‘She never gives up and I had to treat the third game like the first’
By ELLIE MAWSON in Manchester

New Zealand’s World No.5 Joelle King reigned victorious at the National Squash Centre after she claimed a 3-0 victory over Wales’ World No.9 Tesni Evans in the final of the inaugural Manchester Open PSA World Tour Silver event.

The Manchester Open – a women’s only tournament – is supported by Manchester City Council and follows the successful staging of the award-winning AJ Bell PSA World Championships in the city in December 2017, where equal prize money was on offer across both the men’s and women’s events for the first time in the tournament’s history.

King had only dropped a game all week leading up to the final and continued her impressive display in the North of England as she took a tight first game before powering to the finish line by an 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 scoreline in 33 minutes.

Welshwoman Evans had prevailed in two mammoth five-game battles in the days leading up to the final, but was unable to continue that momentum as she struggled to put a halt to a confident King, who eased to victory.

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The Manchester Open is the New Zealander’s second title this season following her victory at the Hong Kong Open in November.

“I’m over the moon,” said 30-year-old King following her win. “Someone had to lose tonight, but she can hold her head up high after what she has achieved this week. She has a few years on me yet, so I’m sure that she will be back stronger.

“She has shown all week that she never gives up. She came from 2-0 down against the World No.3, so I came out in the third like it was the first and never slowed down and I came out on the right side tonight.

“It’s special to win any event, coming off Hong Kong it has been a long time in between, but it makes it even more special when it is the first women’s only event here. I have to say a huge thank you to Manchester for holding this event in partnership with PSA and all the volunteers and spectators who have supported us this week.”

Evans added afterwards: “After the week I’ve had, she’s definitely someone I didn’t want to play. I’m obviously disappointed that I couldn’t put up a big enough fight, but she was just too good. She was on everything early and when you’ve had some tough matches under your belt it was tough.

“I just tried to give everything and on reflection, after a disappointing day, I can reflect on it and take a lot of good things from the week I have had.”

PSA $76,000 Women’s Manchester Open 2019, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England.

Final:
[2] Joelle King (NZL) bt [6] Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 (33m)  

Report by ELLIE MAWSON (PSA Media Team). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

DINWIDDIE, Va. — After a three-race break, count Alex Laughlin as one of many who are thrilled to have Pro Stock return to NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series action.

Laughlin is off to the best start in the class in his promising career, sitting second in points heading to this weekend’s second annual Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

With the new 18-race schedule for the class during the 2019 season, Pro Stock was on hiatus over the past month. But there is considerable excitement brewing with the class returning in Virginia and Laughlin is ready to come back with the same momentum he had to start the year in his Havoline Chevrolet Camaro. He’s done almost everything but win this year and Laughlin now has his sights set on his third career win in the class.

“People are definitely excited to see the class back out there and we’re excited to be back out there,” Laughlin said. “I’ve never been this high in points, but it’s so tight in this class. Bo (Butner) is way out there (as the points leader), but the position we’re in now, we’re trying to race for a championship, the pressure is on to say the least. There’s no room for mistakes and we have to be on our game. The Countdown (to the Championship) will be here quicker than you think.”

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Courtney Force (Funny Car), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and L.E. Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the race. It is the fifth of 18 races during the NHRA Pro Stock season and Laughlin is eager to pick up where he left off a month ago when he started the year with one final and one semifinal appearance.

But while he sits second in points in the talent-heavy class, Laughlin doesn’t have much of a cushion. Butner has dominated the start of the year to the tune of three victories, but the rest of the top 10 is tightly-contested, as Laughlin sits just a point ahead of Matt Hartford and 24 in front of Jason Line. There’s also his Elite Motorsports teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders to deal with, which means a quick start in Virginia will be necessary for Laughlin, who is also racing the full 12-race E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.

“Whether you’re running multiple cars or not, it does take a run or so to get it back together,” Laughlin said. “I’ve been out of the seat of the Pro Stock car, so you have to get acclimated. It’s going to come down to who’s ready. With this team, they have it together and I’m confident we’ll be ready. Ultimately, the group of guys, the car and myself, we’re all clicking and being consistent and making good runs. It goes back to confidence and believing and knowing we have a good team.”

Things have come together well for Laughlin, but he’s not taking the quick start for granted. If anything, it’s got him even more focused heading into one of the busiest stretches of the season. He’ll be racing both Pro Stock and Pro Mod in Virginia, a scenario that isn’t easy but one that Laughlin embraces. It makes for a thoroughly hectic weekend in two difficult classes, but Laughlin enjoys it, especially when it happens at a facility like Virginia, which impressed him last year.

“It’s great to come back at a track like Virginia,” Laughlin said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect last year, but I think it was the best race track we saw. It was a great facility and a great track. We’ve got two very competitive races cars, so it’s two chances for us to win and I’m excited about that.”

Veteran Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler underwent right hip resurfacing surgery last week, the team announced on Monday.

It is unlikely Kesler will play in the 2019-20 season.

According to the team, the surgery is a "bone-preserving hip replacement that can provide pain relief and increase function in normal activities of daily living." The Ducks said the surgery leaves "open the possibility that Kesler could resume his NHL career following a lengthy recovery."

General manager Bob Murray said in a statement that the team would support any decision the 34-year-old Kesler makes on his future. "At this point, Ryan needs to think about his life and family," Murray said.

Kesler underwent major hip surgery after the 2016-17 season and has struggled since. He was limited to 60 games last season -- in which he scored just five goals and three assists -- and 44 games in 2017-18. Last season, he became the seventh active U.S.-born player to reach the 1,000-career game mark.

In 1,001 games with the Canucks and Ducks, Kesler has 285 goals and 315 assists for 573 points.

"At this point in my career, this surgery was the best option for my quality of life," Kesler said in a statement. "The pain I was suffering has been greatly reduced since the procedure, and I'm grateful for that. While my playing future is unknown, I'm in a good place."

Kesler added that he looks "forward to spending more time with my family and doing everyday activities without pain."

Kesler, an alternate captain, carries a $6.875 million cap hit through the 2021-22 season. His contract includes a no-movement clause. The team can put him on Long Term Injury Reserve for the remainder of his contract.

The Ducks are coming off a difficult season, in which they fired longtime coach Randy Carlyle -- the winningest coach in franchise history -- and Murray took over as interim behind the bench. The Ducks have yet to name a new head coach.

Kesler, a Michigan native, was a part of the Ducks' "big three," which also includes captain Ryan Getzlaf (34 years old) and Corey Perry (33). Kesler joined the Ducks via a trade from the Vancouver Canucks in 2014.

Getzlaf and Perry helped the Ducks win the Stanley Cup in 2007 and have made three appearances in the Western Conference final (2006, 2007 and 2017). However, after a dismal season, the team is looking to retool -- making changes to become faster and younger. Getzlaf and Perry both have cap hits of over $8 million, both under contract through 2020-21, and both have no-movement clauses as well.

With the Los Angeles Lakers hiring Frank Vogel as head coach after being rejected by Monty Williams and Ty Lue, questions are swirling about the team's power structure.

Who is calling the shots? Who is gaining influence? How are these individuals affecting the Lakers since the sudden resignation of Magic Johnson as team president on April 9 and the split with head coach Luke Walton on April 12? Who was involved in negotiating the coaching candidacies of Williams -- since hired by the Suns -- and Lue and Vogel in the last month?

No one from the front office has conducted a news conference since the Lakers' season ended, making it difficult to be sure how the org chart looks these days. What's known is there are plenty of people who have a stake in the proceedings. Though everyone in this group ostensibly shares the goal of seeing the Lakers return to prominence, there are varied personal motivations involved in getting there. Family pride. Legacy building. Respect. Money. Notoriety. All of it.

Perhaps the only clarity is who's at the top of the hierarchy.

The boss

Jeanie Buss | controlling owner

As Buss was ousting her older brother Jim -- who was executive vice president of basketball operations -- and general manager Mitch Kupchak in 2017, she received a text from Kobe Bryant encouraging her to see things through. "I sent her a meme from 'Game of Thrones' of Khaleesi riding on the ship, going to her homeland with the ships behind her," Bryant told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "I said, 'Sometimes the mother of dragons has just got to be the mother of dragons.' And Jeanie went full Khaleesi."

Bryant was referring to the queen character on the popular HBO drama who cut through a crowded field of competitors to make a legitimate run at ruling the land.

Buss' position atop the Lakers' hierarchy is unchallenged, if not unblemished.

Buss, 57, took over as the Lakers' governor after the death of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, in 2013. She had previously filled a variety of positions in her dad's pro tennis and roller hockey businesses. Later, Jeanie Buss cut her teeth as an executive in charge of The Forum in Inglewood, California, and subsequently transitioned to the business operations side of the Lakers.

As the controlling owner, she had publicly stated her trust in Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka to make basketball decisions. Those decisions had the potential to run counter to her personal preferences. Johnson told Nichols he was prepared to make the decision of whether to fire Walton, and it was going to be tough for Buss because she loved Walton and Johnson. But Johnson didn't make his decision official before stepping down.

Walton and the Lakers parted ways shortly after Johnson's departure, and Buss was tasked with reshaping her team with two major roles vacated.

The inner circle

Linda Rambis | executive director, special projects

Don't let the title fool you: Rambis is Buss' longtime best friend and most trusted adviser. League sources have described her as a "shadow owner."

And though the buzz over Rambis gaining the most influence in the organization has intensified since Johnson stepped down, the fact is she has been Buss' consigliere for four decades. Rambis, who was then Linda Zafrani, was one of the first hires by Jerry Buss when he purchased the Lakers in 1979, according to an article in The Beach Reporter. Linda Rambis told the paper that Jerry Buss introduced her to Jeanie, who was in high school at the time, and the two became friends and worked together while Jeanie was in college. They also worked together on Jerry Buss' pro tennis venture.

Jeanie Buss respects advice from senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis -- Linda's husband and a former Laker -- as well as Johnson, Bryant and Phil Jackson. But it's Linda Rambis' opinion Buss has long valued the most, according to league and team sources. Many believe Buss has leaned on Rambis even more after Johnson blindsided the organization with his resignation.

Rob Pelinka | general manager

Pelinka has remained in his GM role since Johnson's departure and is the Lakers' highest-ranking basketball official.

With Johnson gone, Pelinka reports to Buss while communicating with Linda and Kurt Rambis. Sources around the league said those four operate as a group on basketball decisions.

The position of team president currently remains vacant.

Unless Buss hires someone to replace Johnson, Pelinka -- with Kurt Rambis involved -- is expected to oversee the draft and free agency. Sources said Pelinka and Rambis worked in tandem during the coaching interview process.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the influence of Rambis and Jackson weighed heavily in the hiring of Vogel and of Jason Kidd as an assistant coach.

On the night he stepped down, Johnson said he did not like "the backstabbing" and "the whispering" that was going on but would not elaborate. Johnson also was given opportunities to endorse Pelinka but said that it would be up to Buss to determine if Pelinka should remain as GM, offering that he and Pelinka had "worked well."

League sources said Buss and Linda Rambis trust Pelinka, who has been around the organization since his days as an agent representing Bryant, his longtime client and best friend.

However, some agents and executives around the league said they preferred to deal with others they felt more comfortable with, like Johnson, according to sources. Some longtime agents said they have gone directly to Buss, Linda Rambis or Joey or Jesse Buss when they need to talk.

Two other agents said Pelinka and the Lakers just have "a lot of haters" out there and that the agents do not have a problem with the GM.

Kurt Rambis | senior basketball adviser

Johnson hired Rambis, a former Lakers forward and assistant coach, to be an adviser to the president in September 2018. With Johnson gone, Rambis has emerged as a powerful voice in basketball operations and played a major role in the coaching search, as Wojnarowski reported.

Rambis has held positions with several organizations over his career, from assistant coach to head coach to assistant general manager, many of them served under Jackson with the Lakers and Knicks. His most recent job before rejoining the Lakers was as associate head coach of the Knicks from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Wojnarowski reported Jackson and Rambis strongly considered Vogel's candidacy in New York before hiring Jeff Hornacek in 2016. Vogel would later tell New York reporters that he was surprised the Knicks didn't hire him based on how his interview with Jackson went.

Rambis and Jackson remained good friends after each was fired by the Knicks.

The star factor

LeBron James | forward

James signed a four-year, $153 million deal with the Lakers in the summer of 2018, bringing with him four MVPs and three championships' worth of experience. Yet Year 1 as a Laker for James, who will turn 35 in December, could not have gone much worse as he got hurt, missed five weeks and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

James said he was "stunned" by Johnson's departure, saying on HBO's "The Shop" that he joined the Lakers after a conversation with Johnson and had no clue the resignation was coming.

James has a strong relationship with Kidd, multiple sources told ESPN, which may have helped Kidd's leverage in landing the job on the Lakers' bench.

James was taken aback by how the Lue negotiations broke down, a league source told ESPN, but James "liked" several Instagram posts touting the Vogel/Kidd hires over the weekend. It has been James' only public endorsement of the team's recent hires.

Known as the ambassador who ushered in an era of athlete empowerment, James has found ways to leverage his situations. He helped convince Kevin Love to request a trade to Cleveland that coincided with James' return to the Cavs in 2014. He also influenced the Cavs' hand into reshaping the roster at midseason in 2017-18 to salvage a stretch run, because, sources said, it was the only way Cleveland brass believed it could "get back Bron" due to the disconnected vibe he was projecting.

Rich Paul | president/founder of Klutch Sports, James' agent

Paul represents Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, among others, and learned the lay of the land with the Lakers when Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year deal in 2017-18. Caldwell-Pope returned for a second season and James joined L.A., but Paul's most notable move during the 2018-19 season went awry. Anthony Davis, also represented by Paul, requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, leading to a very public pursuit by the Lakers that damaged the chemistry and on-court results for both teams.

The team executives

Tim Harris | chief operating officer

After a professional soccer career playing goalkeeper, Harris -- like Jeanie Buss -- parlayed a gig with The Forum into a career on the business side with the Lakers that has spanned 30 years. He was included in the Lakers' traveling party that interviewed Williams in Philadelphia. Harris negotiated one of sports' largest regional TV deals, with Spectrum SportsNet in 2011, and helped secure partnerships with UCLA Health for the team's training facility and Wish as a jersey sponsor. He also serves as a Lakers alternate governor and has been a part of planning and executing the Lakers' free-agent pitch meetings in the past.

Joe McCormack | chief financial officer

McCormack was included in an emergency meeting Buss convened with trusted advisers in El Segundo the night that Johnson stepped down. McCormack has been involved in projects with the Lakers over the years ranging from locking up their 20-year local TV deal to installing solar panels at the new training facility.

The family ties

Joey Buss | co-owner/team president of the South Bay Lakers

Many fans first saw Joey, the second-youngest of the Buss children, when he filled in for his father during the Lakers' championship celebration in Orlando in 2009. Joey started with the title of coaching associate for the Lakers in the 2006-07 season and has worked his way up the ranks. Most recently, the Lakers' G League president engaged in one-on-one conversations with Williams and Lue during the interview process.

Jesse Buss | co-owner; director of scouting and assistant general manager

The youngest of the Buss siblings, his responsibilities in the organization focus primarily on the team's draft process. For all of L.A.'s struggles in recent seasons, the draft decisions have generally been considered sound. He was also part of the Lakers' interview process with Williams and Lue.

Ryan West | director of player personnel

The older of two sons of former Lakers general manager Jerry West, Ryan often finds himself on the road, scouting for the Lakers. Having started his NBA career in Memphis when his father was the GM for the Grizzlies, West has been with the Lakers since 2009 and now works closely with Jesse Buss.

The alumni

Phil Jackson | former Lakers head coach

The Zen Master proved that his influence remains strong with the Lakers, with whom he won five titles as head coach. He is also Jeanie Buss' ex-fiancé.

Jackson spends half the year at his Montana residence, but he remains close to Kurt Rambis and has been a regular visitor to the Lakers facility.

Kobe Bryant | former Laker

Bryant told Slam Magazine in March that he has no desire to be a GM or own a team or coach. Still, Bryant will always make time for Pelinka. The two talk often and share the same passion and outlook. And Bryant is always available to advise Buss, with whom he remains close. Bryant could have considerable influence over the Lakers' matters if he so chooses.

Magic Johnson | former Lakers team president and player

He may have left the building, but Johnson said he still talks to Buss regularly and wants to help the Lakers. "I'm still helping them," Johnson told TMZ in April, less than two weeks after he stepped down. "It's almost like I never left. I'm still talking to them every day. I'm going to help them get the Lakers back right. You can believe that."

"I love Jeanie," he added. "I've been talking to her almost every day. I'm trying to help. Listen, I may not be in there physically, but I'm still there." Despite his intentions, Johnson's departure shook the franchise and sent the Lakers into a chaotic start to the offseason.

NEW YORK -- Right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga has a strained pitching shoulder and became the New York Yankees' 17th player to go on the injured list this season.

New York announced the roster move Monday before starting a homestand against Baltimore and made it retroactive to Friday. Luis Cessa is to start in place of Loaisiga, weather permitting, in his 20th career start and first this season.

The Yankees have 12 players on the IL. Outfielder Aaron Hicks, sidelined since straining his back March 1, was activated Monday and was in the lineup to lead off and play center field.

New York optioned outfielder Mike Tauchman to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled right-hander Chance Adams from the RailRiders.

Loaisiga is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance. He gave up four runs over four innings in a loss to Seattle last week.

American Nicole Gibbs has withdrawn from this month's French Open after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that was found by her dentist.

Gibbs, 26, said she was alerted to a growth on the roof of her mouth, with a subsequent biopsy coming back positive for salivary gland cancer.

The world number 117 will have surgery on Friday and said there is a "great prognosis" for this type of cancer.

She added she hopes to return for Wimbledon qualifying in June.

"Unfortunately I will be withdrawing from the remainder of the clay season and will not be competing at this year's Roland Garros," Gibbs said on Monday.

"Fortunately this form of cancer has a great prognosis and my surgeon is confident that surgery alone will be sufficient treatment.

"He even okayed me to play an extra couple of tournaments these past few weeks, which served as a nice distraction."

The 2019 French Open runs from 26 May to 9 June, while qualifying for Wimbledon is set to take place in late June before the tournament starts on 1 July.

Gibbs said she expects a recovery period of four to six weeks but "will be doing everything to shave that down and get back to full health as soon as possible".

INDIANAPOLIS — For more than four decades, the United States Auto Club had a heavy presence in Indy car racing as the sanctioning body for the world’s biggest event — the Indianapolis 500.

During that time, many drivers from the USAC Championship Trail found their way to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with many becoming household names and others achieving legendary status.

Drivers such as A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, the Bettenhausen brothers, Mel Kenyon, Rich Vogler and Gordon Johncock came to Indianapolis with sprint car and midget racing roots, and nearly the entire group found success in one form or another during The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

However, in due time, Indy car racing and its cars became more and more specialized and eventually, the pipeline from USAC short-track racing to the Indianapolis 500 began to wane.

While the relationship between USAC and IMS formally ended after USAC was dropped as the sanctioning body for the Indy Racing League in mid-1997, hopes always remained that one day, a path for USAC stars to return to the speedway’s hallowed grounds would materialize again.

That path may be starting to reappear, but this time the bridge isn’t in the form of a series or schedule.

Instead, the bridge may well be coming from USAC’s reigning sprint car national championship team.

When Clauson-Marshall Racing — the dirt open-wheel operation co-owned by Tim Clauson and Richard Marshall which won last year’s AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series title — announced its intentions to field an Indianapolis 500 entry, short-track fans across the country paid attention.

Would this be the time that a star USAC driver would appear at the famed 2.5-mile oval?

Those dreams didn’t come true this year, with Indy 500 veteran Pippa Mann brought in as the driver of the No. 39 Dallara-Chevrolet, but the emotion and impact behind the announcement was clear.

A major USAC team was finally racing at Indianapolis again and Clauson knew as much as anyone how big a deal that was to Midwestern auto racing.

It meant the two sides were becoming closer again, particularly in the wake of last year’s successful USAC national midget event held at the quarter-mile dirt track nestled inside turn three at IMS.

“The sentiment from everyone, ever since we first made the announcement that we were going to do this, was that this effort starts to bring some of that USAC flavor back to the speedway, and that’s something that we’re really excited about,” said Clauson. “This is not just because of what Bryan (Clauson) did in 2012 in making it to Indy, either. You have to look at what Doug Boles did for our sport at the speedway, with the BC39 and the dirt track last year, and the monumental effort that he put in to help build that bridge.

“I feel like it’s a lot easier to do this now because we’re all trying to achieve the same goal, in that we want to get our fans to enjoy Indy car racing and the Indianapolis 500, and then vice versa, we want to get Indy carfans to also enjoy our type of racing.”

The first cry from many onlookers when the CMR announced its Indy entry, was for reigning USAC national sprint car champion Tyler Courtney, or perhaps former USAC sprint car and Silver Crown titlist Chris Windom (who will race the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race at IMS) to get a shot at the Indianapolis 500.

Clauson took a more-calculated approach, however.