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Jamie Murray column: Men's doubles disappointment, mixed doubles success, Andy partners up with Serena
Published in
Tennis
Saturday, 06 July 2019 13:38
During Wimbledon, six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray is writing a column for BBC Sport. In his second, he discusses his mixed start to the tournament, brother Andy's partnership with Serena Williams, and his ambition to help the tennis stars of the future.
My men's doubles partner Neal Skupski and I lost in the first round of Wimbledon on Friday and it was a disappointing result. We got outplayed by Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek and lost 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-1 6-4.
Those guys played really well. They played very aggressively and were serving big, so we just got overrun a bit, which was unfortunate.
Play had started on Thursday but was suspended because of bad light, and it was disappointing for us not to be able to finish the match then because we were looking stronger, but that was just bad luck on our part and it didn't work out so well for us.
Unfortunately, it was just one of those things. It's only really at Wimbledon that it happens - at other tournaments, it only occurs if there are strong winds or you get rain. It's happened to me a few times before and it is never ideal because you have to start again from scratch; it's a new day, new feelings.
It also gives the players of both teams time to speak to their coaches, and to get a better handle on what has been happening in the match.
It changes the momentum in a way because it's a fresh start. We were just unlucky because I think we were the only court that didn't finish that night.
Neither Neal nor I felt that we did a lot wrong. It's a new partnership and I think we both felt good together on the court.
We didn't have great results instantaneously but that doesn't mean we're not going to be a good team and have a successful partnership going forward. We haven't lost any belief at all in the team. We just have to look ahead now and prepare for the hard court season.
'I'm really happy we won our mixed doubles opener'
Later on Friday afternoon, I had my first round mixed doubles match with my partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands. We beat Joe Salisbury and Katy Dunne 7-5 7-6 (10-8) but it took me a little while to get going because it was pretty soon after the disappointment of the men's doubles.
Bethanie is great fun, a great character and a great player as well, and she's a good partner to have in that situation. I was really happy that we were able to get the win and hopefully we will have a good few matches together over the next week.
Moving from clay to grass takes a bit of adjusting. On clay, you're sliding around, the ball is bouncing up and you're having to play a lot of balls around shoulder height.
But then you get on grass and you need a lot of small adjustment steps. The ball is bouncing lower so you are using a lot of different, smaller muscles and you need a stability that maybe you don't need on other surfaces.
You're able to move the ball around a lot more too. On serve, you can swing the ball a lot more so you get a lot more help from the grass courts than you would on other courts.
I prefer playing on hard courts; that is where I have had all my best results throughout my career. I do like playing on grass, but it's such a short season and sometimes it feels like it's over before it's even started.
'Andy and Serena playing together is very unique'
I think it's really cool that Andy has partnered up with Serena Williams in the mixed doubles. We didn't speak about it before it was announced, but it's great for the event because it puts it in the spotlight a lot more than it normally would be.
You've got two greats of the game competing with each other. We never get that at a Grand Slam, so it's a very unique situation.
Hopefully, they can compete hard and play until the end of the tournament because it would be great for the event of mixed doubles.
There was a lot of build-up pre-match and it was fun to see them playing in front of a packed Centre Court on Saturday night.
'I want to coach when I finish playing'
I have recently launched a YouTube channel because I wanted to document my life as a tennis player, because it's a very unique life that we live.
I wanted to showcase all the things we have to go through in our daily lives that the public wouldn't see. They see us on TV hitting tennis balls but they don't necessarily see what goes into getting us onto the match court in terms of the preparation.
There will also be a lot of instructional videos going up, with tips, advice and tactics on the game, and on training. Singles and doubles are very different and I just thought it would be interesting for people to see how we train.
I would like to coach once my playing career is over, but whether I would like to coach on the Tour, I'm not sure, because I have been travelling for so long.
I would like to help some of the younger players in our country. Not a lot of people have made it to the top of the game and can therefore share their experiences. I certainly feel that's something I would be passionate and enthusiastic about.
Jamie Murray was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Falkingham at Wimbledon.
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This story appears in the July issue of Sprint Car & Midget Magazine and the full version can be viewed at www.sprintcarandmidget.com. This story requires a print subscription to Sprint Car & Midget Magazine or online subscription to www.sprintcarandmidget.com to read.
He’s the winningest driver in USAC National Sprint Car Series history, one of just six members of USAC’s Triple Crown club of drivers having won championships in all three major USAC divisions, one of the most popular drivers in USAC history, and a 2017 inductee to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. He’s still fast; last season he earned three USAC National Sprint Car Series feature wins. And yet, he currently has no fulltime ride.
We sat down with Dave Darland to talk about his career in the sport, from beginning through to today, to find out what comes next.
SC&M: This year, you started out the season with Chase Briscoe Racing and you were set to run for them all season, but that didn’t work out. What happened?
DAVE DARLAND: The sponsor money they were needing to get for that situation just didn’t come through. The money connection just didn’t come through for just a couple different reasons there. So, we were looking forward to running for the Briscoes – you know they’ve got a good team and Chase and Kevin and Dick Briscoe have been friends of mine for all my life, going back to Dick and Kevin. I was certainly looking forward to driving for that team with Chase Briscoe, and Brady Short as the mechanic and another guy on the team that I’m buddies with. You know, we were gonna have some fun. Just, unfortunately it didn’t materialize.
Read the full Sprint Car & Midget Magazine exclusive story by clicking here.
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Messi sent off as Argentina win Copa third-place game
Published in
Soccer
Saturday, 06 July 2019 12:40
Argentina secured third place at the Copa America with a 2-1 victory over Chile in an eventful consolation playoff that saw Lionel Messi sent off for just the second time in his career.
Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala fired the 1993 Copa winners to an early lead, but Messi's red card stole the headlines after a clash with Chile defender Gary Medel just before half-time.
- Copa America: All you need to know
- Full Copa America fixtures schedule
With Argentina up 2-0, Messi put in a hard challenge on Medel who was shepherding the ball out of play. The two players then aggressively bumped chests a number of times before the match referee intervened and immediately flashed reds for both.
The expulsion marked the first time the Barcelona forward had been sent off in a senior game for club or country since his debut with the national team in 2005.
With Messi out, Chile converted a penalty 14 minutes after the restart to cut Argentina's lead in half -- Arturo Vidal beating Franco Armani after a VAR review.
The defending champs could get no closer, however, as Argentina held out for the win in Sao Paulo.
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Move aside Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma is the true Universe Boss
Published in
Cricket
Saturday, 06 July 2019 13:54
Dhananjaya de Silva tossed an offbreak on fourth stump. The ball was in the slot. Rohit Sharma stood his ground and hit an inside-out six high over extra cover. Effortlessly. It was a full-blooded stroke as the ball banged the advertising board and rolled back on to the playing turf. Two balls later Rohit charged Dhananjaya, without even bothering about the line of attack, disposing the ball high over the sightscreen at the Kirkstall Lane end. The ball hit the railings on the second tier and bounced back on to the turf.
In those two massive hits, Rohit destroyed Dhananjaya's plans and confidence. Sri Lanka had elected to bat thinking the pitch would become far slower in the afternoon and take turn, thus bringing the spinner into play. In a matter of minutes, Rohit threw Dhananjaya out of the equation.
The sound of ball hitting Rohit's bat is sweet. It does not reverberate possibly the same way as the sound of the ball hitting Virat Kohli's bat. Kohli's batting looks definitive due to his electric body language. It's preciseness. It's compactness. It can be robotic.
Rohit's languid body movements make his strokes flow. You admire the quality of Kohli's strokeplay. Rohit's strokes give a realisation that his artistry is simple but unattainable. Yet, there is this instant delight they bring, along with an instant affection for Rohit.
WATCH on Hotstar - Rohit's fifth ton of the World Cup (India only)
Ten runs short of becoming the first batsman to make five hundreds in a World Cup edition, Rohit lined up to face Lasith Malinga, playing his final World Cup match. Malinga flung a low, straight full-toss, wide of off stump. Rohit was static. Having read the line, he calmly brought the bat down, opened the blade and punched a square drive that beat the three-man net cast exactly to block such a stroke. The only thing the three fielders - two points and the short cover - could do was stare in disbelief. The only thing you, as a fan, can do is exclaim: "Shot."
The man has six centuries in World Cup history, the same now as the great Sachin Tendulkar, who played half a dozen editions to achieve that incredible feat. This is Rohit's second World Cup, having sorely missed India's triumph at home in 2011. He does not want to lament or regret anymore what might have happened. What matters, he says, is being a good head space, something his good friend Yuvraj Singh advised him before this World Cup.
Before the 2011 edition of the tournament, Yuvraj was not scoring fluently and was worried. This IPL, Rohit, too, was not striking fluently and the big scores were absent. But by being in a "good space", Rohit has managed to get over his insecurities and doubts. Being in a good space has allowed him to create a good energy in the dressing room. It has allowed him to help his new-found opening partner KL Rahul settle down.
Both men were brought together in the needle contest against Pakistan for the first time. Rahul scored a half-century, Rohit a century, the pair setting up the highest opening stand in India-Pakistan contests in the World Cup. Then against Afghanistan, in the following match, they barely managed to get double digits in the first half of the first Powerplay segment. Their lack of intent forced even Tendulkar to question their approach. Against Bangladesh, Rohit and Rahul scored 69 runs in the first Powerplay, India's best start. Against Sri Lanka was their second-best, as India made 59 in the first 10 overs.
Rahul maintained an even tempo as he constructed his maiden World Cup century. It took him a lot of belief, a lot of frustration, a lot of patience. He did it eventually. His reaction - just like Rohit's - upon reaching the century, was solemn: a wave to the dressing room and the fans. The start-stop-stutter routine prevalent in his previous innings was not repeated.
WATCH on Hotstar - KL Rahul's 118-ball 111 (India only)
Rahul was thankful to Rohit, when he spoke to former India batsman VVS Laxman during the post-match chat with Star India. The beauty of his senior opening partner's success was in the "ease" with which he has been able to score the runs. "The way he has been able to change his gears, the way he has been able to manoeuvre and hit gaps is just outstanding to see. It just takes the pressure off me."
The vulnerability of the lower order must have been on the Rohit's mind, considering he did not accelerate as fluidly as in the past, where he would end up with massive scores. Against England, where India chased for the second time, Rohit scored a century, but it lacked the oomph and the command. Worse, he could not carry on till the end.
But in the last two matches, both openers have finally established the chemistry that openers need. Both Rohit and Rahul have alternated to pile pressure on the opposition. The runs have flowed. The middle order worries have not vanished, but subsided. Amazingly, the openers' success - including Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a half-century and a ton in the two innings he played before injury ruled him out - has not allowed Kohli to get enough batting time on several occasions. Kohli will not lose sleep as long as his men are performing their roles.
Rohit and Rahul were clinical in the chase as they flattened Sri Lanka. Even Malinga, magical against England, was rendered ineffective. As Rohit said later, it was important India keep ticking all the boxes they wanted to before the semi-finals where they could not afford many mistakes.
At a personal level, the biggest success for Rohit this World Cup has been his discipline. His hunger.
Talking to Sanjay Manjrekar during a post-match chat with the host broadcaster, Rohit described that hunger nicely. "I come out thinking that I have not played any ODIs," he said. "I have not got any hundreds in the tournament. It is just the first game in the tournament."
Chris Gayle keeps telling the world he is the Universe Boss. He once was. Rohit Sharma is the true Universe Boss in ODI cricket. And when he bosses around, India boss around.
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Faf du Plessis ton sets up consolation win and hands Australia semi-final against England
Published in
Cricket
Saturday, 06 July 2019 14:41
South Africa 325 for 6 (du Plessis 100, van der Dussen 95, Lyon 2-53) beat Australia 315 all out (Warner 122, Carey 85, Rabada 3-56)
They have one foot on the plane home, and South Africa have finally turned up at the World Cup. In the final league game of the tournament, the Proteas corrected many of the mistakes that had plagued their campaign to secure a consolatory 10-run victory over Australia at Old Trafford.
Their batsmen have struggled to convert starts, yet here there were very nearly two tons scored, Faf du Plessis leading the way with a round 100 and Rassie van der Dussen backing him up with 95. Kagiso Rabada has struggled for incision in the UK, but he bounced back with three vital wickets. And where they have wilted under pressure in previous games, South Africa steeled themselves to come out ahead in the crunch moments, holding the catches that mattered and weathering David Warner's third hundred of the World Cup and a career-best knock from Alex Carey to secure a winning end to the ODI careers of Imran Tahir and JP Duminy.
The result means that it's the old firm, Australia v England, who will meet in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday. New Zealand will play India in the first semi, here at Old Trafford, on Tuesday.
Twenty years on from the Greatest ODI Ever, this wasn't quite the game it could have been had South Africa's campaign through this tournament charted a different course. But on a day when 640 runs were scored and the final result was not decided until the penultimate delivery of the match, this was still an excellent exhibition of cricket, and du Plessis, accepting the Player of the Match award, said that South Africa's first World Cup win over Australia since 1992 meant they would at least " go home with a smile, a small smile".
Watch on Hotstar (India only) - Faf du Plessis' 100
Du Plessis also had a smile on his face when he brought up a cathartic hundred in the 43rd over. He got close in South Africa's last match against Sri Lanka, finishing on 96 not out while completing a nine-wicket win, but if there was any team against which you'd back du Plessis to score a hundred, it's probably Australia. He now has eight tons against them, across formats, and averages well over 50 against Australia in ODIs. "I do like playing against Australia, I've tried to figure out why I bat nicely when I play them as compared to the other teams," he said afterwards.
Whatever the reasons, Australia certainly seem to bring out a defiant streak in him, and a keenness for a scrap. It was there in his hundred on Test debut in Adelaide almost seven years ago, in his four previous hundreds against them in ODIs, and it was there again as he hit Mitchell Starc out of the attack early in his knock, and charged Pat Cummins to smite him back over his head later on.
He was helped along the way by van der Dussen, who once again showed the composure that is becoming his calling card during a 151-run third wicket stand. Van der Dussen seemed to have been ruffled when he was struck on the head by a Cummins bouncer before he had reached double figures, offering up three half-chances in the space of two overs thereafter, but once he settled back down he gave further indications that he will be a vital part of South Africa's immediate post-World Cup future and came within a couple of feet of clearing Glenn Maxwell in the deep and bringing up what would have been a maiden international ton off the last ball of the innings.
He didn't quite get there, but he and du Plessis had done enough for South Africa to build a challenging total from what was - by far - their best start of the tournament with the bat. With Hashim Amla sidelined by an injury picked up during a warm-up game of football on Friday, Aiden Markram opened with Quinton de Kock and together they cruised through the Powerplay at seven an over before they were eventually parted by Nathan Lyon.
Australia needed a similarly rapid start from their openers to set up their chase, but du Plessis decision to open the bowling with Tahir brought immediate dividends. Finch chipped the first ball of Tahir's second over to a diving Markram in the covers, and for the last time in ODI cricket Tahir set off on a solo celebratory run into the outfield.
Worse was to come for Australia as Usman Khawaja tweaked a hamstring running between the wickets and had to leave the field having faced just five deliveries. Khawaja came out to bat later in the innings, but Finch admitted that things "don't look ideal" afterwards and he could join Shaun Marsh on the injury list ahead of the semi-final. And his wasn't the only injury worry for Australia, with Marcus Stoinis also batting through some discomfort that seemed to be located in his lower back, and Starc showing some strain on his knee in the midst of a generally off-colour performance with the ball.
One area that certainly won't be a worry, however, is Warner's form. Once again, he took his time to settle at the top of the innings, but when he got going, he was virtually unstoppable. A quick single to mid-off took him to a 58-ball fifty in the 18th over, and he only built momentum even as two moments of brilliance from de Kock in the field - an unsighted, back-handed run-out and a leaping one-handed catch - sent Stoinis and Maxwell packing.
Wickets in the middle put South Africa ahead, but Warner found an able partner in Carey, whose crisp hitting added 50 to a sixth-wicket stand of 108. It took a sprawling blinder of a catch from Morris, tumbling to his left at mid-on, to get rid of Warner, but Carey wasn't done yet, and he proceeded to record his highest ODI score before holing out on the cover boundary in pursuit of an unlikely victory.
Unlikely looked like impossible when Cummins and Carey both fell in the space of four deliveries as the match neared its end, but Khawaja hobbled back out to the middle and, with Starc, proceeded to take 17 from Morris' ninth over to keep Australia in the hunt. A Rabada double-strike, and a nerveless final over from Andile Phehlukwayo, put paid to those hopes.
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Lillard: With recruiting, players have the power
Published in
Basketball
Saturday, 06 July 2019 15:04
LAS VEGAS -- Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard says star players recruiting each other has become a more "powerful" way to join forces than the traditional approach of franchises holding pitch meetings during free agency.
"It's become huge," Lillard said during a news conference to announce his four year, $196 million extension on Saturday. "Because sometimes the coaches and the front offices, they don't have as much power as the players. The players are so friendly now. I think in the past it was like [Michael] Jordan probably didn't go out searching and trying to get guys to come join him. It was like they was competing against each other.
"Now it's, 'Well, they got three stars on their team, so I know this guy and that guy, I'm going to try to get them to come to my team.' So I think you see [recruiting] a lot more now where it's just players recruiting players is more powerful than the pitch meeting with the team. That's just what it is now, so it's a huge part of the game now."
Lillard's comments come in the wake of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joining forces to play for the LA Clippers, a move that Lillard acknowledged even surprised him on Friday night. Lillard, who has spent his entire career with the Trail Blazers, says he continues to strive to become the greatest player in the history of the organization.
"I think we've built something special," Lillard said. "It's been built genuine and in an environment that we've created. It's something that I've been a part of and something that I want to continue to be a part of. And having my family in Portland, everything is set up. I've kind of gotten comfortable, and it feels like things are the way it needs to be, that it should be. And everybody around me is happy with that, so aside from the personal stuff, even my career, I feel like it's only right that this is where I continue to play."
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Argentina star Lionel Messi was sent off in the 37th minute of Saturday's Copa America third-place playoff with Chile after a clash with defender Gary Medel.
- Copa America: All you need to know
- Full Copa America fixtures schedule
The straight red card marked the first time the Barcelona forward has been sent off in a senior game for club or country since his debut with the national team in 2005.
With Argentina up 2-0, Messi put in a hard challenge on Medel who was shepherding the ball out of play. The two players then aggressively bumped chests a number of times before the match referee intervened and immediately flashed reds for both.
Confusion ensued, with players from both teams surrounding the referee. But moments later, Messi and Medel walked off the field.
Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala had scored the goals for Argentina.
Hosts Brazil face Peru in the final on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
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Follow the action from the latest round of County Championship matches here with our live blog. Send your messages in to the team via Twitter using the hashtag #countycricketlive to join the conversation. If the blog doesn't appear, please refresh the page.
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Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick of the New Orleans Pelicans in this year's draft, will not participate in the remainder of the NBA Summer League after suffering a bruised left knee in his debut, the team said Saturday.
Williamson didn't play in the second half of Friday's game against the New York Knicks in Las Vegas because of a knee-to-knee hit, and Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin said Saturday that he would be shut down.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told ESPN's Malika Andrews that they were being extra cautious with Williamson as he works to get into game shape.
Williamson took the floor as a pro for the first time Friday night, scoring 11 points in nine first-half minutes that included some thunderous dunks against the Knicks and fellow former Duke star RJ Barrett.
The game was suspended in the fourth quarter after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit near Ridgecrest, California, around 200 miles from Las Vegas.
Summer League games resumed Saturday after the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavillion were both deemed "safe to open" by structural engineers, the NBA said Saturday.
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Pirates lefty Brault goes on IL after Friday exit
Published in
Baseball
Saturday, 06 July 2019 14:19
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Steven Brault has been placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving Friday's game with a left shoulder strain.
Brault exited the 7-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers after walking Orlando Arcia to lead off the fifth inning.
"It was just tight after every inning," Brault said. "And in that fifth inning I wasn't able to get to the point where I needed to be. It was obvious seeing my velocity drop."
Brault, coming off a June in which he posted a 2.52 ERA after injuries forced him to join Pittsburgh's starting rotation full-time, is 3-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances (nine starts) this season.
The Pirates made a series of other moves to their pitching staff, placing Trevor Williams on the paternity, optioning right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalling right-handers Dario Agrazal, Montana DuRapau and Luis Escobar from Indianapolis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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