottish Inter-District Championships.
The venue is King’s Park, which sits in the shadow of the impressive Stirling Castle and provided the stage for last year’s Great Stirling Cross Country, where Laura Muir led the British team to mixed relay victory.
The international element to proceedings in 2020 will see senior and U20 teams from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland compete in the Home Countries event, while U23, U20 and U17 sides from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland race for the Celtic title.
Local star Andrew Butchart, the Rio 5000m Olympian, will continue his journey towards Tokyo by leading a Scotland team in which he will be joined in the senior men’s line-up by athletes including last year’s Inter-District champion Lachlan Oates.
The England quartet boasts British Euro Cross captain Adam Hickey, while Kristian Jones, also part of the gold medal-winning senior men’s team in Lisbon, is in the Welsh line-up. Zak Henna is among the Northern Ireland selections.
In the senior women’s race, current Cross Challenge second-placer and European Cross team gold medal winner Kate Avery heads a formidable English line-up which also includes Emily Hosker-Thornhill, who was eighth in Stirling last year.
The Welsh team features Jenny Nesbitt, while Mhairi Maclennan, who won the Inter-District title at King’s Park 12 months ago, is on the Scotland team.
Fionnuala Ross, a European Cross team silver medallist with Ireland, heads the Northern Ireland team.
The under-20 races will feature the likes of Euro Cross team gold medallists Hamish Armitt and Will Barnicoat, plus Olivia Mason and Cera Gemmell.
In addition to the cross country action, the Run Stirling event will also play host to the Great Stirling Castle Run, a scenic 7km multi-terrain challenge.
Timetable
10:02 U11 girls (1km)
10:17 U11 boys (1km)
10:32 U20 men/U20 women (7km)
11:02 U13 girls (3km)
11:17 U13 boys (3km)
11:32 U17 women (6km)
11:57 U17 men (6km)
12:22 U15 girls (4km)
12:37 U15 boys (4km)
12:52 U23/senior women (8km)
13:27 U23/senior men (8km)
TV guide
The Stirling Cross Challenge is being streamed live online by Vinco and BBC Sport.
Serena Williams reached the Auckland Classic semi-finals with a straight-set victory over Germany's Laura Siegemund.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion beat 73rd-ranked Siegemund 6-4 6-3.
Williams, whose last singles title came at the 2017 Australian Open, will play fellow American Amanda Anisimova after she beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-2 3-6 6-4.
Caroline Wozniacki reached the semi-finals with a 6-1 6-4 victory over the 2019 champion, German fourth seed Julia Gorges.
Novak Djokovic fought back to beat Canada's Denis Shapovalov and ensure Serbia reached the ATP Cup semi-finals.
World number two Djokovic rallied to beat Shapovalov 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) and give Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie after Dusan Lajovic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-2.
Serbian pair Viktor Troicki and Nikola Cacic then beat Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin 6-3 6-2 in the doubles to secure a clean sweep in Sydney.
They will play Russia in the last four.
Australian Open champion Djokovic has won all of his singles rubbers at the ATP Cup but was made to work hard by Shapovalov.
Shapovalov, who has beaten top-10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the tournament, broke Djokovic in the penultimate game of the first set before serving it out.
However, Djokovic blasted through the second, converting all three of his break opportunities to force a decider.
Djokovic served for the match at 5-4 in the third set and had a 30-0 lead when a spectator was taken ill in the stands and play was halted.
The Serb gave the fan a bottle of cold water as she was escorted out of the stadium but he lost the next four points when play resumed and Shapovalov broke back.
Shapovalov saved four match points, including two off the Djokovic serve, but the Canadian sent a forehand long as Djokovic secured victory in two hours and 41 minutes.
"This was the closest match I have ever played against Denis. It was so close, it could have gone a different way easily," Djokovic said.
"He was playing some terrific tennis and I want to give a huge round of applause and credit to him."
Spain will play Belgium later on Friday, with the winner playing hosts Australia in the second semi-final.
Ryan Cuskelly overcomes Chris Gordon under the Grand Central chandeliers
Gaultier back on court today against Mosaad By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent
The 2020 edition of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, PSA World Tour Platinum event got under way in New York yesterday with two of the three US players in action falling to narrow 3-2 defeats under the chandeliers of Grand Central Terminal’s stunning Vanderbilt Hall.
Men’s US No.1 Todd Harrity and local man Chris Hanson were backed to the hilt by home support, but both men ultimately fell in five games to Hong Kong’s Leo Au and Mexico’s Cesar Salazar, respectively, to narrowly miss out on a spot in round two of the first PSA World Tour event of 2020.
Harrity, the current World No.59, twice clawed back a one-game deficit against World No.22 Au, but fell to an 11-8 defeat in the deciding fifth game to send him out of the event at the first hurdle, with Au booking a last 32 spot against England’s Tom Richards.
“Todd is obviously a top player,” said Au after his 200th PSA World Tour victory. “He always hangs in there and never gives up. He gave me a lot of pressure and I’m glad that I could get through it in the end.”
Cesar Salazar celebrates his victory over Chris Hanson
Meanwhile, New York’s Hanson put himself on the verge of a surprise victory against World No.23 Salazar, leading 2-1 after some well-constructed rallies and consistent line hitting saw the World No.67 impress in front of his home fans.
But 32-year-old Salazar held firm to take a crucial fourth game, before dropping just a handful of points in the fifth to seal his last 32 berth, where he will play India’s Saurav Ghosal.
“It’s always hard when you play against a local player,” said Salazar afterwards. “Chris has improved a lot in the last few months and years. I tried to start very focused on my game and my strategy. I know a lot of the crowd was with him, but I tried to be very focused, but he won the first game and that was important for the confidence, but after that I tried to come back and I started to play better with my movement and shots.”
The other American in action was another New Yorker – World No.91 Christopher Gordon – who went down to Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly by an 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 margin.
Abdullah Tamimi is delighted to win in one squash’s most imposing auditoriums
One of the day’s standout matches featured Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi against France’s Lucas Serme, with the former coming back from two games behind to claim his first ever win at the historic tournament.
Al Tamimi squandered two game balls in the second game, but overcame that disappointment to seal a 4-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 victory to ensure he will play World Championship runner-up Paul Coll for a place in the last 16.
“I really started slow and I wasn’t playing with a high pace,” said Al Tamimi. “Rodney [Martin] was on my side today and kept pushing me to play my style of game which is fast and try to volley a bit more. Put pressure on the back of the court, I play that up and down and I’m really glad that I finished that fourth game and I knew that if I could keep that pace in the fifth then it would be good for me.”
There were also wins for Egyptian teenager Mostafa Asal, Mathieu Castagnet, Campbell Grayson and Youssef Soliman at Grand Central, while at the Harvard Club of New York, French World No.42 Baptiste Masotti upset England’s Adrian Waller, the World No.19, winning 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 to set up a second round fixture with Soliman.
The New York Athletic Club also hosted a selection of first round fixtures, with Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu beating Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen 3-1 in 69 minutes.
Round two of the men’s tournament begins today (Friday). Former World No.1 Gregory Gaultier will make his highly-anticipated return to PSA action after 15 months out due to a knee injury (against giant Egyptian Omar Mosaad), while the women’s event gets under way with five US players in action.
Action begins at 12:00 (GMT-5) and play from Grand Central Terminal will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
BRITWATCH: Victories for Declan James, Tom Richards and Greg Lobban, but day one exits for Alan Clyne, Adrian Waller and George Parker.
Second Round draws: Tom meets Leo Au tonight. Busy day tomorrow with Joel Makin up against Diego Elias of Peru and an all-British blockbuster between Lobban and James Willstrop. Plus Declan James against Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip.
GENERAL IS BACK IN TOWN: If you see a Frenchman dancing all the way down 42nd Street, that will be Gregory Gaultier on his way to Grand Central to play Omar Mosaad in his big PSA comeback match tonight.
2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA.
Men’s First Round: Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (39m) Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5 (46m) Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-1: 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (44m) Tom Richards (ENG) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 11-2, 9-11, 11-1, 11-3 (32m) Leo Au (HKG) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-2: 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8 (64m) Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-2: 4-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7 (62m) Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-7 (53m) Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (45m) Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-3 (26m) Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-1: 11-8, 12-10, 5-11, 11-9 (69m) Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) bt Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 3-1: 11-9, 10-12, 12-10, 11-7 (51m) Declan James (ENG) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (44m) Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [WC] Chris Hanson (USA) 3-2: 10-12, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-5 (60m) Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-2 (26m) Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Max Lee (HKG) 3-1: 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 (58m) Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt [WC] Christopher Gordon (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (40m)
Men’s Second Round (January 10th): [1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Mazen Hesham (EGY) Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA) Tom Richards (ENG) v Leo Au (HKG) Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL) [8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Mostafa Asal (EGY) Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Omar Mosaad (EGY) Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [4] Tarek Momen (EGY)
Men’s Second Round (January 11th): [3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v Declan James (ENG) Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Saurav Ghosal (IND) Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [6] Simon Rösner (GER) [7] Diego Elias (PER) v Joel Makin (WAL) James Willstrop (ENG) v Greg Lobban (SCO) Zahed Salem (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA) Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
Women’s First Round (January 10th): [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [Bye] Coline Aumard (FRA) v Hollie Naughton (CAN) Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) [11] Annie Au (HKG) [Bye] [16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) [Bye] Melissa Alves (FRA) v Zeina Mickawy (EGY) Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) [5] Camille Serme (FRA) [Bye] [7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [Bye] Tsz Lok Ho (HKG) v Emily Whitlock (ENG) Nada Abbas (EGY) v Rachel Arnold (MAS) [13] Alison Waters (ENG) [Bye] [10] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [Bye] Danielle Letourneau (CAN) v Mariam Metwally (EGY) Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA) [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [Bye] [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [Bye] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v Donna Lobban (AUS) Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) [14] Salma Hany (EGY) [Bye] [12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [Bye] Haley Mendez (USA) v Tinne Gilis (BEL) Low Wee Were (MAS) v Julianne Courtice (ENG) [6] Joelle King (NZL) [Bye] [8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [Bye] Olivia Fiechter (USA) v Nele Gilis (BEL) Joey Chan (HKG) v Sabrina Sobhy (USA) [15] Victoria Lust (ENG) [Bye] [9] Tesni Evans (WAL) [Bye] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) v Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Lisa Aitken (SCO) [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [Bye]
Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.
Exeter need one point to top their group, but a victory in Glasgow could seal a home quarter-final.
"We feel we can achieve something extra special this year and for us it starts on Saturday," Hogg told BBC Sport.
"We've given ourselves every opportunity to qualify. We're fully aware of the Glasgow threats, how tough it's going to be.
"But the boys are excited, they're excited to go up to Scotland and put our stamp on this group and hopefully give ourselves every opportunity to take a step further."
'It'll be a wee bit strange'
Since joining Exeter after Scotland's elimination in the World Cup pool stages, Hogg has played 10 games - scoring his first try in the Chiefs' Champions Cup win at Sale.
He has already faced his former employers in the second round of pool games, when Exeter scored three second-half tries to come from 13-10 down at half-time to win 34-18 at Sandy Park.
"It'll be a wee bit strange being in the away changing room, but I'm excited to get back," Hogg said of his imminent return to Scotstoun.
"[Glasgow back-rower] Ryan Wilson gave me a little bit of stick the last time about he was going to come and get me and all that kind of palaver.
"But I'm old enough and ugly enough now to realise what's going to happen and I've just got to get a smile on my face and enjoy myself being back at Scotstoun.
"I've got to make sure I can do my job for the team and hopefully give ourselves every opportunity to qualify."
Baxter 'demands' home quarter-final
Exeter have only made it out of the Champions Cup pool stages once in their five previous attempts - topping their pool fortuitously in 2016 when all four sides won three and lost three matches.
"It's great that we're within touching distance of qualifying, but actually shouldn't we be trying to qualify with a home quarter-final?" director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport.
"That's what gives you the best opportunity to take the next step and at the moment that's in our hands.
"The home quarter-final probably drops out of our hands a little bit if we don't go to Glasgow and win, so that's what I'd like our attitude to be about.
"If we want to demand a home quarter-final, we're going to go away to Glasgow, probably the toughest away game in the pool, and we've got to go there and get the result we need."
England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie is one of seven players still at Sandy Park that started Exeter's only other knockout game in Europe's top tier - a heartbreaking 25-24 loss at Wasps after Jimmy Gopperth's last-ditch penalty saw the Chiefs throw away a 13-point second-half lead.
He says the squad will look to their experienced players to provide leadership as they aim for uncharted territory.
"Guys who have been involved in big games like this and who have gone through in home quarter-finals and stuff, they definitely have a word," the World Cup-finalist told BBC Sport.
"We've got a team run on Friday so I'm pretty sure they'll stand up and speak a bit there.
"If we do potentially make it through they'll definitely have words, especially for the younger boys who are playing for us now.
"It's exciting and refreshing for the club to be where we are now and we're all ready to get involved."
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