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World number one Naomi Osaka followed up her early French Open exit with a shock second-round loss to Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in Birmingham.

The Japanese 21-year-old could fall in the rankings after losing 6-2 6-3.

Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty, 23, may soon replace Osaka at the top after reaching the quarter-finals.

In Mallorca, 2018 Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber beat Maria Sharapova, who missed the clay-court season after having shoulder surgery.

The German 31-year-old defeated Sharapova, who has dropped to 85th in the world rankings, 6-2 6-3.

The Mallorca Open was 32-year-old Russian Sharapova's first tournament since she withdrew from a second-round match at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy in January.

Barty beat American Jennifer Brady 6-3 6-1 and is now close to taking the world number one ranking from US Open and Australian Open champion Osaka, who was beaten by unseeded Czech player Katerina Siniakova in the French Open third round.

Osaka would have stayed top if she had reached the final in Birmingham, but if Barty wins the title she will become world number one.

"The stars have aligned a little bit for me and I think when you get those opportunities you have to do your best to take them with both hands," said Barty, who has now won nine matches in a row.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, 39, also reached the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-2 win against Chinese sixth seed Wang Qiang.

The Birmingham Nature Valley Classic and Mallorca Open are grass-court tournaments which take place in the run-up to Wimbledon.

Kyrgios accuses line judge of 'rigging game'

Published in Tennis
Thursday, 20 June 2019 09:17

Australian Nick Kyrgios accused a line judge of "rigging the game" and swore at the umpire in his first-round win at Queen's.

Kyrgios, 24, also berated himself for "playing Fifa until 3am" before beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

The world number 39 ranted at umpire Fergus Murphy after losing a set point which he claimed should have been called as a double fault.

"It couldn't have been further out. What are you doing?" he said.

Kyrgios was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike behaviour after his first tirade, although that did not stop him continuing to question the integrity of the officials and threatening to walk off court.

"The ball was this far out on the second serve. I'm going," he added.

"I'm not going to give 100% when I've got linesmen rigging the game; I don't want to play."

His other antics included peering over a fence at a changeover to watch Gilles Simon's match against Kevin Anderson on the adjacent court, trying to fist-bump with a line judge and mocking the umpire's choice of headwear.

"It's a joke, man. It's a serious joke," he said to Murphy. "Like your hat looks ridiculous, also. It's not even sunny."

Despite his angry outbursts, Kyrgios went on to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to set up a second-round match against Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, which will take place later on Thursday following a rain-disrupted week in west London.

Britain's Kyle Edmund was knocked out of Queen's 6-3 7-5 in the first round by Greek top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Trailing 6-3 3-3 when bad weather ended play on Wednesday, Edmund was unable to turn the match around on Thursday as British interest in the singles ended.

Edmund, 24, saved six match points before the 20-year-old Greek clinched victory with a backhand down the line.

Tsitsipas returned later to beat Jeremy Chardy 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 7-6 (7-4) and secure his place in the quarter-finals.

He will face eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime after the 18-year-old Canadian ended the challenge of Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-4 and controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.

Three first-round singles matches had to be completed at the start of play on Thursday after Tuesday's play was washed out and only a handful of matches were completed on Wednesday.

But the highlight on day four was the return of Andy Murray alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez after five months out following a hip operation.

The pair's match against Colombia's Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah is the fifth match on centre court at the Fever-Tree Championships in London.

Tsitsipas punishes Edmund

Edmund was making his competitive return after retiring from the French Open with a knee injury earlier this month.

The Yorkshireman did not look his sharpest in the first set on Wednesday as he struggled to cope with Tsitsipas' power and precision.

Flashes of sunshine greeted them when they returned on Thursday lunchtime as Edmund looked to make a quick start.

The world number 30 was unable to convert a break point in the seventh game and it proved costly when Tsitsipas eventually ended his resistance by taking his seventh match point when a Hawk-Eye replay showed his backhand had just clipped the line.

Champion Cilic, Anderson & Wawrinka all beaten

Croatia's defending champion and fifth seed Marin Cilic was a surprise second-round casualty, losing 6-4 6-4 to Queen's Club debutant Diego Schwartzman.

Argentine Schwartzman, 26, secured early breaks in both sets to wrap up only his third career win on grass.

Second seed Kevin Anderson, who beat Britain's Cameron Norrie in round one, lost in three sets to France's Gilles Simon.

The big-serving 33-year-old South African - last year's Wimbledon runner-up - has missed most of the season because of an elbow injury and his rustiness told as Simon ran out a 6-1 4-6 6-4 winner.

Seventh seed Stan Wawrinka was also knocked out, losing 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-2) to 37-year-old world 191 Nicolas Mahut.

Mahut will face fellow Frenchman Simon in the next round.

Britain's Andy Murray came through his first match since a career-saving hip operation with an impressive victory in the Queen's doubles.

Murray, 32, was seemingly set for retirement before having his hip resurfaced in January.

Five months later the Scot was back on court alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez at the Fever-Tree Championships.

The pair won 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 against Colombian top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal.

"It was brilliant. I enjoyed it a lot," Murray told BBC Sport. "I was a bit slow at the beginning and got better as the match went on.

"I'm fortunate to be back playing again.

"Leading up to the match I was quite relaxed but I was a bit nervous when we started walking to the court.

"You want the nerves and the butterflies in the stomach and I had that."

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Punching the air at regular intervals and seemingly loving every minute after five months on the sidelines, Murray returned as a winner.

He was at his sharpest in the second set - executing a high backhand volley with a high degree of difficulty, and then hitting two thumping forehand returns to get the decisive break of serve.

Murray also took a tumble, to no ill-effect, and there was no sign of the on-court limp we had become so accustomed to before his surgeon worked her magic.

More soon.

It is an open invitation. Therefore not all nominations may be accepted. Furthermore only nominations submitted by bona fide national associations will be considered.

Full hospitality will be provided from dinner on Tuesday 17th September to breakfast on Monday 23rd September. Each umpire will receive a daily allowance according to ITTF regulations.

All invited umpires must organise their own transport to the region as well as travel and medical insurance. In addition, all invited umpires are responsible for early arrival and late departure.

Should a nominated umpire require a visa, kindly send relevant details when submitting the nomination (full name as in passport, date of birth, place of birth, passport number, expiry date of passport). A letter of invitation will be provided.

Please note that all costs associated with the visa application are the responsibility of the applicant and the issuance of a visa is at the sole discretion of the relevant Consulate or Embassy.

Umpires must wear the International umpiring uniforms as described in the Handbook for Match Officials; the Referee for the tournament is Mladen Vidovic.

The closing date for nominations is Thursday 1st August; the names of selected umpires will be made on or before Saturday 10th August.

For replies and questions, please address:

Zeljko Prsa, Chair Croatian Table Tennis Association Umpires and Referees Committee
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2019 Croatian Junior and Cadet Open: Official letter of invitaion (issued Wednesday 19th June)

2019 Croatian Junior and Cadet Open: Official nomination form (closing date is Thursday 1st August)

The story began with unexpected news coming from DPR Korea with the country agreeing to send a team of players to the Korea Open for the first time, a move that came as a welcome surprise to their neighbours south of the boarder.

Catching the whole world by storm, the news quickly gathered momentum with media outlets across the globe against the hopeful backdrop that the sport of table tennis could in some way help to bridge the divide between the two countries.

In the mixed doubles event there were two Unified Korea pairs entered, one of which was the partnership of Korea Republic’s Jang Woojin and DPR Korea’s Cha Hyo Sim.

Unseeded the Unified Korea duo started their campaign in qualification action before going on to topple three seeded combinations on their way to the final. At the final hurdle the Koreans defied the odds, defeating China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha to make history in front of a packed arena.

Follow the journey from start to finish all over again with an in-depth behind the scenes look, featuring interviews from players and officials from both countries beautifully accompanied by an excellent cinematic experience.

The Unified Korea team in Daejeon, and their continued partnership throughout 2018, was made possible by a grant from the ITTF Foundation and supported by Seamaster.

More Information

Drake, Blacker and Jeffries join Scarlets

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 20 June 2019 04:16

Scarlets have signed three new players, including lock Danny Drake from New Zealand province North Harbour.

The 24-year-old's signing came at the same time Scarlets announced two recruits who are moving from Welsh rivals.

Scrum-half Dane Blacker is leaving Cardiff Blues for Parc y Scarlets and tight-head prop Alex Jeffries is joining them from Ospreys.

"I'm really excited to touch down on Welsh soil," said Drake.

Former Wales Under-18s and 20s lock Blacker has played in the Pro14 and European Champions Cup and arrives following the departure of Scotland scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

Jeffries is also a former Wales age-grade international and made 18 senior appearances for Ospreys.

Drake will have a fellow New Zealander as company at lock in Sam Lousi, who joins from Super Rugby side Hurricanes under new coach Brad Mooar.

"Danny, Dane and Alex are talented young players who will be excellent additions to our squad," said Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels.

"We have worked hard to ensure we have put together a group of players capable of competing for silverware and re-signing players of the calibre of Johnny McNicholl, Jon Davies, Ken Owens, Rob Evans and others have been crucial to that."

For the latest Welsh rugby news follow @BBCScrumV on Twitter.

Former England Sevens star Ruaridh McConnochie and Harlequins' back rower Alex Dombrandt are two of the uncapped players included in England's preliminary World Cup training squad.

Northampton's Lewis Ludlam and Gloucester prop Val Rapava Ruskin have also both been called up to a senior squad for the first time.

As expected, the quartet of Danny Care, Chris Robshaw, Nathan Hughes and captain Dylan Hartley all miss out.

Hartley has not played since December.

The hooker, 33, led England to back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017 under head coach Eddie Jones, but has been struggling with a knee problem.

The World Cup will take place in Japan from 20 September-2 November.

England's 29-man training group is made up mainly of players who were not involved in the Premiership semi-finals at the end of May.

According to protocols agreed with the Rugby Players' Association, all players are guaranteed a five-week rest after the end of their season.

However, Ludlam and Rapava Ruskin both featured in the Premiership semi-finals, while Dombrandt and fly-half Marcus Smith - who is also named - were involved in an England XV against the Barbarians on 2 June.

The RFU say these players will have their workload monitored to ensure the correct rest periods are fulfilled.

While a place in the final 31-man World Cup squad, to be named in mid-August, looks a long shot at this stage, McConnochie and Dombrandt have both come from nowhere to force their way into contention.

Bath's McConnochie was playing rugby sevens as recently as last year, while Dombrandt is in his first season as a professional after finishing his university studies.

Ludlam has also enjoyed a breakthrough season at Franklin's Gardens, while Rapava Ruskin comes into the frame after the injury to Mako Vunipola and retirement of Joe Marler.

While Marler is considering his options, he has not been named in this training squad and remains in international retirement.

Elsewhere, the dropping of Robshaw and Care represent two of the biggest selection decisions made by Jones.

Both were central parts of the first three years of the Australian's regime, before falling out of favour.

By dropping them at this point and not bringing them into camp, Jones has shown he already knows the main composition of his final World Cup squad.

On this note, Jones has resisted the temptation to bring Hartley into the set-up to continue his recovery from his chronic knee problem.

It means the hooker's chances of making the World Cup squad are all but over, with Owen Farrell set to captain in his absence.

However Leicester prop Dan Cole and Harlequins full-back Mike Brown, both surplus to requirements of late, have made the squad, while Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson has recovered from deep vein thrombosis.

"The first two England training camps are designed to improve individual players' fundamentals to allow them to compete for a place in the Rugby World Cup squad," said head coach Jones.

PASS Reveals Race Details For Lanier Finale

Published in Racing
Thursday, 20 June 2019 10:30

NAPLES, Maine – Pro All Stars Series officials have released details, entry forms and the complete weekend schedule for the PASS National Championship season finale at Lanier Raceplex on Nov. 15-16.

The Lanier National 200 for the PASS super late models will be 200 laps, paying $6,000 to win and $1,000 to start.  The starting grid will be set by heat races in which their lineups will be determined by using practice speeds from final practice.

Finally, Legend cars and Bandoleros will complete the weekend of competition at Lanier Raceplex, featuring three divisions of Legend car racing – Pro, Semi-Pro and the Young Lions.

“We’ve been working on this event at Lanier for quite a while and we are glad to be able to get this information out while in advance of the Lanier National 200,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry.  “We have listened to our fans and racers and we believe the addition of heat races will provide even more action to this great weekend of racing. And, the Legends cars and Bandoleros were always popular at Lanier and, based on what we’re hearing, there should be a lot of support for their return in November.”

In addition to the grandstands being open, Lanier’s trackside parking will be available to the fans for this event. The track was repaved and all infield buildings were torn down at Lanier Raceplex when the facility was transformed to host drifting events and go-kart racing for the public.  All race cars will be pitted outside the track so fans will be able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the action from any vantage point at the speedway

When PASS began sanctioning super late model races in the south, Lanier was one of the first tracks to come on board to host an event. Georgia native Jason Hogan won the first PASS race there in 2006, while Maine’s Corey Williams took the checkered flag the final time PASS held a race at Lanier in 2007.

Numerous drivers cut their teeth racing Legends cars and Bandoleros at Lanier Raceplex, including Joey Logano, David Ragan, Daniel Hemric and more.  With the concentration of Legend cars around the Atlanta area, the Carolinas, and much of the Eastern Seaboard, race officials believe splitting the cars in to Pro, Semi-Pro and Young Lions will allow for even more action around the three-eighths-mile speedway.  There will be a payout throughout the field in each division with $500 to win for the Pro division, $400 to win for the Semi-Pros and $300 to win for the Young Lions.

Lanier Raceplex will roar to life Nov. 15, with practice for PASS super late models and Legend cars from 1 to 5 p.m.   On Nov. 16, pit gates will open at 8 a.m., followed by practice at 10 a.m., heat races for PASS super late models, Legend cars and Bandoleros at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Lanier National 200 and remaining features. Nov. 17 will be reserved as a rain date if needed.

Entry forms are available by visiting ProAllStarsSeries.com.

Registration Open For Second BC39

Published in Racing
Thursday, 20 June 2019 10:38

INDIANAPOLIS – Registration is open for the second running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink on Sept. 4-5 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Teams can file their entry for the event at www.thebc39.com, where they may also purchase pit and parking passes for the two-night USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event.

With the expansion of grandstand seating around the quarter-mile dirt oval, teams purchasing pit passes for the BC39 will be able to add a grandstand seat.  Five-hundred reserved seats in Tier 3 (lower level) have been made available for purchase at a discounted rate until Aug. 15.  Unsold tickets as of Aug. 15 will be made available at public prices and may sell out.

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access.  You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.  Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.  Both options are available on www.thebc39.com.

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from IMS with a pit pass upgrade, which is available at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS.  All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.

The BC39 officially gets underway on Sept. 3 with team parking at noon followed by the heat race position draft at the USAC office, located at 4910 W. 16th Street, adjacent from turn one of IMS oval at 7 p.m. (all times Eastern).  All cars entered will be randomized into a draft order for the heat race draft.  Teams will be able to pick their heat race spot, either in person with a representative, or remotely through USAC officials.  Any unrepresented team will be given the first available spot.  The heat race position draft is open to the public with team members getting priority into the new USAC worldwide headquarters.

On track action begins Sept. 4, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 2 p.m.  Public gates open at 3 p.m. with cars hitting the track for practice at 4 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 7 p.m.  Heat races and the Stoops Pursuit race will conclude the night’s racing action.

The finale on Sept. 5 will have the public gates opening at 3 p.m. and cars on track for practice at 4 p.m., with qualifying races to follow at 5 p.m.  Opening ceremonies are slated for 7:30 p.m. and immediately followed by the main feature events, starting with multiple D-Mains and C-Mains, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event. Brady Bacon is the defending race winner.

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