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Superb Keys stuns Sabalenka to win Australian Open
Sabalenka was the pre-match favourite, having won 33 of her previous 34 matches on the Australian hard courts.
But Keys, a powerful baseliner, is one of the few players on the WTA Tour who has the weapons to damage Sabalenka.
The explosive match-up led to a gripping final where Keys won only one more point overall.
A stunning opening set, where she whacked 11 winners and had a rock-solid first serve, set the platform.
Keys was also helped by a nervy start from Sabalenka, whose once-unstable second serve returned to trouble her.
Two double faults in the opening game allowed Keys to break, while another set up a second break point in the fifth game which Sabalenka handed over with a sliced forehand into the net.
Keys continued to play lights out, thumping clean winners from the back of the court and also showing deft touches.
A bemused Sabalenka could only smile when Keys pulled out an ice-cold drop-shot on the way to holding for 5-1.
However, Sabalenka was furious with herself after a fourth double fault handed over another set point, which Keys took with a backhand winner.
"She played super aggressive. It seemed like everything was going her way," said Sabalenka.
"I was just trying to put the ball back. I couldn't really play my aggressive tennis and didn't feel my serve that well."
The strength of squash is to make sure it is part of a larger ecosystem
Who can blame squash administrators during the boom years in Australia for not engaging the wider community for long-term sustainability?
Squash courts and player participation have since fallen by the wayside and the next few years will be critical as Australia prepares for squashs hopeful Olympic stay before Brisbane 2032.
At Squash Queensland, where Shantel Netzler is CEO, the body was long connecting with the community before the Olympic announcements.
Netzler took over the role in 2021 from Colette Sultana, a Maltese national player, and says success is down to working smart as squash fights for attention. It is a competitive sporting market and its about working smart and building on our strengths, she says.
Netzler, a mother-of-four, was the first Samoan woman to be appointed on to the Queensland Rugby Union Community Advisory Panel and the Brisbane Junior Rugby Union Board.
She also realises, with her children all playing sports year-round such as basketball, volleyball and rugby, that squash isnt a sport offered in schools in Queensland. But we are working hard to change that, she adds.
The strength of squash is to make sure it is part of a larger ecosystem.
Netzler came in originally as a part-timer due to the state of the game and is now full-time and leaning hard on government relations which she says is one of the states strengths in the last 12 months.
Squash Queensland has engaged with 12 out of 77 councils, with their players stretching right from Weipa down to the Gold Coast.
Beforehand, there was no engagement with the wider sporting community due to the strength of squash, she admits.
The strength is our community clubs, not just pennant players. People have changed their lifestyle since Covid, we have two working parents compared to the 1970s and 1980s.
Netzler is at pains to partner with other sports and clearly knows the value of community partnering with basketball and rugby clubs, which have prime real estate in Brisbane and are open to having squash courts in their facilities.
Coming from a rugby background into the sport, Im very much from the community and what it takes to run a successful club, she admits.
She points to how three-year-olds have watched squash on Bluey [a cartoon character and one of the most watched programmes in the US] an episode which is based on a club in Queensland and was somewhat a coup for the sport given the young eyeballs watching.
It is leveraging those cross-promotional opportunities and taking the court out into the council and school events, says Netzler.
As soon as you put a racket in someones hands and let them go, its not about the coaching, its allowing them to have a go and they dont want to come off. It doesnt have to be so complex.
What Ive loved about my engagement this year is seeing their eyes light up. A lot of the people I have spoken to have had some affinity with squash in the past, its bringing those good feelings back into the game, be it as a fan or getting back onto court.
Admittedly, people still tell her that they dont know where their nearest court is, but Squash Queensland is seemingly on the right lines to changing perceptions.
And Netzler is well versed to deal with the task at hand after running the largest rugby association and an 8,000-strong junior competition in Brisbane.
Although she wont get into the specifics of the current Right Ball campaign, which Squash Mad has been running, she is eager to engage in making sure kids who try out squash arent put off.
If you look at every successful sport, they have modified rules and learning, its about getting more engaged in the sport, she says.
Ive seen some matches with one hit, one serve and wheres the enjoyment in that? Its about competence, confidence and being able to enjoy the game.
With around 100,000 playing squash nationally, she estimates around 12-20,000 are on her patch and wants to add numbers through outdoor squash activation and school squash.
She says: I am really excited about Brisbane 2023 and being able to leave a legacy.
With the Australian Open in March, rolling out the biggest governance project in Queensland and being able to unlock the most funding for the sport in 20 years, we are only scratching the surface and being able to deliver some real outcomes for our members.
Quartuccio Sets The Pace At U.S. Street Nationals
BRADENTON, Fla. Ken Quartuccio followed up his runner-up finish at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks by grabbing the provisional No. 1 spot at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission.
Competing in the second of three races in the inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, Quartuccio laid down a blistering 3.572-second pass at 211.36 mph in Fridays first and only qualifying session.
Dropping temperatures forced the cancellation of Fridays second qualifying session, making Quartuccios pass in M&M Transmission Pro Mod presented by FuelTech and PJS Racing all that more important, as he leads a field of nearly 70 Pro Mods. Dmitry Samorukov sits on the 32-car bump spot with a 3.739.
In addition to the headlining Pro Mod class, the U.S. Street Nationals is also the second race of the 2024-25 FuelTech Radial Outlaws Racing Series. Provisional No. 1 qualifiers in the radial classes are Grantley Schloss in PST Driveshafts Pro 275 presented by Pro Line Racing, Matt Bell in Energy Manufacturing Limited Drag Radial presented by Callies Performance, Jeff Miller in Motion Raceworks X275 presented by Precision Turbo & Engine, Shawn Pevlor in TRZ Motorsports Ultra Street presented by Innovative Racecraft, and Jimmy Harris in SP Tools Limited 235 presented by ICE Ignition.
Walter Lannigan Jr. is currently qualified No. 1 in TBM Brakes Outlaw 632 presented by Rife Sensors.
Quartuccio continued his strong Winter Series performance at Bradenton Motorsports Park, with his 3.572-second pass narrowly edging out Jason Scruggs 3.579. Quartuccio, piloting a screw-blown 69 Camaro out of the Scott Tidwell Racing camp, is still fresh off a final-round appearance at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and second in points to Snowbirds winner Kye Kelley.
Upon returning home from the Snowbirds, the team found the issue that caused his car to drift toward the centerline in the final round and came into Bradenton confident they could pick up where they left off. Quartuccio and Kelley would face off again in Q1, with Quartuccio taking the win and getting a small measure of revenge.
We took the car back after Snowbirds and found something bent in the rear suspension, so we fixed that, said Quartuccio. The part that was bent is what caused me to drive right in the final round. We decided today we knew wed be last pair to leave the same tune-up in it from that final round. [Tuner] Steve Petty made some corrections for the air and stuff like that, but the basic idea was our final-round tune-up. To be honest, as cars ran, I was getting a little nervous and thinking with so many cars going down the track, what if we lose the track and it might not take it? But the team felt good about it, and the car did exactly what it should. It worked out nice.
Despite weather preventing test sessions for the majority of the week, Quartuccio remained confident heading into Friday. That confidence is well-founded, as he has had an amazing amount of success at Bradenton Motorsports Park, most recently winning Pro Mod at the 2023 U.S Street Nationals, and runnering up at both the 2024 U.S. Street Nationals and Snowbird Outlaw Nationals.
Historically, I run really good here, Quartuccio said. Ive won a ton of races here. I came here for the first time in 1992 and ran Pro Mod off and on through the years, and won 6-7 times in a row in Outlaw 632, then we won in Pro275 and other classesbut this is like my home. Whenever Im not doing good, I come here and run. And whenever I runner-up at Snowbirds, I usually win at U.S. Street.
I was actually glad there was no testing, Quartuccio continued. I knew it would hurt some of the other teams more than it would hurt us. We werent really planning on testing anyway. It just really held everybody back a couple runs, and I think thatll come to our advantage.
With cool temperatures forecasted again for Saturday, Quartuccio believes there is zero chance his 3.57 will hold up throughout qualifying. And with 68 other drivers shooting for the top spot, theres a good chance his prediction will come true.
I would make a bet that the handcuffs are off now, said Quartuccio. The turbo cars know what they can do, and I believe that Mark Micke, as good as he is, Id be surprised if he doesnt go 3.55. And we plan on going faster in the morning, and I think that will dictateI mean, none of its going to matter for Sunday, because its going to warm up and be a totally different track.
Quartuccio has not only put himself in a great spot for this weekend, but also for the Winter Series points championship. Currently sitting in second place behind Kelley, Quartuccio is once again positioned to make a strong push towards the $25,000 awarded to the series winner, an accomplishment he desperately wants
To me, all the other series championships are great, but this is really what you judge yourself against, Quartuccio said. If you run good in the Winter Series, that means as a driver youre on par with everyone youre racing with. So as a driver, it helps the confidence level I like where Im at. But I also hope the other drivers know how good we run here, and thatll help us a little bit. Going into the World Series of Pro Mod, I think well be in a pretty good spot.
Jason Scruggs sits in the No. 2 spot with a 3.579 at 211.49 mph in his screw-blown 2020 Camaro. Mark Micke, who won the 2024 U.S. Street Nationals, laid down a 3.599 at 219.36 mph, the fastest speed of the session, to end the day in the third spot. Travis Harvey is currently fourth with a 3.600 at 211.73, while Kelley rounds out the top five with a 3.601 at 209.49 in his third-gen Camaro named Cant Get Right. Twenty-eight of the 32 cars currently qualified are in the 3.60s, while Dmitry Samorukov sits on the bump spot at 3.739.
Australias Grantley Schloss was the only driver who made a representative run in the first Pro 275 qualifying session. He ripped off a 3.736 at 203.25 in his ProCharged 67 Nova, while drag radial veteran Brad Edwards was the next closest with a 4.252 at 147.55 in his turbocharged 97 Cobra. New Yorks Paul Major went to the third spot in his turbocharged 01 Corvette with a 4.823 at 106.87. Ten other drivers plus more who didnt light the boards in Q1 will attempt to make strong passes on Saturday.
Twenty-four Limited Drag Radial drivers took to the track for the first qualifying session. Matt Bell took the provisional No. 1 position when he fired off a 3.928 at 195.65 in his Bloomington, Illinois-based, turbocharged 93 Mustang. Lyle Barnett, whos pulling triple duty with entries in Pro Modified and Pro 275 as well, qualified second in the ProCharged Kohler Racing 02 Camaro with a 3.953 at 185.31. Another Illinois-based racer, Mitch Mika, is third with a 3.956 at 183.79 in his ProCharged 69 Camaro.
Like Pro 275, the X275 class struggled to find traction in Fridays cold conditions. In a field full of Mustangs and Camaros, Jeff Miller in the Paramount 10 Jeep SRT turned heads when he ended up in the top spot after the first session. He posted a 5.101 at 165.38, leading Charles Hull and his turbocharged 92 Mustang with a 5.423 at 100.34. Chris Taylor just missed the 5-second zone with a 6.003 at 122.61 in his turbocharged 99 Mustang to qualify third out of 16 entries
A strong list of 33 Ultra Street drivers made an attempt in the first qualifying session, with heavy hitter Shawn Pevlor shooting up to the familiar No. 1 spot. The class record holder threw down a 4.382 at 162.88 in John Kolivas KBX Performance 93 Mustang. Davey Hull rolled to the No. 2 spot with a 4.41 at 157.61 in his 93 Mustang. Dave Fiscus, who drove his unique Buick-powered 93 Mustang to victory at the Snowbirds in December, rounded out the top three with his 4.445 at 157.85.
Cincinnatis Jimmy Harris prevented Florida domination at the top of the Limited 235 qualifying order, as he drove his BES-powered 93 Mustang to a 4.857 at 141.65. Brad Schehr in his Ft. Myers-based, ProCharged 89 Mustang slid into the No. 2 spot with a 4.901 at 141.77. Sanfords Eddie Ramirez rolled to a 4.928 at 140.68 in his 88 Mustang to sit third after Q1.
Perennial Outlaw 632 contender Walter Lannigan Jr. claimed the early No. 1 spot in Outlaw 632 in the first qualifying session. Driving the same Nelson-powered Freedom Grow 10 GTO that car owner Chris Holdorf drove to the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals win in December, Lannigan recorded a 4.109 at 171.29. Port Charlotte, Floridas Kyle Salminen also dipped into the 4.10s with a 4.181 at 168.72 in his Nelson-powered 03 Cavalier to qualify second. Mike Fiorelli, based in Hollywood, Florida, wheeled his Clayton Murphy-tuned 68 Camaro to a 4.228 at 168.60 to sit third going into Saturday.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. The second of six races of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw Memorial at Central Arizona Raceway drew 123 cars for the six division program.
Fridays weather was much improved over windy and chilly Thursday.
The WISSOTA late models started 23 cars on the high-banked three-eighths-mile dirt track. Opening night winner Dylan Thornton had an outside row one spot but got into the wall in turn two on the first lap. Ricky Weiss went to the infield and the top two from Thursday were out without a lap scored.
The next try led to a seven-car pileup in turn four adding to the carnage.
Nineteen cars tried it again and Clayton Stuckey, the original polesitter, took the lead. More yellow flags before a longer stretch of green-flag racing gave Stuckey clear track and he led all 25 laps for the win.
Don Shaw and Zach Johnson raced each other for many laps for second and Shaw prevailed and Johnson was third.
Northern sport mods were controlled by Mark Martini with Jake Kierstead and Kaden Woodie chasing Martini across the line.
Limited modifieds driver, Lucas Rodin, took control from fourth starting on the first lap and led the entire distance for the win. Jake Smith was second and James Trantina III finished third in the non-stop race.
The stock car checkers went to Mike Albertsen and Denton Koch won the super stocks finale.
The modified main was very competitive with Tate Johnson leading eleven laps with plenty of company seeking a win. On lap 12, Bryson Yeager used the inside line out of turn four to claim the lead.
Yeager had pressure from Troy Morris III and moving to an outside line worked for Morris and with two laps remaining it was Morris upstairs in turn four with a winning pass.
Morris was the winner ahead of Yeager and Tom Berry Jr.
Saturday will be round three and the series resumes next Thursday. Catch all the action on IMCA.tv.
BARBERVILLE, Fla. Kicking off the sixth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park included four features contested to decide the top-20 starting positions in Saturday nights finale.
Starting the weekend with feature wins bagged by Sam Seawright, Matt Herlong, Demetrios Drellos and Mark Whitener.
Feature 1 Sam Seawright
Friday nights opening feature began with Mack McCarter spinning in the middle of Turn Two on the first lap. Multiple cars suffered damage, ending the races of McCarter, A.J. Miller, and former track champion Garret Stewart.
On the following restart, Sam Seawright took advantage of the gained track position to pass polesitter Layton Sullivan for the lead.
The Alabama native dominated the 20 laps by inflating his gap to over 10 seconds before the feature prematurely ended with Robert Smith, Kyle Hardy, and Sean Ragan involved in a major crash on the front stretch.
With Smith and Hardy contending for second place when time expired on the Feature, Smith was credited with a second-place result and Sullivan finished the night in the third position.
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 16S-Sam Seawright[4]; 2. 01S-Robert Smith[8]; 3. 99-Kyle Hardy[13]; 4. 7J-Dalton Jacobs[12]; 5. 23M-Beckham Malone[6]; 6. 15-Marty Massey[9]; 7. 42-Steven Stratton Sr[15]; 8. 7T-Tyler Thomason[7]; 9. 87C-Jarrod Carey[3]; 10. 16W-Wesley Scott[16]; 11. 59-Brian Wooldridge[19]; 12. 96-Sean Reagan[18]; 13. (DNF) 19X-Mark Page[17]; 14. (DNF) 2S-Layton Sullivan[1]; 15. (DNF) 16-Caleb Gay[11]; 16. (DNF) 7-Corey Neil Jr[10]; 17. (DNF) 51-Mack McCarter[2]; 18. (DNF) 14AJ-AJ Miller[5]; 19. (DNF) 67S-Garret Stewart[14]
Feature 2 Matt Herlong
Similar to the first feature, the second go-around for the 604 Late Models began with several late models spinning through the middle of Turn 2 and stopping the nights of Rob Pitcher, Monte Skinner, Dale Young, and Luke Bennett.
On the second attempt, Kaede Loudy took command of the feature, leading every lap to build a six-second gap until a late caution with two laps left opened the door for the field to contend.
Up to bat was Matt Herlong, who traded lanes with Loudy in the final two laps, which culminated in Herlong swinging down to the bottom of the track and then sliding up around Loudy to steal the feature win.
I watched him do it three or four times in a row so I set him up for that, Herlong said. It was a hell of a race. Im worn out, it was rough out there for sure. I did this for my good friend Jim, who isnt here no more.
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 131-Matt Herlong[2]; 2. 126-Kaede Loudy[3]; 3. 07-Hayden Cardwell[6]; 4. 18X-Michael Page[7]; 5. 18B-Austin Yarbrough[13]; 6. 18-David Showers Jr[4]; 7. 44-Kam Boyd[1]; 8. 8-Matthew Larson[8]; 9. B2-Brian Booze[17]; 10. 515-Bubba Roling[12]; 11. 49-Mario Gresham[9]; 12. 31S-Tim Swartz[16]; 13. 4G-Kale Green[11]; 14. 57-Landon Zakalowski[18]; 15. 119-Joe Belkey[10]; 16. (DNF) 17P-Rob Pitcher[15]; 17. (DNF) 00M-Monte Skinner[5]; 18. (DNF) 14Y-Dale Young[19]; 19. (DNF) 3-Luke Bennett[14]
Feature 3 Demetrios Drellos
Curtis Glover and Nathan Bray led the field to the start, but Super DIRTcar Series regular Demetrios Drellos stole the show in the third feature.
The New Yorker ran in second for the majority of the race until a three-car battle gave him breathing room for that chance. Drellos, Trynt Lloyd, and Nathan Bray for the lead off a late restart on Lap 13, which resulted in Drellos prevailing with a move around the top of Lloyd.
Lloyd finished second. Ethan Wilson rounded out the podium.
I really had to bide my time there, Drellos said. I didnt want that caution to come out because I was about to turn it up a wick, but it did and next thing I knew, we were three-wide going for the lead. That was a lot of fun though.
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 111-Demetrios Drellos[4]; 2. 2-Trynt Lloyd[9]; 3. 00-Ethan Wilson[8]; 4. 21-Nathan Bray[2]; 5. 30-Curtis Glover[1]; 6. D8-Dustin Linville[3]; 7. 257-Skylar Marlar[10]; 8. 86-Wil Herrington[11]; 9. 7A-Corey Almond[6]; 10. 39W-Brandon Wells[14]; 11. 67-Gregory Carrico[7]; 12. 23-Toby Sims[12]; 13. 20-Owen Osteen[13]; 14. 71C-Davy Cline[18]; 15. 18C-Miles Cook II[5]; 16. (DNF) 28L-Austin Leamon[16]; 17. (DNF) 24-Payton Stevenson[19]; 18. (DNF) 118-Jared Delk[15]; 19. (DNF) 1X-Ethan Whitis[17]
Feature 4 Mark Whitener
Visiting Sunshine Nationals victory lane for the first time since 2022, Mark Whitener continued to prove his threat for the feature win on Saturday with a dominant display in the final 604 Late Model feature.
To do so, he had to fend off Winter Shootout points leader Jimmy Thomas and reigning Volusia division champion Mikey Kopka for the race win through the 20 laps.
We come here a couple of times to get ready for Speedweeks, Whitener said. Weve been working on the (super late model) and not enough on this thing, so we got some things to work on. Everythings all good, I know theyre working hard on (the track) and I look forward to tomorrow.
Thomas finished second, and Kole Platt snagged the final podium spot from Kopka off the final restart on Lap 19.
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 5-Mark Whitener[1]; 2. USA1-Jimmy Thomas[10]; 3. 44P-Kole Platt[4]; 4. 721-Mikey Kopka[12]; 5. 28-Jake Rainey[5]; 6. 6-Dillon Brown[7]; 7. 611-Koulten Herbert[11]; 8. 52-Cody Karl[9]; 9. 2C-Zack Carley[8]; 10. 94-Holden Allen[16]; 11. 12C-Chase Giddens[6]; 12. 54T-Tuck Trentham[2]; 13. 17C-Jamie Maurice[15]; 14. 18I-Jason Intoppa[13]; 15. (DNF) 69-Wyatt Boyd[17]; 16. (DNF) 89-Timmie Harrelson[18]; 17. (DNF) 11-John Ownbey[3]; 18. (DNS) 35-Christian Augspurger
BARBERVILLE, Fla. They say if you dont win the show, be the show. But if youre Ryan Gustin at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, you do both.
Moments after The Reaper crossed the line at Volusia Speedway Park to claim the 11th World of Outlaws Late Models win of his career, the engine under the hood of the No. 19r machine started to turn sour. With smoke billowing out from every corner of the car, Gustin crossed the scales to officially become the first winner of the new season.
It was obviously running hot, Gustin said. Smoke was pouring out on the backstretch and they said keep going, so we burned her down and it paid off. Im glad there werent many more laps, I dont know how many laps the old girl had left in her.
Earlier in the night, Gustin claimed the Simpson Quick Time Award and won his Heat Race to make the Redraw, where he pulled the outside of the front row to start next to Bilstein Pole Award winner Nick Hoffman.
A brilliant start gave Gustin the early lead, but a multi-car pileup on the backstretch quickly erased his advantage. On the following restart, Hoffman nailed the first set of corners to grab the lead back and went to work on building a gap.
Hoffman maintained the top spot for the next 15 laps until he jumped the cushion in Turn 2, letting Gustin get to his inside. That kicked off a back-and-forth tussle for the lead, with both drivers taking their turns at sliders through slower traffic.
It all came to an end for Hoffman just past halfway though, as he squeezed his No. 9 under Gustin entering Turn 1, lost the back end and went around to bring the caution out.
When the race went back green, Gustin found Ethan Dotson and Jonathan Davenport on his tail in second and third. A perfect restart allowed Gustin to extend a sizeable advantage over both of them with the laps ticking down.
Davenport got within four tenths of Gustin in the closing stages, but slid up over the cushion exiting Turn 4 which gave Gustin the opportunity he needed to drive away to the win.
Fridays event marked Gustins first World of Outlaws start with new crew chief Cody Mallory on the wrenches, and theyve already proven themselves to be a lethal duo capable of beating dirt Late Model racings best.
Cody came on here and hes completely redone this thing, Gustin said. Whole different unit than what weve had. This thing is just in the racetrack, fun to drive.
In the final run to the checkers, Davenport got close enough to notice the trouble brewing under Gustins hood, but wasnt able to pull off the winning move for his first Volusia win in seven years.
Congratulations to Ryan there, they did a great job, Davenport said. Saw his motor was running hot and I was pulling up beside him like man, dont burn that thing down, go ahead and give us one here. But anyway, it just wasnt our day.
Rounding out the podium was Cody Overton with a career-best third-place finish. It certainly didnt come easy, as the second-year Outlaw drove up from his 23rd starting spot to take home the Fox Factory Hard Charger as well.
I was kind of doubting myself after Qualifying, I was like maybe I just cant drive, Overton said. My car owner [Dave Steine] has a lot of faith in me, he has spent tons and tons of money and Im super thankful for him. This is a new car to me, my notebook has got one page in it. Were going to take these notes and grow from there.
Ethan Dotson kicked off his bid for the MD3 Rookie of the Year Award by finishing fourth, good enough for Fridays Rookie of the Race honors. Tim McCreadie completed the top five in his first World of Outlaws start in the Boom Briggs-owned No. 9m.
The finish:
Feature (35 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin [2]; 2. 49D-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 3. 2-Cody Overton[23]; 4. 74X-Ethan Dotson[5]; 5. 9M-Tim McCreadie[17]; 6. 22*-Drake Troutman[13]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[8]; 8. 40B-Kyle Bronson[25]; 9. 9-Nick Hoffman[1]; 10. 3S-Brian Shirley[11]; 11. 97-Cade Dillard[16]; 12. 76-Brandon Overton[6]; 13. 93-Carson Ferguson[10]; 14. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 15. 16-Tyler Bruening[21]; 16. 28-Dennis Erb Jr.[24]; 17. 17SS-Brenden Smith[18]; 18. 19-Dustin Sorensen[12]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[26]; 20. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[27]; 21. 14W-Dustin Walker[28]; 22. 1T-Tyler Erb[14]; 23. 8-Dillon McCowan[29]; 24. 157-Mike Marlar[20]; 25. 11-Austin Smith[30]; 26. 09-Michael Leach[19]; 27. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 28. 111-Max Blair[9]; 29. 60-Dan Ebert[15]; 30. 71-Hudson ONeal[22]
Barça using Madrid complaints as final motivation
Barcelona Femení head coach Pere Romeu said his team will use Real Madrid's complaints over scheduling as "extra motivation" in Sunday's Spanish Supercopa final.
Madrid manager Alberto Toril has voiced his issue with Barça having extra rest before the final and the fact they trained in the later time slot on Saturday at Leganés' Estadio Municipal Butarque, where the game will be played.
Barça progressed to the final on Wednesday, courtesy of a 3-0 win over Atlético Madrid, while Real beat Real Sociedad 3-2 24 hours later.
"The rules are very clear," Romeu said when asked about Toril's comments. "If you win LaLiga and the Copa [de la Reina], as we did, you get to choose when you train as the designated home team.
"We made the decision and that's it. A final is always extra motivation, regardless of the competition or the opposition, because you are 90 minutes away from a trophy. And it would be my first, I hope of many, as the coach.
"[Toril's complaints] have only served as extra motivation for the game. We're going to go out there and show on the pitch that we deserve to win the trophy and we will give everything possible to do that."
While Barça have benefitted from a longer break between the semifinal and the final, they have had to travel more this week with all the games played in Leganés, a city which is part of the Madrid metropolitan area.
"It made me laugh," Barça goalkeeper Cata Coll chuckled when responding to Toril. "Last year we played the second semifinal and won the trophy, so that shows how much of an influence there is.
"We are playing here in Madrid and have had a lot of travelling this week. They can come to Barcelona if [they prefer].
"There are always advantages or disadvantages for all teams. It's making excuses for the sake of it. At the end of the day, you have to play the game and do your talking on the pitch."
Barça go into the final as massive favourites. The back-to-back European champions have won all 16 of their Liga F games so far this season and sit 11 points clear of Madrid, who have a game in hand, at the top of the table.
The Catalan side have also won all 15 games between the two teams since Madrid fully absorbed CD Tacon in 2020.
Madrid have shown signs of improvement in that time, and have progressed to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second time this season, but a first Clásico win continues to elude them.
"We are looking to reach finals and to have the chance to win trophies," Toril said. "I believe we are on the right path; that we are progressing. The club is growing.
"Our improvement has also been mental. Every day we are more competitive. During this four year journey, the results tell you that.
"When we face top sides, we try to match them. There have been games against Barça when we have done well. I am sure we will make it difficult for them tomorrow."
Pep: Man City no longer feared by opposing teams
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said teams have changed tactics because they are no longer intimidated by his side, which is making their Champions League campaign more difficult.
City are down in 25th place in the Champions League table, two points off the playoff spots, and Guardiola has noticed an increase in opposing teams adopting a man-marking approach, showing they don't fear City as they used to.
"Everyone came to the Etihad and stayed back," he told a news conference on Friday.
"The first team I saw man-marking was Neil Warnock at Cardiff. Now everybody does it. Everybody comes here, it doesn't matter, man-to-man.
"They just jump on [City's goalkeepers] Éderson or Stefan Ortega. You have to adapt, you have to be better with the ball, otherwise you will not qualify for the Champions League."
Guardiola said while his side may have been outplayed by Paris Saint-Germain in a 4-2 defeat on Wednesday, their problems were more about effective use of the ball than physicality.
"Speed is important, but against PSG we ran more than they did," he said. "Our problem is with the ball. That is what we have been lacking this season.
"When you have the ball and you don't pass it properly to your partner, everything is so difficult."
He stressed the importance of passing accuracy and said there was room for improvement despite the influx of new talent.
City signed Egypt forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday after bringing in 19-year-old Brazilian defender Vitor Reis and Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Guardiola believes Champions League qualification would be as significant an achievement as winning a trophy, especially with injuries to key players like Rodri and a depleted defence.
City are fifth in the Premier League, 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, as they prepare to host fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday trailing the London club by two points.
Despite their struggles, Guardiola remains focused on making tactical adjustments to restore their competitive edge and a return to the Champions League via a place in the top four.
Ange: Spurs 'playing with fire' without signings
Tottenham are "playing with fire" if they do not sign new recruits during the January transfer window, manager Ange Postecoglou has said as the injury-hit squad continues to struggle in the Premier League.
Spurs are a lowly 15th in the table, closer to the relegation zone than European qualification spots after just one win in their last 10 games, which include seven losses.
The club also have the longest injury list in the league, with 12 players sidelined including record signing Dominic Solanke.
The England striker is expected to miss six weeks of action due to a knee injury.
Postecoglou has drafted multiple younger players into the team to deal with the injury crisis and said he has had daily discussions with the club's technical director Johan Lange about "trying to get some help for the players" by dipping into the market.
"I'm not out there trying to find opportunities for the club, that's not my role at this time. There isn't time to do it," Postecoglou told reporters.
"I don't think I'm stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous. This playing group needs help, there's no doubt about that.
"We're sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in, but the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation."
Despite the club's woeful run of form, Spurs have retained faith in Postecoglou after he guided the team to the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, where they lead Liverpool 1-0 after the first leg. The return leg is at Anfield on Feb. 6.
Spurs have also been boosted by Cristian Romero's return to training while his centre-back partner Micky van de Ven is also expected to be ready before the second leg.
"Of the long-terms [injuries], they are the only two who have a chance of that week, but we've still got 12 days or something," Postecoglou said.
"Part of that process is to see how they cope with training over the next week or so. Both of them are scheduled around that sort of time to be available."
Reddy and Rinku injured, Dube and Ramandeep join India's T20I squad
Dube's last outing for India was in August 2024, during an ODI series in Sri Lanka. He then missed India's home T20I series against Bangladesh with a back injury. Dube returned to cricket with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 151 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 179.76, and took three wickets at an economy of 9.31.
In all, he has played 33 T20Is for India, for 448 runs at a strike rate of 134.93 with the bat, and 11 wickets with the ball. He was part of India's T20 World Cup-winning squad in the West Indies and USA last year.
Ramandeep has played just the two T20Is for India, both in South Africa last November. In the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, the 50-over tournament, he totalled 126 runs from six innings for Punjab, mostly providing quick runs for a strike rate of 134.04.
India's updated T20I squad
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Axar Patel (vice-capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.
*The story was updated after the BCCI put out a statement.
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