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Day One: 2019 ITTF World Tour German Open

Published in Table Tennis

Thursday, 10 October 2019 01:00

Host nation revels in five-game tie

Nina Mittelham and partner Petrissa Solja gave their fans in Bremen plenty to cheer about as they were locked in a pendulum battle with Thailand’s Orawan Paranang and Suthasini Sawettabut.

In a match lasting 46 minutes, the German duo took an early lead of two games but were held back by the Asian pair. Eventually, in the final game Mittelham and Solja put together some stunning shots and got the win 3-2 (11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 14-16, 11-9).

Indian challengers unable to budge Chinese elite

Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath displayed a gritty performance against China’s Chen Meng and Gu Yiting, but it was to be in vain, as the Indian pair could not register more than the one game in their 25 minute encounter.

The match resulted in a 3-1 (12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5) win for Chen and Gu, where the scoreline was not too kind on their opponents. Similarly, the mix pairing of Adriana Diaz from Puerto Rico and Romanian Elizabeta Samara who lost out to Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee and Haeun Yang by 3-1 (11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4).

Lee and Jeon imperious, Harimoto-Hayata thrill

Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee were a powerful duo in Bremen, as they won in straight sets against , Romanians Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs (11-5, 11-7, 12-10).

“No, it was no surprise that we lost. They are a very good pair. In the Asian Championships they almost beat Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen, were 2-0 and 10-8 in the lead. Be believed in our game but they were the better players today. We will try again at the next tournament.” Ovidiu Ionescu

Meanwhile, Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata were involved in a thriller with Germany’s Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja which ended in the Asian pair winning 3-1 (8-11, 12-10, 12–10, 11-9). The match was a feast for the fans with elite athletes engaging in a lot of rallies.

Wong-Doo tested, but move on

The most in-form duo across mixed doubles this World Tour season, Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem were tested early on as they faced Serbians Aleksandar Karakasevic and Izabela Lupulesku.

Despite losing the first game, the Hong Kong duo returned into the match with a strong showing of mobility across the table and went through to the quarter-finals in style, winning 3-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3).

Let the main draw begin!

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Who will be boss in Bremen?

Published in Table Tennis

Thursday, 10 October 2019 01:55

Following last week’s Swedish Open in Stockholm, the ITTF World Tour has shifted to the northern German city of Bremen, where several star players are battling it out for coveted points to reach the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, China.

This week’s German Open (main draw 10th – 13th October after two days of qualifying) is the penultimate Platinum World Tour event of the year, offering more points than regular events. Meanwhile, November’s Austrian Open in Linz represents the final opportunity for players to seal their spots for December’s annual showpiece. The top 16 places in the men’s and women’s singles competitions and the top 8 in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles categories will be lining up in Zhengzhou between 12th – 15th December.

Boll is back! Gauzy vs Xu Xin rematch, and more…

German table tennis legend Timo Boll returns to action on home soil. For the four-time German Open champion to win his first title at the tournament since 2009 would of course be the stuff of dreams. First and foremost, the 38-year-old is looking to accrue enough points to confirm his place at this year’s ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou. By competing in Bremen, Boll will have met the pre-requisite of five World Tour events during 2019, but currently occupying 15th place means he will not be taking any chances to avoid missing out on the top 16.

Boll could face Fan Zhendong (CHN) in the quarter-finals, with the world no.2 still looking for his first World Tour title of a below-par calendar year so far. Meanwhile, Germany could again be pitted against top Chinese opposition with Dimitrij Ovtcharov in line to face Liang Jingkun and Patrick Franziska against Lin Gaoyuan in the round of 16.

With reigning German Open champion Ma Long absent in Bremen, Xu Xin completes China’s seeds in the men’s singles draw. The world no.1 locks horns with Frenchman Simon Gauzy in the first round today for a rematch of arguably the most entertaining contest of this year’s World Championships in Budapest (and even the year as a whole) when Gauzy triumphed 4-2.

– Simon Gauzy

The winner between Xu and Gauzy could meet Hugo Calderano (BRA) in the quarter-final, although both Wong Chun Ting (HKG) and Lee Sangsu (KOR) will be battling hard in that section of the draw for much-needed World Tour points. They currently sit in 16th and 18th places respectively.

Lin Yun-Ju (TPE) also returns to international action for the first time since winning August’s Czech Open. He could face another man desperately searching for points in 19th-placed Koki Niwa (JPN), while Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) could be taking on Liam Pitchford (ENG) in the last 16.

Chen Meng wants milestone win; can Mima Ito trouble Chinese again?

China’s and the world’s no.1 women’s player, Chen Meng is out to make history in Bremen. The 25-year-old took her tally to four women’s singles titles on this year’s ITTF World Tour after victory at the Swedish Open. Further honours in Germany would see her equal the record of five women’s singles gold medals in the same calendar year, held since 2003 by Chinese great Zhang Yining.

Japan’s Mima Ito is also enjoying a rich vein of form: the 18-year-old defeated two of China’s brightest female stars in Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha last week in Stockholm, before losing out to the more established and experienced Chen Meng.

The difficulty in overcoming Ito, however, was certainly not lost on the world no.1, who had this to say after completing a spirited fightback from 3-1 down to win 4-3 in the final:

– Chen Meng

Ito, a German Open champion in 2015, could be set to face last year’s winner and Japanese team-mate, Kasumi Ishikawa, in the quarter-finals, while a potential rematch against Chen Meng would follow in the semi-finals.

On the other side of the draw, Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha are favourites to cross paths in the last four, although they will have to navigate their way past a few potential banana skins along the way:

In the first round, Wang faces Chinese chopper Liu Fei, who impressed on reaching the semi-finals in Sweden and, positioned 20th in the World Tour standings, is eager to add to her points tally in a bid to reach the World Tour Grand Finals. Also featuring in that half of the draw are this summer’s Czech Open finalists, Miu Hirano (JPN) and Chen Xingtong (CHN), the latter winning women’s singles gold both in Bulgaria and Czech Republic.

Doubles specialists back on show

The return to action of Lin Yun-Ju sees the Chinese Taipei prodigy partner Liao Cheng-Ting as top seeds in the men’s doubles, while German duo Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska link up again, looking for further glory after famously claiming gold at this year’s China Open.

Also on show are mixed nationality pair, Ovidiu Ionescu (ROU) and Alvaro Robles (ESP), who lit up the World Championships in Budapest by winning silver. For Korea Republic, Jeoung Youngsik teams up with Jang Woojin, instead of usual partner Lee Sangsu, who face Iranian brothers Nima Alamian and Noshad Alamiyan – strong performers in September’s Asian Championships – in the first round.

Chinese pairs Fan Zhendong & Lin Gaoyuan and Xu Xin & Liang Jingkun are in the same half of the draw, with the latter facing Brazilian up and coming stars Vitor Ishiy and Eric Jouti in the first round.

In the women’s doubles, world champions Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu are the top seeds and could meet compatriots Chen Meng and Gu Yuting in the final. Japanese second seeds Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki start their campaign against Poland’s Natalia Bajor and Olympian / Paralympian star Natalia Partyka.

Mixed nationality pairs are out in force: Barbora Balazova (SVK) with Hana Matelova (CZE), Sofia Polcanova (AUT) with Bernadette Szocs (ROU), and Elizabeta Samara (ROU) with Adriana Diaz (PUR):

– Elizabeta Samara

China has sent no mixed doubles pairs to Bremen, meaning the top three seeds are as follows: Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem (HKG), Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching (TPE) and Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (JPN). World Championships bronze medallists, Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja (GER) will be looking for another strong showing in front of home support.

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Roma Ping Pong Fest: TTX engages Europeans with fun!

Published in Table Tennis

Thursday, 10 October 2019 02:17

The “Roma Ping Pong Fest” was a 360° all-rounded TTX Experience for a host of participants, featuring a three major sections at Via dei Fori Imperiali: “TTX tournament”, a “Celebrity tournament”, and fun zones comprising of music, shows and even more…

Participants who arrived simply picked up a racket with family & friends to enjoy games of TTX at their pleasure. Smash it, play it freestyle and hustling their way to glory, and score extra points with wildcards and winners – this unpredictable game was exciting and fun till the last second of the event.

Success in Roma, made for the world

Organised by the ITTF and FITET (the Italian Table Tennis Federation), in collaboration with SG Plus Ghiretti & Partners, and with the support of the Lazio Region, the Municipality of Rome, CONI and the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), the Roma Ping Pong Fest will be the first of its kind to be launched in Italy, showcasing the new format of table tennis that aims to make the sport more youthful.

“We are excited to see TTX take off in Rome. The energy of the streets of Denver and the iconic Via dei Fori Imperiali and Colosseum have provided the perfect backdrop for TTX, a ‘sport for all,’ combining the fun and competitive elements of ping pong in a simplified and social context. “Smash Street by TTX” and the “Roma Ping Pong Fest” are just the start as we continue to explore new opportunities to expand the reach of our amazing sport worldwide.” Gordon Kaye, ITTF Managing Director of Product Innovation.

Set against the iconic backdrop of the Colosseum, the Roma Ping Pong Fest was designed to be more of a showcase for the ‘TTX Experience’ to a broader audience. And as the event of TTX itself remains front and centre, there were kids, celebrity, and adult tournaments amongst all-day performances taking place all over the venue.

Speaking more about the venue decision, Gordon goes on to say the focus was heavily on the social aspect:

“We wanted Denver to have a ‘grittiness’ to attract the urban young professional crowd, while Rome is really more based on the iconic and central location to attract a wider audience. With that being said, both events were heavily focused on the fun and social aspects of the sport, with a little competition to go along!” Gordon Kaye

The competitive numbers of fun

Quite simply, whilst competition is the very essence of sport, enjoyment and fun are the heart of the matter. Just as in Denver and Varberg, in Roma everyone could compete, there were no restrictions.

The equally playing restrictions were removed because TTX rackets have no artificial covering. When playing a TTX tournament, there are no limiting rules for serving, just hit the ball, make it bounce once at your side of the table and then hop over the net, and you are all set. Each match can be as many odd numbered games as you wish, each game being timed to two minutes.

These rules were learnt by approximately 60,000 people, who attended the 9-hour event in Roma. Italian citizens, tourists and many curious people were able to closely observe this new format that makes “Ping Pong” even more modern, simple, inclusive, available to everyone and for everyone. Those present also had the chance to admire the many shows and performances held on the central stage of the village.

The TTX village, set up for the occasion, was visited by about 6000 people, most of whom decided to pick up a racket and try TTX for the first time ever. Many challenges in tournaments were dedicated to members – Under 10 and Under 14 boys – and employees of Sport and Salute SpA.

The winner of the “1st TTX Trophy – City of Roma” was Tijani Jusuff Adewale, a FITET member. There was great participation seen also in the “Celebrity Tournament”, coordinated by the actor and table tennis champion Alessio Sardelli, which was eventually won by the actor Pietro Sermonti.

A worthy cause to enjoy the Sun

If there was a need for more reasons to love TTX, the event in Roma supported the “Città della Speranza” Foundation and research into Paediatric Oncoematology – research that covers many psychological and social aspects, linked to the difficult experiences of having a tumor during childhood or adolescence.

The “Roma Ping Pong Fest” thus became a solidarity. In the entertainment area, when the street artists and writers had transformed the TTX tables into their canvases: these tables were then put up for auction and the proceeds were entirely donated to the “Città della Speranza” Onlus Foundation , for scientific research in the pediatric blood oncology.

By coming to the “Roma Ping Pong Fest” people were also helping out our charity partners and their amazing work to spread the word about an important research that would benefit millions around the globe.

Special guests light up event

A special city like Roma always will have special people gracing an event like this. And no wonder, there were many guests of “Roma Ping Pong Fest” which lit up the event with their presence.

To name a few, the Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, the city councilor for Sport Daniele Frongia , the President of the Istituto Sportivo Andrea Abodi , the Board of Directors of Sport and Health SpA Francesco Landi and Roberto Tavani representing the President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti carried out exchanges at TTX together with the President of the Italian Table Tennis Federation Renato Di Napoli and Massimo Costantini, High Performance Elite Coach for ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation).

“The Imperial forums on Sunday were the theatre of an event open to all citizens: the Roma Ping Pong Fest, with the first European stage of the TTX tournament, a new format, more fun and dynamic, of the discipline of tennis table. There were numerous ping pong stations for all and tournaments of TTX but also entertainment with street art performances and writing and live music, not forgetting the social aspect. For the occasion, a fundraiser was organized in favour of scientific research in the field of pediatric oncoematologia. The intent of this festival collects an important challenge: launch a different discipline, closer to the amateur audience, and therefore more inclusive, with different rules and more versatile materials. The goal remains to involve a more youthful audience and make sport more social and closer to new generations on any game table. And what better city than Rome to launch this important challenge?!” Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi (translated)

The spokespersons at the event were the Azure women tennis athletes Chiara Colantoni and Giada Rossi, who became #1 in the world Class 2 classification. The two FITET athletes were protagonists at the Imperial Forums in the company of the Paralympic Technical Director Alessandro Arcigli and the champion Clara Podda. Their presence revamped the way people approach TTX and added an even more authentic feel to the event.

We are very happy to see this response to TTX across the world. Follow our journey in the future right here on ITTF!

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Peru’s Diego Elias topples Karim Gawad to score historic US Open triumph

Published in Squash

Thursday, 10 October 2019 00:31

Diego Elias celebrates his victory over Karim Abdel Gawad

First South American to reach US Open semi-finals
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

IntroPeru’s World No.7 Diego Elias will become the first South American to appear in the semi-finals of the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships after he came back from a game down to overcome World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

The 22-year-old Elias had not beaten Gawad on the PSA Tour prior to tonight – losing all five of their previous meetings – but he played with maturity to defeat the Egyptian 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, earning a spot in only his second major semi-final.

Gawad raced out of the traps to take a one-game lead, but three tins from the 28-year-old towards the end of the second game proved costly as Elias levelled. Gawad continued to hit too many errors as Elias added the third, but was back on top in the fourth to set up a decider.

However, he had few answers to Elias’s guile as the No.7 seed kept him at arm’s length to close out a win which will see him take on World No.1 Ali Farag for a place in the final.

“I’m just so happy with my performance today,” said Elias. “I think I like this place – it was my first quarter-final here and now my first semi-final here. I’m just really happy to have my dad here and [former World No.1] Jonathon [Power], he has been helping me for so long and I’m really happy that this is happening.

“I’m feeling really confident, now I have to recover. I always have good matches with Ali, so I want to be at 100 per cent to play well and have another great match with him.”

Farag was slated to take on Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez in the final match of the day, but a calf injury saw Rodriguez withdraw from the fixture, meaning 2017 champion Farag receives a walkover into the last four.

The women’s semi-finals will feature a repeat of the 2017 women’s final as World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb both booked their last four spots after respective wins over England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and two-time World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby.

El Welily and El Tayeb contested the final of this tournament two years ago, with El Tayeb claiming a dramatic 3-2 victory to lift her first PSA Platinum title.

That win came before husband Ali Farag overcame World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy to capture his first major title, meaning they became the first married couple in sporting history ever to win the same major sports title on the same day.

El Welily (pictured) and El Tayeb have already met in back-to-back finals at the first two PSA World Tour events of the season – the J.P. Morgan China Open and the Oracle NetSuite Open – with both players collecting a win apiece.

El Welily, who dismantled El Tayeb in just 23 minutes in the Oracle NetSuite Open final, earned her spot in the semi-finals of this tournament after beating Perry 11-6, 14-12, 11-8.

“I’m so far away from defending my title,” said 30-year-old El Welily after claiming her 350th PSA Tour win.

“It used to be very hard for me mentally to play the same person again and again, but since the years have passed, I think I have got used to it.

“We play one week after the other, and it’s very common that we play the same person back-to-back. It’s just another match, I don’t think of it as a repeat of something that has happened before, it is just a new match and a new opportunity.”

In the battle of the two former World Junior Champions, it was El Tayeb who came out on top against Elaraby, with the 26-year-old winning 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 in 26 minutes.

The 19-year-old Elaraby, the World Junior Champion in 2017 and 2018, caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far when she dispatched World No.6 Joelle King in round three, and she began the fixture with El Tayeb well, showing no fear as she surged into a 4-0 lead in the opening game.

But from there, it was all El Tayeb as the World Championship runner-up hit her stride and played an array of winners to book her place in the last four. She is currently 13-7 down on the head-to-head record against El Welily and has won one of their last four meetings.

Nour El Tayeb powers past Rowan Elaraby to reach the last four

“I’m feeling great on the court and I’m very pleased with how I’m playing,” El Tayeb said.

“I can’t wait to get back on here for the semis and hopefully reach another final. I’m happy that I’m reaching the stage where I’m playing Raneem. It’s been a great season so far, she is the best in the world for a reason, but I can’t wait to get on there and play a good match.”

The quarter-finals continue on Thursday October 10. Play begins at 17:30 (GMT-4) and will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe & Japan).

FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. (PSA World Tour Platinum. Equal prize money: $185,500 for both men and women).

Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) w/o
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bt [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-2: 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7 (80m)

Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half, today):
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [5] Simon Rösner (GER)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) v [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Men’s Semi-Finals (Top Half, tomorrow):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [7] Diego Elias (PER)

Women’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 14-12, 11-8 (34m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (26m)

Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half, today):
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [2] Camille Serme (FRA)

Women’s Semi-Finals (Top Half, tomorrow):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Posted on October 10, 2019

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'Upset' England fans 'dealing with the reality' of Typhoon Hagibis

Published in Rugby

Thursday, 10 October 2019 03:55

Thousands of England fans have been left disappointed after the side's final Rugby World Cup pool match was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis.

A near capacity crowd of 70,000 was expected at Saturday's game against France, which is being played in Yokohama, about 20 miles south of Tokyo, but plans have changed as the storm is expected to make landfall in the area on Saturday.

Here are some of their stories...

Honeymoon plans disrupted

Karl Green and his wife Shannan had hoped to begin their honeymoon at the fixture in Yokohama, about 20 miles south of the capital.

The couple were in Heathrow waiting for their flight to Tokyo when they got the news that this would not be possible.

"We got married in May and planned our delayed honeymoon over a year ago so we could watch England in the World Cup," said Karl, from Essex.

"We've spent £2,000 for four days in Japan and are extremely upset as it seems there hasn't been any contingency plan, although we appreciate you couldn't have predicted the weather and safety of fans is paramount."

"We are absolutely devastated."

The 27-year-olds will fly on to New Zealand on Tuesday, but will not get the chance to see any live World Cup rugby before then.

'Like a slow-motion car crash'

Fans have told BBC Radio 5 live how their plans had been thrown into chaos.

Rebecca in Epsom: I'm terrified. I'm supposed to be flying tomorrow morning from Heathrow and land in Tokyo at 7am on Saturday which means flying into the eye of the storm.

"The flight is in question, never mind the game, but there must be a contingency plan for the game. The flight is all set to go and I imagine they won't do anything about the flight until I'm sat in the seat."

Pete at Manchester Airport: "I have been planning for over 12 months and I have been looking forward to it.

"We have been watching the hurricane approach like a slow-motion car crash for the last two or three days. We were going to England v France and managed to get tickets for the Scotland game as well, and that was our contingency, so if that falls through as well, we will be spending a lot of time in the hotel bar drowning our sorrows."

'Everything is in limbo'

Ollie Bunting has been in Japan for a week with two friends and had planned to watch the France match this weekend after seeing England v Argentina.

"We're currently staying in Hakone and were originally meant to be here until Saturday morning before travelling to Yokohama for the match," he said.

"In light of the weather this has had to change and we are now leaving tomorrow afternoon. Our flight out is meant to be at 2am on Sunday but it looks like this could be in serious jeopardy now.

"With no place booked to stay on Saturday night, we will now probably look to head straight to Haneda International Airport on Friday afternoon seeing as we have been advised not to venture outside all day Saturday.

"Obviously we are all very upset about the rugby match but the mood has quickly changed as we try and comprehend what nature of events we might be about to face on Saturday.

"In terms of official advice locally, the RFU and British Foreign Office we have received very little information. Other than that, everything else seems to be up in the air."

'We'll hibernate and get some supplies in'

Emma Rivers is staying with her brother, who lives in Tokyo, on a trip that lasts more than a fortnight and says she feels sympathy for those on shorter stays.

"I have actually seen one of the England games. There are fans who have come out just for one match. There's not much you can do about it and hopefully fans will understand the size of the typhoon that's about to hit Tokyo," said the 25-year-old from Solihull.

"We have a flat to hibernate in for 24 hours. If we had a hotel room, there wouldn't be much excitement going on in there - a bit of Japanese TV maybe. We'll hibernate on Saturday night, get some supplies in.

"I've seen the weather forecast. I don't think it's going to be that enjoyable to go and watch a rugby game so I think a lot of people will be relieved at not having to endure that anyway.

"Yokohama stadium can host 70,000 people and a lot of other stadiums don't have that capacity so you're going to have disappointed fans whatever happens."

The parents of an England player

While Ali and Rich Genge are disappointed the France game has been called off, they enjoyed the "holiday of a lifetime" - watching their son Ellis in action for England.

"It's been an amazing experience. I don't think we were prepared for how massive it would be over here and the Japanese people have welcomed us so well," Ali told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"To be involved and actually get that experience, of not just watching Eilis, but the whole World Cup, has been the holiday of a lifetime with memories we will treasure.

"Even though it hasn't ended the way we wanted it to, it is surreal watching him."

Rich added: "We have come to watch three games and France was the biggest one. It was the decider for the group and we were really looking forward to it because we were going home after the game.

"I think England would have won anyway and it would not have made a difference as the boys' have been brilliant. I think they will go all the way."

'I brought my flight forward to escape the typhoon'

Some supporters have at least managed to catch England's other pool games. Londoner Nick Miller watched them beat Argentina 39-10 to qualify for the quarter-finals, which take place on 19 and 20 October.

Miller, 46, arrived in Japan a week ago and was due to return to London on Sunday, but has switched his flight to Saturday "to escape before the typhoon hits".

"We've had an amazing time," he said. "I've never been somewhere as welcoming and the tournament is really well organised.

"I've seen a bunch of people already ranting about the cancellations. I suspect they don't fully get the reality of a typhoon.

"Of course it's spoilt the experience to an extent, but it's not like we can change anything."

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Ireland call on fit-again Henshaw against Samoa

Published in Rugby

Thursday, 10 October 2019 00:08

Robbie Henshaw will play for the first time at this year's Rugby World Cup, having been named at outside centre for Ireland's last pool game against Samoa.

The Leinster back, who missed the first three games with a hamstring injury, will partner Bundee Aki in midfield.

Johnny Sexton is again selected at fly-half with Joey Carbery on the bench, as Conor Murray comes in at nine.

Tadhg Beirne moves from lock to the back row where he will join Josh van der Flier and CJ Stander.

Jordan Larmour comes back in at full-back having impressed in Ireland's first outing against Scotland.

In need of a bonus-point to guarantee passage to the last eight, head coach Joe Schmidt had named a strong side, making 11 changes from the team that defeated Pool A minnows Russia in Kobe last Thursday.

The return of Henshaw, who has been restricted to only two international appearances so far this year, as a timely boost for Ireland who will hope the 26-year-old can have an impact similar to the one he had in Ireland's final warm-up win over Wales in September.

The first choice front row of Cian Healy, captain Rory Best and Tadhg Furlong all return as to second-row duo James Ryan and Iain Henderson.

Garry Ringrose and Peter O'Mahony, the only two Ireland players to have started all three of their games so far in the tournament, are rested while fly-half Jack Carty is also absent from the match-day 23 for the first time.

The cancellation of New Zealand's final group match against Italy means Ireland know for sure that, should they progress to the quarter-finals as group runners-up, they will face the All Blacks.

Typhoon Hagibis, which has wreaked havoc upon the final weekend of the pool stage, has already forced two matches to be cancelled and could yet mean Sunday's meeting between Scotland and Japan being called off.

In any case, Japan know that they will top the group if they collect two or more points from their final game, regardless of Ireland's result against Samoa.

Samoa aiming to go out on a high

Samoa's slim chances of progressing to the knock-out stages were ended in a defeat by Japan last Saturday.

Steve Jackson makes just two changes to his side for their final game in Fukuoka, with Logovi'i Mulipola and Teofilo Paulo coming in to the pack.

In their last two games, against Scotland and Japan, Samoa have put in spirited first half displays before allowing their opponents to control the game after the interval.

Ireland: Larmour, Earls, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best, Furlong, Henderson, James Ryan; Beirne, Van der Flier, Stander.

Replacements: Scannell, Kilcoyne, Porter, Kleyn, O'Mahony, McGrath, Carbery, Conway.

Samoa: Nanai-Williams; Tuala, Leiua, Taefu, Fidow; Seuteni, Polataivao; Mulipola, S Lam Alaalatoa, Paulo, Le'aupepe; Vui, Ioane, J Lam.

Replacements: Niuia, Alo-Emile, Lay, Fa'asalele, Tyrell, Cowley, Pisi, Fonotia.

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Sources: Mourinho turns down talks with Lyon

Published in Soccer

Thursday, 10 October 2019 04:51

Jose Mourinho has turned down the opportunity to speak to Lyon over the vacant manager role, with a source having told ESPN FC he is looking for a project at a top club.

The Portuguese manager has been out of work since he was dismissed by Manchester United in December 2018 and was heavily linked with the Real Madrid job, before Zinedine Zidane returned towards the end of last season.

- When does the transfer window reopen?
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Lyon sacked Sylvinho on Monday one day after a last-gasp 1-0 defeat in the fierce derby with Saint Etienne -- their fourth loss in nine matches.

The Ligue 1 side have yet to replace the Brazilian and a source has told ESPN FC that, while Mourinho was grateful to have been offered the opportunity to discuss the role at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, it is not the right fit.

The same source added that Mourinho is open to returning to management at a top European club should the right project arise.

Last season, Mourinho turned down the biggest managerial offer in football history when he rejected €100 million to manage Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.

Lyon finished last term in third place and much was expected this season following a reshaping behind the scenes where former midfield icon Juninho Pernambucano returned as sporting director and ex-Arsenal defender Sylvinho was hired as manager.

However, they have struggled in Ligue 1 and sit in 14th place, prompting a change.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Arsene Wenger is interested in filling the vacancy, but Laurent Blanc remains the favourite for the role.

Information from ESPN FC's France correspondent Julien Laurens was used in this report

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Sources: Perez, Zidane battle over Eriksen, Pobga

Published in Soccer

Thursday, 10 October 2019 03:36

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is considering a move for Tottenham's Christian Eriksen in January, but manager Zinedine Zidane's priority remains Manchester United's Paul Pogba, according to ESPN FC sources.

Zidane made public his admiration for Pogba, but Madrid were unable to meet United's valuation. Eriksen, who hinted at a Spurs exit in the summer, is in the final year of his contract.

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Injuries in midfield have hampered Madrid this season and sources have told ESPN FC Perez believes an offer of €30 million for the Denmark international could be enough to seal the deal in January.

One potential stumbling block, though, is that Eriksen would prefer a summer move as he could then request a higher signing-on bonus as there would be no transfer fee.

However, according to ESPN FC sources, Zidane still has his heart set on signing Pogba.

Despite having been told by Perez that United refuse to sell Pogba, Zidane is unconvinced as he believes his compatriot has a strong desire to make the switch to the Bernabeu.

Perez is hoping to convince Zidane the club need to sign a player with Eriksen's profile in order to get the deal through in January.

Meanwhile, Madrid will also be looking to offload players in January with Mariano a player looking to leave while Brahim Diaz could also go out on loan.

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Pakistan left with 'lots of questions to answer' - Misbah-ul-Haq

Published in Cricket

Thursday, 10 October 2019 01:03

Misbah-ul-Haq has been welcomed into his dual position of head coach and chief selector with a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka side. That has left Misbah and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed "clueless" with "lots of questions to answer".

Pakistan have been No.1 in T20Is for nearly two years now and losing this series at home, where they don't play too often, will hurt them further. Both Misbah and Sarfaraz answered questions at the post-match press conference about what went wrong since Mickey Arthur left.

"It's an example for us the way they have beaten us in every department," Misbah said. "They won the games in almost one-sided fashion leaving us in tatters and with lots of questions to answer. We played very poor cricket and definitely it's my responsibility but I am still thinking what really happened because these are the same set of players that have been playing for long and made the team No. 1."

When asked if the loss was because of a strategy change in the dressing room since Arthur left, Misbah said: "I haven't done anything in the last 10 days that could have deterred anything. If you want to put responsibility on me you can but in this brief time since I took charge how big a difference could I created with my coaching. The strategy was simple: to cash in on the Powerplay and later go all out in the last five overs. These are the same players who took Pakistan on top [in the T20I rankings] but in this series they were not able to execute things well with the bat, ball and while fielding."

These reasons may not comprehend properly how a top-ranked side can slide so quickly against a Sri Lankan team without their top players. But when Misbah was asked again, he got sarcastic.

"Maybe I did something? Probably I made our right-hand batsmen switch to left-handed batting or maybe made our right-handers bowl with the left arm or vice-versa? In terms of strategy, nothing really has changed but I am thinking what went wrong."

Sarfaraz came to the rescue of his coach and brushed aside any change of strategy or thought process in the T20 format.

"Everything is the same [in our planning] but the difference was our performance on the ground," Sarfaraz said. "We were not able to apply ourselves, we didn't click at the right time, we were not able to clinch the key moments. We shouldn't have let them cross the 150-mark but we did, we did not capitalise in the middle overs, we dropped catches…so all this played a part.

"Whether it's the last management or this, our message [to the players] was clear and almost the same. It's then the responsibility of the captain and players to deliver at the ground. But we didn't perform. There are good and bad days for almost everyone but we have to learn quickly from this. We have to regroup and stand together again and it will be good if we get our momentum back as soon as possible."

Pakistan have had a prolific run in the last two years in T20Is, winning 21 of their 29 matches with a win-loss ratio of 2.6, the best among teams that have played at least 15 matches in this period. Babar Azam, the No. 1-ranked batsman in T20Is, has played a crucial role in Pakistan's form in these 24 months by scoring 858 runs in 22 innings with a stellar average of 47.66 and strike rate of nearly 127.

But his lack of form, combined with Fakhar Zaman's, while opening in this series dented Pakistan's chances of getting off to dominating starts as Babar scored 27, 3 and 13 in their opening stands of 0, 9 and 13.

In the third T20I on Wednesday night, Fakhar was bowled on the first ball of their 148 chase before Babar and Haris Sohail steered the innings but they managed only 35 runs together in the Powerplay. Babar was later caught behind for a 32-ball 27 and Sohail brought up half-century off 46 balls but their asking rate kept climbing, leaving much of the work for the lower order. Pakistan were left to score 54 runs off 29 balls when Sohail fell for 52 and they eventually fell short by 13 runs.

"It's not that they (the top-order batsmen) were being selfish, they were unable to adapt to the slowness of the pitch," Misbah explained. "They were trying to hit but weren't able to which led to more dot balls and frustration. Babar wasn't able to time the ball in all three innings.

"It's unfair to say that both (Babar and Harris) were playing for themselves. Their position in the team is not uncertain and nobody is challenging their positions at the moment. It was Sri Lanka's good bowling which never allowed our batsmen to adapt properly. A big factor has been the impact of their wristspinner (Wanindu Hasaranga). We didn't pick his googly whereas they played our spinner nicely and batted well."

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Marcus Harris determined to learn from Ashes troubles to secure Test future

Published in Cricket

Thursday, 10 October 2019 03:24

Incumbent Australia opener Marcus Harris knows his Test spot is up for grabs but he views his lean Ashes series as a positive learning experience rather than a negative.

Harris managed just 58 runs in six innings after coming in for the last three Tests of the series as the replacement for Cameron Bancroft.

He returned from England acutely aware that his spot was in jeopardy for the first home Test against Pakistan in November and that runs in the first four Sheffield Shield matches were needed to maintain his place.

Harris delivered on the opening day of the new season with 116 against South Australia at Junction Oval with national selector Trevor Hohns watching on. But even after his century, he admitted he was still under pressure to keep his Test place.

"I'm not sure there's many spots in the team that's anyone's at the moment," Harris said. "Probably Smithy [Steven Smith] is the only one who has his name written in black permanent marker. So obviously technically it's mine at the moment but I'll have to do quite well to make sure it's mine at the start of the series. A hundred in the first game is probably going to help a little bit."

Harris said he could have easily doubted himself after his Ashes performance, but wants to use it to make him a better player.

"I think it's a great learning curve in hopefully an early part of my career and I can look back on it and learn from it rather than looking at it in a negative way. I'd played in England and done well in all the tour games leading up to the Test matches, so I felt like I was batting really well. It was probably just the level of bowling with the way Broad and Archer bowled.

"I probably hadn't faced too much bowling like that before, and it was probably just the way the ball reacted over there. I wasn't as used to it seaming as far as it did. That was a good challenge. And to be fair it was a challenge for every player in the series besides Smithy. Everyone had their moments in the series where they really battled."

Harris credits Victoria coach Andrew McDonald and his batting coach Lachie Stevens for getting him back on track.

"I spoke to Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] about if I were the only player in the whole series that battled you'd be like 'oh well I've got some serious issues'," Harris said. "But a lot of people battled. So that's why I sort of come out of it looking at it as a great experience, great to be a part of, I didn't do what I wanted to do but it doesn't affect me too much so I can learn from it and use it as a positive."

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