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Tearful Jabeur overcomes breathing problems to win

Published in Tennis
Wednesday, 15 January 2025 21:29

Jabeur, 30, has dropped down to 39th in the world rankings after injury problems last year prevented her from competing at the US Open and Paris Olympics.

She ended her 2024 season in September, returning to action at the beginning of this year and suggested the long spell away had caused her asthma problems to resurface.

"Having taken off a lot [of time] didn't help. I think it provoked it even more," she said.

"I think I will have to find a way to feel better the next two days, which I am hoping to do because this started kind of two days or three days ago. I feel like it got worse for some reason."

Jabeur will face American eighth seed Emma Navarro, who beat China's Wang Xiyu 6-3 3-6 6-4, in the next round.

"I'm really just taking it one minute at a time and see how it's going to go, but definitely I'm doing everything that I can to be ready," said Jabeur.

"I don't want to be greedy just after coming back from an injury. Sometimes I get angry because I feel like I'm getting back there, but every time something happens."

Meanwhile, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina beat 17-year-old American wildcard Iva Jovic 6-0 6-3 to seal her 50th Grand Slam match win.

Jovic was the youngest woman in the second round of the draw but struggled against 2023 Australian Open finalist Rybakina, who is ranked 184 places above Jovic.

The Kazakh will face Ukrainian 32nd seed Dayana Yastremska, who reached the semi-finals last year as a qualifier, in the third round.

Fritz to give 67,000 prize money to LA fire victims

Published in Tennis
Wednesday, 15 January 2025 23:32

Fourth seed Taylor Fritz said he is going to donate his first-round prize money from the Australian Open to support victims from the Los Angeles wildfires.

The fires, which began on 7 January, have killed at least 25 people and are being marked as the most destructive in the city's history.

After beating Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin to reach the third round on Thursday, American Fritz pledged his 132,000 Australian dollars (67,000) first-round prize.

"I just want everyone to stay safe, it's insane what happened," the 27-year-old said.

"I'm going to be donating my first round prize money to LA wildfire relief funds.

"It's the least I can do. Southern California is my home and LA was my home for a very long time, so I'm just doing what I can possibly do to help."

Fritz, who lost to Jannik Sinner in last year's US Open final, wrote "LA" and drew a love heart on a camera lens after his 6-2 6-1 6-0 over Garin in Melbourne.

The world number four will face French veteran Gael Monfils in the third round.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka revealed on Monday that the wildfires were just three blocks from her home.

Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek also dedicated their first-round wins to LA and the firefighters who have been tackling the fires.

Raducanu 'pushes past pain' to set up Swiatek clash

Published in Tennis
Thursday, 16 January 2025 00:03

Having pulled out of her season-opening event in Auckland after suffering a back spasm, Raducanu had not played since mid-November before her first-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Raducanu struggled with her second serve against the Russian 26nd seed, hitting 15 double faults which she put down to a remodelled serve and early tournament nerves.

Another on her first service point against Anisimova was not an encouraging start.

Although she quickly stemmed the flow, Raducanu's serve was regularly punished by the American's explosive hitting.

But Anisimova - who reached the French Open semi-finals as a 17-year-old in 2019 and is re-establishing herself after taking a mental health break from the sport in 2023 - also had issues with her serve and handed over the opening set with a double fault.

At the start of the second set, there were further signs of Raducanu's back issue having an effect.

Afterwards, Raducanu said she had not "fully investigated" whether it was related to the back spasm.

"When you haven't played a match in so long, then to have two really physical ones, I think small niggles are going to come up here and there," she added.

"I'm just hoping that it is that."

After stretching out the area between points, three double faults handed over another break and Raducanu called the trainer when she lost serve again for 3-0.

The physiological, and perhaps psychological, boost helped her immediately.

Borthwick backed to repeat Tigers rebuild with England

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 16 January 2025 00:08

England's extraordinary 42-37 defeat by the Wallabies in November was said to have Borthwick's side "battling to keep fans onside", according to BBC Sport's rugby union correspondent Chris Jones at the time.

Van Poortvliet, who is among five Leicester players called up by Borthwick for the upcoming Six Nations, says the public perception of the team differs greatly from those within the set-up.

And with his previous experience playing under Borthwick, having been part of the Tigers side he revived as a Premiership force, the 23-year-old is adamant that success will eventually come.

"Obviously results haven't been what we wanted in the last year, but I think it is similar to when we were almost into our second year at Tigers," Van Poortvliet said.

"He has a lot more time with us, so you get the changes quicker, but when we finished sixth in the table [in Borthwick's first full season] for half that year we were on the wrong ends of results and then by the end of the year we got more of a run together.

"It was close, the performances were there and we were just off it. And that's how I see it with England - we are so close.

"It can seem to the media or be seen by fans that you are miles off it, but it is really close and I'm sure this Six Nations we will work even harder and Steve will push us hard and keep us working on what we need to improve on.

"I have full faith that we will be able to turn those results around and be able to push forward to have a more successful campaign."

McDavid passes Kurri for 2nd on Oilers' points list

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 15 January 2025 22:31

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Connor McDavid continues setting records and moving up scoring lists.

McDavid had two goals and an assist in the Edmonton Oilers' 5-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night, passing Jari Kurri for second all time in points in Edmonton history. McDavid, a three-time Hart Trophy winner for league MVP and five-time scoring champion, now has 1,044 points in his 10-year career and trails only Wayne Gretzky on the franchise list.

Kurri had 1,043 points in his 10 years with the Oilers, playing on a line with Gretzky for much of it. Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, had 1,669 points in nine seasons in Edmonton.

"Quite a remarkable feat," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "For him to go up the scoring list as quickly as he has, and within an organization that has had so many significant players. I've seen so many remarkable things from him. He's a tremendous player and great teammate. I said I wouldn't be surprised anymore just because he surprises you so often over these years, but it's a nice feat for him and the guys are very proud of him."

McDavid's second goal was of the highlight variety. He shot the puck from a tough angle, lifting it over Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson without much room.

McDavid didn't speak to reporters after the game. He was involved in a collision with Minnesota forward Marcus Johansson in the second period in which McDavid's elbow hit Johansson in the face. There was no penalty called, but it drew the ire of the Wild.

Gavi: Barcelona's Yamal best in world after Messi

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 15 January 2025 21:55

Barcelona midfielder Gavi says Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world after Lionel Messi following the teenager's devastating showing in Wednesday's 5-1 Copa del Rey win over Real Betis.

Yamal scored one, created two and had another goal ruled out for offside as Barça eased into Monday's quarterfinal draw.

The 17-year-old has now scored nine times this season and laid on 13 assists for his teammates in 24 appearances.

"Yes, he is," Gavi told reporters when asked if Yamal is already the best player in the game. "Well, after Lionel Messi, he's the best."

Yamal, who led Spain to European Championship success last summer, finished eighth in the Ballon d'Or last year and also claimed the Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy award, prizes given to the best young player in the world.

He has long since established himself as a regular in Barça's first team, clocking up over 70 appearances already, and was a nuisance for Betis all night on Wednesday.

After Gavi had opened the scoring, Yamal's brilliant lobbed pass set up Jules Koundé for Barça's second. The winger then set up Kounde again, only for the goal to be ruled off for offside after a lengthy VAR check.

Yamal thought he had added Barça's third after the break, only for a VAR review to once again cancel out the effort for offside, before a brilliant solo run from the edge of his own box led to Raphinha scoring.

Substitute Ferran Torres scored Barça's fourth before Yamal finally got his goal, finishing well after being fed by Fermín López. Vitor Roque, on loan at Betis from Barça, scored a late consolation from the penalty spot.

"You know, Gavi's very emotional, so I say yes as well," Barça coach Hansi Flick said in a news conference when asked if he agreed with Gavi's take on Yamal. "You can see it. I think in great matches you see big talent and he's showed it many times. He's on a really good way. But we have to take care about him."

After a disappointing end to 2024, Barça have now started 2025 with four straight wins, including Sunday's 5-2 demolition of Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa final.

Flick wants his players to now take that form into LaLiga, where they have fallen six points behind leaders Atlético Madrid and five behind Real.

"For us, today was very important after the big win against Real Madrid," the German said. "It was very good to see how all the team come back because we travel [back from Saudi Arabia] and we train only yesterday.

"So it's good to see this, how we play today, the performance from the beginning. We controlled the game and this is really great to see how they do.

"The big goal [is to play like this in LaLiga]. We are looking match to match, of course Saturday is the next one against Getafe. We want to play and be ready for that and win."

Durbar Rajshahi have promised to pay their local players on Thursday, a day after the players boycotted training in Chattogram to protest the non-payment of fees by the franchise. Jayed Ahmed, the operations in-charge of Rajshahi, said in a late-night video statement on Wednesday that they spoke with BCB president Faruque Ahmed and assured him that the unpaid dues would be cleared.

Bangladesh Premier League franchises are supposed to pay 50% of a player's total payment before the start of the tournament, 25% during the tournament and the rest of the 25% after the tournament is over. Rajshahi however didn't pay the local players their first installment even two weeks into the tournament, which began on December 30.

After the players' demonstration, BCB chief Faruque held a meeting with his board of directors. He also spoke to the Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman, captain Anamul Haque and other cricketers.

"There's no doubt that they will receive payment on January 16," Jayed said. "We express regret at not being able to make the payments on time. There's no denying the fact. This shouldn't have happened. The management has decided to pay 25% payment in cash. We will pay another 25% in checks.

"Our owner spoke to the BCB president on the phone. I met him in person. We had a cordial conversation. He wanted to understand the situation. We expressed our regret for the payment delay. We promised him that we will make the payments tomorrow."

Jayed said some of the cheques bounced because the bank couldn't clear the payment without confirming with Shafique on the phone.

"You will remember that the day our owner's wife went to the ground, she got hit by a ball, she suffered a fracture. She was taken to Bangkok for treatment. Our owner was with her. We had given the cheque beforehand, so our owner told me to inform the players that the cheques won't be submitted since he was not in the country.

"Otherwise the bank won't get me on the phone. We told this to all the cricketers but one or two of them submitted the check. They forgot about the owner being in Bangkok."

Rajshahi had made the 25% payment to their overseas players and coaching staff. The side will take on Khulna Tigers in their seventh game in Chattogram on January 17.

During January 2014, it was in Hobart that England secured the win that retained the Ashes. The following year, Australia got the trophy back and haven't relinquished it. This year, England return to Tasmania needing a victory to rescue this series. Otherwise, they will have a mountain to climb.
Friday's game at Bellerive Oval (these days called Ninja Stadium under its latest sponsor) will be a huge test of the belief in the England team after a golden chance for a series-leveling victory eluded them in Melbourne amid a tentative batting display and some questionable tactics.
If Australia win and take the ODI series 3-0, it will put them 6-0 up in the multi-format series and needing just two more points - a single T20I win or a draw in the Test - to retain the Ashes. In a condensed schedule, England will have had less than three days to digest what took place at Junction Oval as Alana King spun a web around the middle order after they had bowled Australia for under 200 for just the third time batting first in an ODI since 2009.

"No doubt that would have been a hard loss for England, chasing 180," Dan Marsh, Australia's assistant coach, said. "We know what we'll do is we'll scrap and fight, no matter what total we put on the board, if we're batting first. And if we're chasing, the same thing applies, we won't leave anything out there chasing that total."

Nat Sciver-Brunt was King's second wicket, getting a leading edge into the covers having reached 35 on a surprisingly spin-friendly surface. In the opening match at North Sydney Oval, she had been one of two quick wickets taken by Ash Gardner, both Sciver-Brunt and captain Heather Knight caught at deep midwicket.

"We've been really happy with our bowling performances," Sciver-Brunt said. "[We need a] little switch with the bat. Obviously, the other day we were disappointed for a number of reasons. We can't really dwell too much on what's already happened. We can't really change that. So the only thing we can change is what's in front of us.

"The skills required for it are already within us. It's just a little bit of a mindset shift in terms of sticking to our strengths and being willing to use those in any moment. From that perspective, being a bit more proactive not necessarily being reckless but being smart with that and using our strengths to take pressure off ourselves."

"We didn't bat our best in the last game, there's no doubt about that, but these girls, they're quick learners and they're very, very skillful, so I expect to see a bit of batting performance tomorrow"

Dan Marsh, Australia's assistant coach

England could face a dual legspin threat in this match with Georgia Wareham in contention for a recall, potentially in place of fast bowler Darcie Brown, on a surface that Marsh said was drier than expected, which continues a trend for the series on what are traditionally batting-friendly pitches.

"I think when the wicket's a little bit drier, it tends to hold up and spin a little bit, so I think she [Wareham] would definitely come into the mix," Marsh said.

Describing Wareham as more "skiddy" to face than King, Sciver-Brunt continued to stress the importance of being proactive with the bat. "For me, that looks like being quick on my feet, playing off the back foot quite a lot," she said. "Being smart with my options, but not necessarily going into my shell too much."

The closing stages of the second ODI saw Amy Jones trying to carry England to their target with Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell for company. Amid mixed attempts to farm the strike, it ended with Jones not taking a single off the last ball off the 48th over, which was a free hit after Annabel Sutherland had been removed from the attack for two waist-high full tosses.

"It's hard to see someone put themselves out there so much and for it to not get over the line," Sciver-Brunt said. "Having been in fairly similar situations myself, I know that it's a tough one to take. She's all right. She will have done a lot of reflecting and we've obviously chatted about it."

Australia, for their part, also know they have been below their best with the bat, particularly during the collapse of 8 for 49 in Melbourne. However, even if faced with another tricky surface, there won't be any thought given to tempering their ambitions, with Marsh specifically referencing wanting to put more pressure on Bell with the new ball.

"We feel like we've got the batting line-up and the depth to push the boundaries," Marsh said. "We didn't bat our best in the last game, there's no doubt about that, but these girls, they're quick learners and they're very, very skillful, so I expect to see a bit of batting performance tomorrow."

Having remained in Sydney to continue her rehab from back problems, seamer Kate Cross has rejoined the squad in a bid to play her first game of the series. Her participation will depend on how she comes through training on Thursday, but if available, she could come in for Filer, who has mixed some threatening deliveries with regularly slipping in her delivery stride. England, collectively, are desperate to get a foothold in the Ashes before it's too late.

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have called up England's spin-bowling allrounder Charlie Dean to replace the injured Sophie Molineux in their squad for the upcoming WPL 2025.
Molineux, the Australian left-arm spinner, was ruled out of their home Ashes series against England after picking up a knee injury that will require surgery.
She had managed the knee issue through the WBBL in October-November last year. She captained Melbourne Renegades to the title despite missing four of their 11 games.

The issue flared up again during Australia's ODI series against India at home, which immediately followed the WBBL. Molineux played in the second and third games of the series, and picked up one wicket across the 11 overs she bowled.

She also missed the trip to New Zealand, which featured another three ODIs, and now faces a further spell out of action. Australia's physiotherapist Kate Beerworth had said in December that "further updates on an anticipated return date" for Molineux would be provided only after the surgery, which is supposed to take place this month.

Molineux was retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 edition of the WPL. She had represented them in their title-winning run in 2024, when she had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an average of 23.16.

Dean, meanwhile, is yet to feature in the WPL. But she has played 36 T20Is for England, and taken 46 wickets at a brilliant average of 18.19. She is currently in action for her country in Australia, where she has struck only once in the first two ODIs of the Women's Ashes.

Dean has also represented London Spirit in the women's Hundred, and has played 30 games for the franchise across four seasons from 2021.

LeBron acknowledges fires have taken mental toll

Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 16 January 2025 00:00

LOS ANGELES -- Speaking for the first time since the Southern California wildfires forced him and his family to evacuate their home last week, LeBron James acknowledged Wednesday that the fires -- which have burned through 60 square miles and killed at least 25 people -- have taken a mental toll.

"I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the Palisades," James said after the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-108 win over the Miami Heat. "Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families, all across not only the Palisades, but all across L.A. County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire. ... It's been a lot of emotions. Kind of been off. Personally, I've been off.

"I've just been completely off for obvious reasons, but hopefully things are contained or continue to be contained. And hopefully, at some point, we can start to push forward and move forward and put it behind us and rebuild our city, rebuild this beautiful city."

His team has also not looked like the group that was seemingly building momentum just a couple of weeks ago, winning eight out of 11 games and fortifying its roster by trading for a coveted 3-and-D wing in Dorian Finney-Smith.

L.A. had lost three games in a row and was trailing the Heat by 12 at halftime when James checked his phone in the locker room during the break.

A family friend sent him a clip of a young girl sitting courtside in a replica James No. 23 jersey who was overcome with emotion when the Lakers star acknowledged her in the first quarter.

"Thank goodness that I actually looked at my phone at halftime, or I wouldn't have even seen the reaction when I waved to her in the first half," James said after the game. "I waved to her, and then I got back to play. So, to have that type of connection with someone, where they can have that type of reaction, I think that's what it's all about. And I've always tried to be a role model and someone that kids can look up to. ... Try to make them proud and want to come see me play or if they're not able to see me play, hopefully some of the things that I do off the floor continue to inspire them."

Perhaps it was the connection James needed to switch back on.

He scored 15 of his 22 points after halftime -- including seven straight in the fourth quarter to stretch L.A.'s lead from two with 3:51 remaining to nine with 1:52 to go -- and the Lakers held on to beat Miami.

"His comfort level closing the basketball game is obviously very high," said Lakers coach JJ Redick -- one of James' friends who lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades.

On Monday, the first game the Lakers played following a six-day layoff because of the fires, L.A. lost 126-102 and was outscored by 33 points in the second half by the San Antonio Spurs. At shootaround in preparation for the Heat game, Redick said, he challenged his entire team to provide better leadership in their own way. L.A. responded with a team effort, with James one of six players to score 14 points or more in the win.

James said the Lakers' performance against Miami, and more games like it in the future, is something he wants Los Angeles to be able to draw some positivity from.

"I hope that by us going out on the floor and us playing the way we played tonight -- not the way we played against San Antonio -- but the way we played tonight and hopefully the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city is back up, that we as a Lakers franchise and the players that are playing for the Lakers give a sense of hope and pride and excitement," James said. "Sports has always given people an opportunity to kind of just like temporarily forget about whatever they may have been going through. And us being such a big part of the L.A. community -- along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers is to the community -- hopefully we can provide that to a lot of families."

After the final buzzer, James beelined over to the girl sitting courtside before she and her family exited the arena. He took off one of his I Promise wristbands and placed it on the girl's wrist and crouched down on one knee so his 6-foot-9 body would fit in the frame next to her while they posed for a photograph.

"I think it will be something that hopefully she will never forget," James said. "I'm happy to be a part of her life now and that small little moment, but such a bigger moment. And hopefully she brags about it in school."

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