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Rogers Cup: Rafael Nadal beats Dan Evans in Montreal

Published in Tennis

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 14:00

British number two Dan Evans pushed Spanish great Rafael Nadal in their first meeting before going down in straight sets at the Rogers Cup.

Evans, 29, lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in a second-round match disrupted by rain in Montreal.

Qualifier Evans could not convert two set points before losing the tight opener, Nadal upping his game at the start of the second to take control.

Top seed and champion Nadal faces Guido Pella in the last 16.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet upset Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-6 (7-4) while Croatian 14th seed Marin Cilic was a 6-3 6-4 winner over Australia's John Millman and Wimbledon semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain beat Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 6-2 7-5.

Nadal overcomes slow start to progress

Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Nadal - playing his first match since losing to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semi-finals last month - struggled to cope with the Briton's aggressive and accurate approach play in an entertaining first set.

Evans has moved to the cusp of the world's top 50 after an impressive year which has seen him rise from 190th to 53rd, proving again in Montreal against Nadal he has the ability to cause problems for the top players.

The Briton made the ideal start by breaking 33-year-old Nadal's serve in the first game of the match and holding to love in the next, before the world number two fought back to 3-3 and go on to claim two set points at 5-4.

Evans boldly employed serve and volley tactics to save both and, after a rain delay lasting almost half an hour, dominated the early part of the tie-break to earn two set points.

But Nadal responded with a forehand winner and a smart second serve to save both, carrying on his momentum to claim the opener.

Nadal had lost only one of his previous 75 matches after winning the first set - against Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco this year - and it looked ominous when he broke Evans in the first game of the second set.

A second, lengthier rain delay disrupted the Spaniard as he allowed Evans to break back in the first game after the resumption, but a break of the Briton's next service game proved decisive as Nadal wrapped up victory.

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First gold for Puerto Rico, day belongs to Diaz sisters

Published in Table Tennis

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 07:11

The no.2 seeds, at the final hurdle, Adriana and Melanie Diaz accounted for the top seeded United States partnership of Wu Yue and Lily Zhang (7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8) to seal the title and bring unbridled joy to their faithful supporters.

Success contrary to status; in the men’s doubles final it was the reverse scenario. Hugo Calderano and Gustavo Tsuboi justified their billing at the top of the order; they overcame the next in line, Argentina’s Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes (11-6, 12-14, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10).

Gold for Adriana and Melanie Diaz; moreover, in the women’s singles event they are assured of further medals. Adriana Diaz progressed as expected, the no.2 seed, she accounted for Venezuela’s Neridee Niño, the no.29 seed (11-6, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9), prior to recording a quarter-final success in opposition to Colombia’s Paula Medina, the no.8 seed (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6).

Rather differently, the advance of Melanie Diaz was slightly against the odds; she seized the opportunity afforded. The no.6 seed, after overcoming the Dominican Republic’s Eva Brito, the no.13 seed (11-7, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6), she ended the fortunes of Mexico’s Yadira Silva, the no.16 seed in a tension packed contest decided by the minimal margin (8-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10).

Significantly, Yadira Silva was a player in form; one round earlier she had beaten Canada’s Zhang Mo, the top seed and winner in 2011 in Guadalajara (10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8).

At the semi-final stage Melanie Diaz meets Wu Yue, the no.3 seed; Adriana Diaz renews acquaintance with friend and rival, Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, the no.5 seed. Wu Yue advanced according to status. She resisted a spirited recovery by Jessica Yamada, the no.15 seed and like Bruna Takahashi from Brazil (11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 3-11, 13-15, 7-11, 11-8), before ending the hopes of Chile’s Paulina Vega, the no.7 seed (14-12, 11-3, 11-8, 12-10).

Hard earned wins for the defending champion; it was the same for Bruna Takahashi. She ousted the Dominican Republic’s Yasiris Ortiz, the no.19 seed (11-6, 11-6, 11-1, 11-7), prior to upsetting the order of merit by beating Lily Zhang of the United States, the no.4 seed, by the very narrowest of decisions (6-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9).

The Diaz family very much the name to note, they set all sorts of records. Additional to a first gold for Puerto Rico, they are the first siblings to combine to win a title in the table tennis events at the Pan American Games and the first to reach singles semi-final.

Attracting the attention, in counterpart men’s singles event that honour fell on the shoulders of Canada’s Eugene Wang and the Dominican Republic’s Wu Jiaji; both players whose seeding belies their quality.

Eugene Wang, the no.20 seed, upset the status quo by beating Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes, the no.6 seed (9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 12-10, 14-12) and Paraguay’s Marcelo Aguirre, the no.4 seed (11-4, 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12) to the reserve his semi-final place. Similarly, Wu Jiaji caused upset after upset. The no.24 seed, he caused a major second round surprise by overcoming Gustavo Tsuboi, the no.2 seed (11-5, 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9), prior to ending the hopes of Puerto Rico’s Brian Afanador, the no.8 seed (12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4).

Awaiting Eugene Wang is Brazil’s Hugo Calderano in what is a repeat of four years ago in Toronto; for Wu Jiaji, the adversary is Kanak Jha of the United States.

Impressively, Hugo Calderano, the top seed, beat Chile’s Juan Lamadrid, the no.9 seed (11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-1), followed by success against Mexico’s Marcos Madrid, the no.5 seed (11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5). Meanwhile, Kanak Jha, the no.3 seed, advanced in a similarly imposing manner. He accounted for Argentina’s Gaston Alto, the no.14 seed (13-15, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9), prior to ousting Ecuador’s Alberto Miño, the no.7 seed (11-6, 13-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6).

The men’s singles and women’s singles events will be played to a conclusion on Wednesday 7th August.

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Differing times for different age groups

Published in Table Tennis

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 10:33

Three groups in the opening stage of proceedings in the junior boys’ team competition, the leading outfits all secured first places.

Selecting from Shi Kexun, Josh Chua Shao Han, Lim Dao Yi and Pang Yew En Koen, Singapore, the top seeds, enjoyed a day without troubles. It was no different for the second seeded outfit formed by Iran’s Amin Ahmadian and Japan’s Tomoya Kimura, who lined up alongside Yanapong Panagitgun and Parapat Thanmathikom. Similarly, the third seeds, the Chinese Taipei combination of Tai Ming-Wei, Li Hsin-Yu and Huang Yan-Cheng ended the day as predicted at the head of their group.

No great moments of drama; it was the same in the junior girls’ team competition where there were also three groups in the initial phase. The top seeded Japanese trio comprising Haruna Ojio, Kaho Akae and Sakura Yokoi claimed first place in style, likewise the second seeded Chinese Taipei team of Chien Tung-Chuan, Yu Hsiu-Ting and Cai Fong-En progressed in a most impressive manner.

However, for the third seeds, Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yee, Chau Wing Sze and Fung Wai Chu, life was more testing on their journey to first place. They needed the full five matches to beat the Indian selection of Swastika Ghosh, Arusha Kutumbale and Manushree Patil. Mainstay of the success was Lee Ka Yee, she accounted for both Swastika Ghosh (14-12, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5) and Anusha Kutumbale (11-6, 11-4, 12-10).

Meanwhile, in the cadet boys’ team competition, Iran’s Navid Shams and Hong Kong’s Yu Nok justified their top seeded position to end the day in first place, a situation that applied also to the latter’s colleagues, the second seeded pairing of Yiu Kwan To and Baldwin Chan Ho Wah.

Convincing performances, for the third seeds, the Indian outfit formed by Payas Jain, Vishwa Deenadayalan and Aadarsh Om Chhetri, reserving first place proved a most exacting experience. A 3-2 result was the outcome in opposition to Singapore’s Izaac Quek Yong and Daniel Ng. The player to cause the Indian outfit problems was Izaac Quek Yong; he beat both Aadarsh Om Chhetri (11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11) and Payas Jain (11-9, 11-6, 11-2).

A close call for the third seeds, for the next on the list in an event where there were four groups in the initial phase, it was defeat. Japan’s Sora Matsushima and Tamito Watanabe endured a 3-2 reverse at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chia-Chuan and Ka Cheng-Jui. Notably Sora Matsushima beat both Chuang Chia-Chuan (11-6, 11-8, 11-7) and Ka Cheng-Jui (11-9, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7) but that was the sum total of Japanese success.

Defeat for the fourth seeds, in the cadet girls’ team event, it was the reverse scenario; the top three seeds all experienced losses, the fourth seeds remained unbeaten.

Hong Kong’s Chelsea Chan Shiu Lam and Yenn Ho Ching, the top seeds, suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Korea Republic’s Lee Yeohui and Kim Nayeong. Next in line the India combination formed by Anargya Manjunath, Suhana Saini and Yashini Deepak Ghorpade experienced a 3-1 defeat in a reversal of fortunes for the host association; Kong Tsz Lam, Ma Yat Sum and Chow Ka Ching secured victory. Mainstay of the success was Ma Yat Sum; she defeated both Suhana Saini (11-2, 11-4, 11-5) and Anargya Manjunath (13-11, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9).

A four match reverse for the second seeds, it was a rather closer disappointment for the third seeds; Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Yun-En and Chu Yi-Ching experienced a 3-2 loss when confronting Japan’s Sachi Aoki and Miwa Harimoto. Tsai Yun-En accounted for both Sachi Aoki and Miwa Harimoto but that was the sum total of Chinese Taipei success.

Differing experiences for Hong Kong; however, the overall balance was in their favour; Phoebe Hui Wai and Wong Hoi Ting, the fourth seeds, ended the day in first position in their group.

All team events conclude on Thursday 8th August.

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Liang Geliang, the star name in Shenzhen

Published in Table Tennis

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 12:05

It was an era when the pen-hold grip was the tradition for Asian players, Liang Geliang was a right handed shake-hands grip player; furthermore, watching him play he was just as comfortable in defence as in attack. If ever there was an all-rounder, it was Liang Geliang.

Success in the men’s team event alongside Guo Yuehua, Huang Liang, Li Zhenshi and Wang Jun but it is in the men’s singles event where my memory is the most vivid. After beating West Germany’s Peter Stellwag and Czechoslovakia’s Milan Orlowski, he faced Yugoslavia’s Dragutin Surbek.

After losing the opening two games, he won the next three (16-21, 12-21, 21-9, 21-16, 21-18); the recovery underlined his tactical skills and his very complete style of play. Defend all the time he would have lost, continually attack it would have been the same outcome; find a balance he succeeded.

Later he was to experience defeat at the semi-final stage against the champion elect, Japan’s Mitsuru Konno but he did leave with a further gold medal. He won the men’s doubles title in partnership with Li Zhenshi.

Good players adapt; never was the phrase more true than in the career of Liang Geliang; furthermore, he was one of the first to use a racket with different surfaces, the smooth rubber on the forehand, the pimpled rubber on the backhand, a high level of skill, the variations in spin caused opponents headaches.

Later he competed in the German Bundesliga and also in the World Veteran Championships. In 1990 in Baltimore and in 1992 in Dublin, on both occasions he won the men’s singles 40 years title. Eight years after his Dublin appearance he was present in Vancouver, he emerged the men’s singles 50 years champion.

In Shenzhen he is eligible to compete in the men’s singles 65 to 69 years category.

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In focus in London, same in Bangkok

Published in Table Tennis

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 14:43

Good form in England’s capital city, more recently, less than two weeks ago he was also in good form; he emerged successful in Taichung, Chinese Taipei; he claimed gold at the 2019 Asian Para Championships.

Impressive, Rungroj Thainiyom is one of several players on duty in Bangkok who have this year made their presence felt. In Egypt, colleague Anurak Laowong (class 3) was a silver medallist, as was Malaysia’s Chee Chao Ming (class 9); one step higher Jean-Paul Montanus of the Netherlands, struck gold.

All occupy top seeded positions in Bangkok as do two players, who like Rungroj Thainiyom have enjoyed Paralympic Games success, Korea Republic’s Joo Youngdae (class 1) was a silver medallist in Rio de Janeiro, the Czech Republic’s Ivan Karabec (class 10), struck gold in 2000 in Sydney.

Furthermore, Joo Youngdae has a title to his name this year; he won in Slovenia. Similarly, occupying the top seeded positions in the men’s singles events, Great Britain’s Billy Shilton (class 8) was a silver medallist in Poland, Korea Republic’s Lee Kyeonghun (class 4) enjoyed the same level of success in Spain. Somewhat differently, Korea Republic’s Jeong Kyuyoang (class 11) has not shared the same success rate this year but last year he won in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, occupying top seeded positions in the women’s singles events, Korea Republic’s Kang Oejeong (class 5) and Josephine Medina (class 8) of the Philippines are the names that stand out. Kang Oejeng was crowned World champion in 2008 in Lasko, Slovenia; Josephine Medina was a bronze medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Josephine Medina is the leading name in class 7-8; other than men’s singles class 1-2, the only combined category.

Similarly, heading the order, Iraq’s Najlam Al-Deyyeni (class 6) was a silver medallist earlier this year at the Al-Watani Championships; Japan’s Nanako Hazeyama (class 11) secured bronze in 2018 in the Czech Republic.

Otherwise, it is to Asian Championships that we turn our eyes with regards to the leading female names. Chinese Taipei’s Lu Pi-Chin (class 4) was a silver medallist in 2018; earlier this year Thailand’s Chilchitraryak Bootwansirna (class 2) and Chinese Taipei’s Tian Shiau-Wen (class 10) won silver, whilst also from the host nation, Chayana Settisrikedkun (class 9) and Korea Republic’s Yoon Jiyu (class 3) claimed bronze.

2019 Para Bangkok Open: Draws and Latest Results

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England Squash find winning formula for World Squash Day

Published in Squash

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 07:08

Karakal kit bag and £250 grant lures clubs to sign up to WSD
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

A big shout out to England Squash for launching a significant and successful development project in partnership with Karakal to encourage clubs to sign up to attract new members on World Squash Day.

In what is set to be the most successful World Squash Day to date in England, Karakal will provide kit bags featuring 18 rackets to the first 100 England Squash-affiliated clubs who sign up to become a delivery partner and stage a World Squash Day event.

At the time of writing, more than 70 clubs had already signed up to join the fun and promote the sport on World Squash Day.

Mark Williams, Director of Sport at England Squash said: “World Squash Day serves as a springboard to inspire the nation to pick up a racket and we are thrilled to have Karakal’s support to grow the game in England.

“This year, we’ve set the ambitious target of engaging 5,000 players through World Squash Day events in England and we are encouraging clubs to sign up and help showcase our fantastic sport to their local communities.

“Delivery partners will receive a host of incentives including the Karakal kit bag and a £250 grant to grow their programmes.”

Steve Gallienne, Global Sales and Marketing Manager at Karakal, said: “We are delighted to partner with England Squash for World Squash Day and encourage clubs to stage events. For Karakal to play a part in inspiring new players to get on court is extremely rewarding and aligned to our strategy to increase participation.”

As co-ordinator of the World Squash Day campaign, it is heartening to see a national federation like England Squash support WSD in such a solid and committed fashion in partnership with a major brand like Karakal.

Our global goals are to encourage clubs to invite their local communities to step inside on World Squash Day to see what a fantastic sport we have… and to try it out.

We aim to promote the well-documented health and well-being benefits associated with squash.

In short, we want squash to be the sport that provides community health benefits to fight epidemics such as childhood obesity.

It requires clubs to think outside the box and plan strategic partnerships with health providers to make an impact on local communities.

We aim to provide more information on this aspect of the project during the build-up to World Squash Day, which is now just over nine weeks away.

Find out more about World Squash Day at englandsquash.com/worldsquashday

Clubs worldwide can download a Toolkit from the World Squash Day website containing a multitude of ideas for events on the big day: www.worldsquashday.net

For further information on the England Squash scheme, please contact Donna Helmer at [email protected]

Clubs in the UK can order World Squash Day shirts from Pete Smith at Recognition Sports. Please email [email protected]

Posted on August 7, 2019

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Top four seeds to contest World Junior semis in KL

Published in Squash

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 09:24

Top seeds Egypt, Malaysia and Hong Kong eases into semis while England are made to work hard
By KNG ZHENG GUAN, HOWARD HARDING and ALEX WAN – Squash Mad International Correspondents

Malaysia stayed very much on track in their title bid while England produced the day’s drama as the cast for the semi-finals of the CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Team Squash Championships was decided.

The hosts and second seeds were rarely tested as they started their day by beating Canada 3-0 in their last Group B match at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil.

Returning to court hours later, they were once again dominant as they packed off challengers Switzerland 3-0 in the quarter-finals.

With a 1-2-3 order of play, Aifa Azman stepped on first and despite a slight lapse in the second game, still had too much firepower in producing an 11-4, 13-11, 11-4 win over Ambre Allinckx.

Amber Allinckx (r) troubled Malaysian Aifa Azman in the second but couldn’t convert any of her four game balls.

Second string Chan Yiwen then duly sealed the win by whipping Cassandra Fitze 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 before third string Noor Ainaa Amani Ampandi, in place of a sick Ooi Kah Yan, finished off the contest by beating Alina Poessl 11-1, 11-5 in the dead rubber.

“Of course it’s pleasing to get through with a convincing win. Our first target is to get back on the podium and we’ve achieved that now,” said national assistant head coach Andrew Cross.

“Now it looks like we’ll be up against Hong Kong in the semi-finals, a repeat of the Asian Junior Team Championships final which we won. It’s another tough game but I expect the girls to be up to it.

“Meanwhile Kah Yan is sick, which is why she is rested but I have complete faith in Ainaa to do the job. We gave her a chance to play today in order to get a run out in case she is needed to step up in the semi-finals.”

Malaysia, silver medallists from the 2017 edition, do go on to meet regional rivals Hong Kong in the last four.

A happy Hong Kong camp after booking their semi-final berth.

Third seeds Hong Kong secured their spot in the last eight as Group C winners after beating India 3-0 in the morning session.

And they too were looking very strong as they saw off a weary looking USA 3-0 in the last eight.
The crucial win for Hong Kong was in the first string match as Chan Sin Yuk avenged her British Junior Open Under-17 final defeat to Marina Stefanoni, this time carving out an 11-7, 7-11, 11-1, 7-11, 11-4 win.

“I’ve played Marina a few times but I lost to her the last time we met. I knew however I had a chance to take her down today,” said Sin Yuk.

“It was an important win because I knew that if I won, my team-mates would be able to play without pressure and I’m pleased to have delivered for the team.”

Chan Sin Yuk (r) avenged her defeat to Marina Stefanoni at the British Junior Open this year to give Hong Kong their first point.

Following Sin Yuk’s win, Hong Kong quickly wrapped up the contest with Kirstie Wong and Lee Sum Yuet both seeing off Olivia Robinson and Caroline Spahr respectively.

“Sin Yuk’s win was important. It is revenge for her and it gave the team a good push,” said Hong Kong coach Dick Leung.

“I’m also pretty happy with the results so far. We were promoted to be third seeds before the team event started but I’ve been telling the girls that the seedings is just a number.

“I’m pleased that they were able to show their ability as a top four team and we have nothing to lose against Malaysia so we’ll give it a go.”

Meanwhile fourth seeds England produced the best drama of the day, from both the morning and evening sessions.

In the morning session, they rallied together after first string Elise Lazarus fell in five to Stefanoni to clinch a 2-1 win over the Americans and topped Group D.

Second string Alice Green played a huge role as she first saved match ball in the deciding rubber against Robinson, before converting her sixth match ball opportunity in a see-saw battle to win 12-10, 10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 17-15.

Alice Green (r) is congratulated by Olivia Robinson after their gruelling five-setter.

That set up Evie Coxon to clinch the win by beating Elisabeth Ross 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.

Later in the quarter-finals, the English girls once again showed great tenacity to beat India 3-0.

Lazarus redeemed herself as she recovered from two games down to beat Sanya Vats 8-11, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3.

And Green once again delivered the heroics by beating Aishwarya Khubchandani 11-13, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 before Coxon finished it off by beating Yoshna Singh 11-7, 8-11, 13-11 in the dead rubber.

“I feel great to be honest. I had a great match against Olivia, 17-15 in the fifth and it surely wasn’t an easy match,” said Green.

“I’m pleased that I recovered well enough to play in the evening match but a lot of credit also goes to Elise, who did great coming from 2-0 down to win her tie.

“Now we’re excited to be in the semi-finals and we’re looking forward to facing Egypt. They’re the top seeds and we want to give it a go against them.”

Defending champions Egypt had another effortless day as they first swept Switzerland 3-0 in the morning session before putting on their strongest lineup to crush surprise quarter-finalists Australia 3-0.

Egypt’s Jana Shiha in action against Australia’s Lee Sze Yu.

In the playoffs for 13th-18th, Sweden beat Singapore 3-0 and will meet Ireland next while Japan defeated Chinese Taipei with a similar score and meets Korea next.

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CIMB Foundation WSF Women’s World Junior Team Squash Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Final qualifying round – Pool A:
[1] EGYPT bt [8] SWITZERLAND 3/0
Hania El Hammamy bt Ambre Allinckx 11-6, 11-6, 11-4
Jana Shiha bt Simona Frevel 11-3, 11-7, 11-6
Sana Ibrahim bt Alina Poessl 11-3, 11-3, 11-1
[9] FRANCE bt [16] SINGAPORE 3/0
Ninon Lemarchand bt Paige Teresa Hill 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 15-13, 11-5
Lea Barbeau bt Gracia Chua Rui En 11-4, 11-3, 11-4
Mahe Asensi bt Sonya Bajaj 11-7, 11-3, 11-8
Final positions: 1 Egypt, 2 Switzerland, 3 France, 4 Singapore

Pool B:
[2] MALAYSIA bt [7] CANADA 3/0
Aifa Azman bt Molly Chadwick 11-4, 11-6, 11-9
Chan Yiwen bt Erica McGillicuddy 11-3, 11-6, 11-6
Ainaa Ampandi bt Brianna Jefferson 11-4, 12-10, 11-2
[10] AUSTRALIA bt [14] JAPAN 2/1
Alex Haydon bt Erisa Sano Herring 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 14-12
Sze Yu Lee lost to Ayumi Watanabe 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11
Remashree Muniandy bt Rafu Takahashi 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
Final positions: 1 Malaysia, 2 Australia, 3 Canada, 4 Japan

Pool C:
[3] HONG KONG CHINA bt [6] INDIA 3/0
Chan Sin Yuk bt Sanya Vats 11-4, 11-9, 11-4
Kirstie Po Yui Wong bt Aishwarya Khubchandani 12-10, 11-7, 11-7
Lee Sum Yuet bt Yoshna Singh 11-1, 11-6, 11-5
[11] NEW ZEALAND bt [13] IRELAND 3/0
Anika Jackson bt Emma McGugan 11-2, 11-8, 11-7
Natalie Sayes bt Emma Lundy 11-6, 11-1, 11-5
Winona-Jo Joyce bt Alessia Osborne 11-5, 11-1, 11-1
Final positions: 1 Hong Kong China, 2 India, 3 New Zealand, 4 Ireland, 5 Chinese Taipei

Pool D:
[4] ENGLAND bt [5] USA 2/1
Elise Lazarus lost to Marina Stefanoni 11-9, 11-8, 2-11, 7-11, 7-11
Alice Green bt Olivia Robinson 12-10, 10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 17-15
Evie Coxon bt Elisabeth Ross 11-7, 11-8, 11-5
[15] SOUTH AFRICA bt [12] REPUBLIC OF KOREA 3/0
Faith Panashe Sithole bt Chae Won Song 11-6, 14-12, 11-7
Teagan Roux bt Shin Yu Jin 11-7, 11-7, 12-10
Helena Coetzee bt Jang Yea Won 6-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4
Final positions: 1 England, 2 USA, 3 South Africa, 4 Republic of Korea, 5 Sweden

Quarter-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [10] AUSTRALIA 3/0
Hania El Hammamy bt Alex Haydon 11-7, 11-5, 11-9
Jana Shiha bt Sze Yu Lee 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
Farida Mohamed bt Remashree Muniandy 11-8, 11-3
[4] ENGLAND bt [6] INDIA 3/0
Elise Lazarus bt Sanya Vats 8-11, 1-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3
Alice Green bt Aishwarya Khubchandani 11-13, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6
Evie Coxon bt Yoshna Singh 11-7, 8-11, 13-11
[3] HONG KONG CHINA bt [5] USA 3/0
Chan Sin Yuk bt Marina Stefanoni 11-7, 7-11, 11-1, 7-11, 11-4
Kirstie Po Yui Wong bt Olivia Robinson 11-4, 11-6, 11-9
Lee Sum Yuet bt Caroline Spahr 8-11, 13-11, 11-6
[2] MALAYSIA bt [8] SWITZERLAND 3/0
Aifa Azman bt Ambre Allinckx 11-4, 13-11, 11-4
Chan Yiwen bt Cassandra Fitze 11-3, 11-7, 11-4
Ainaa Ampandi bt Alina Poessl 11-1, 11-5

13th – 18th place play-offs:
[17] SWEDEN bt [16] SINGAPORE 3/0
Sara Månberg bt Paige Teresa Hill 11-5, 11-5, 11-2
Moa Bönnemark bt Sonya Bajaj 11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-8
Malin Frank bt Wei Ting Lim 11-4, 11-9
[14] JAPAN bt [18] CHINESE TAIPEI 3/0
Erisa Sano Herring bt Wu Yi-Chen 11-9, 11-6, 11-6
Ayumi Watanabe bt Wang Yuan 11-3, 11-7, 11-2
Rafu Takahashi bt Chen Pin Yu 11-6, 11-0

Pictures courtesy of #WSFWorldJuniors2019 and Regina Ho

Posted on August 7, 2019

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James Ryan: Ireland's World Cup pre-season hardest yet, says lock

Published in Rugby

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 11:25

James Ryan says Ireland's players are eager to get their World Cup bid under way after a tough pre-season.

The Irish begin a four-game warm-up programme at home to Italy on Saturday.

"It's my first time being in camp this long and it's been the hardest pre-season I've had," said Ryan, who has been named the Rugby Writers of Ireland men's Player of the Year.

"We have done a lot of work and guys are itching to get going. There is a lot of nervous excitement about."

Ryan's award comes after a season when he cemented his reputation as one of the best second rows in the world.

After a sensational rookie season in 2017-18 when he won a Grand Slam with Ireland as well as the Pro14 and Champions Cup double with Leinster, he delivered again for club and country in 2018-19.

After Italy, Ireland will play Wales twice and England once before travelling to Japan for the World Cup next month.

Ryan is not one of the players likely to be fretting over his inclusion in the 31-man squad, but says consistency of performance is important ahead of the biggest tournament of his life.

He said: "It is once in a lifetime opportunity to represent your country on a world stage but it's where you want to be, isn't it?

"We have four warm-up games before that and when you think about it that is four test matches, so there is a lot of rugby to be played.

"It's important that if you want to be on the plane you put in a committed and accurate performance."

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Hadleigh Parkes column: Fatherhood, England and World Cup preparations

Published in Rugby

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 09:35

In his latest BBC Sport column, Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes talks about World Cup preparations, rooming with 'The Lane Train' and getting ready for fatherhood.

It's been a brutal summer of training with Wales but there's a pretty big carrot at the end of it in the form of the World Cup.

We had four weeks of holiday at the end of last season so the boys who came into camp earliest have been here for 11 weeks.

We had three weeks here at the Vale in Cardiff then the training camp in Switzerland, which was intense but also a very scenic, beautiful place. There was still snow on the mountain tops but we were walking around in a vest because it was so hot.

The boys enjoyed it but it was tough. We were working hard, staying at altitude, training in the heat. The coaches said they'd push us and they certainly did.

As backs, we're pretty good to each other when we train but I've watched a few forwards' sessions and they look very tasty, so I'm happy to be a back!

We're just doing stretches and looking over to the pack as they do their driving lineouts and ruck drills and we're thinking 'wow!'

There's a bit of an edge and sometimes it can come to pushing and shoving, but everyone's still mates. It's all forgotten pretty quickly.

My roomie is usually Gareth Anscombe but in Switzerland I also had Owen Lane, also known as 'The Lane Train'!

He calls himself 'The Lane Train' so it's stuck. He's a good boy, I enjoyed rooming with him.

We had one afternoon off in Switzerland. We climbed right to the top of a mountain, where we had a barbecue, which was pretty nice as we could look out across the glacier. I think we were 2,800m up - the views were amazing.

We were in shorts and t-shirts while the hikers were in their full climbing gear. There was an option to have a beer if you wanted to but it's been pretty quiet on that front recently. It doesn't really help at the end of the day and everyone's working really hard for what's ahead over the next few months.

The World Cup means it's been a different sort of pre-season. Normally before a Test match we get a week to prepare, so it's been nice to get more time together.

When Sunday's first warm-up match against England comes around, hopefully we'll be in a really good place.

Renewing old rivalries

It may be a pre-season game at Twickenham but everyone wants to win and it's one of the oldest rivalries around.

As soon as you start worrying about getting injured, that's when it happens. Ultimately, it's a Test match and it's a Test match against England.

One thing I've learnt over the years is that the rivalry between the two countries over the Severn Bridge is very much intact. The boys who get the opportunity to play over the weekend will get the first chance to put their hands up for selection for the World Cup.

We want to go out there and produce a performance the fans can be proud of.

It's awesome the amount of depth we've built over the past few years, with the Argentina tour, the autumn and the Six Nations. The depth in the squad is really good and everyone's pushing each other in every position.

It's good to have that internal competition, as well as external competition.

Weddings and fatherhood

Everyone's looking forward to getting back to the action after a summer of intense training, but we've enjoyed our time off too.

During the holiday period at the end of last season, a good crew of us went over to New Zealand for Gareth Anscombe's wedding.

Lloyd Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Cory Allen and quite a few of the boys went over, so we had a good catch-up, played some golf and went to Waiheke for the big do.

It's also been a big few months for my wife Suzy and me because we've found out we're going to become parents for the first time.

We actually found out the Monday before we beat Ireland to win the Six Nations, so that was a pretty exciting week for us!

We had a short holiday in Lake Como last month and then, after we got back home, we had some friends around for a barbecue to celebrate the news.

We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet - we're going to keep that a surprise - but the due date is 20 November.

Suzy and I are really excited and a bit nervous as well. It's a new chapter and we're very much looking forward to it.

There are a fair few dads in the squad, and they've been telling me to make the most of the sleep when I'm with Wales!

Hadleigh Parkes was speaking to BBC Sport Wales' Dafydd Pritchard.

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England's Nowell remains a doubt for the World Cup

Published in Rugby

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 09:07

Winger Jack Nowell remains a World Cup injury doubt with England staff unable to put a time frame on his return.

The Exeter player flew home from the training camp in Italy last week for a "routine surgical review".

However, doubts linger over Nowell's availability, with boss Eddie Jones naming his 31-man squad on Monday.

England play four warm-up games in the coming weeks, before September's tournament opener against Tonga in the Japanese city of Sapporo.

"We'll see how he goes - he is a quick healer," assistant coach Neal Hatley told BBC Sport.

"We are not going to discuss what the specialist said, but he is going to put in a lot of work to make himself available.

"We will see how he goes over the next week or two and then we will make a decision."

Nowell was in outstanding form at the end of last season, excelling for England in the Six Nations and putting in an astonishing individual display for Exeter in the Premiership final against Saracens.

But he injured his ankle towards the end of the Twickenham showpiece and had surgery at the start of June.

"He is a key player for us and has played a lot under Eddie and this coaching group," Hatley added.

"He's not just a good player but a good person and a good bloke to have in the squad. He is part of the glue that holds the squad together."

England begin their warm-up schedule against Wales at Twickenham on Sunday, after spending much of the past two months in training camps, but don't need to submit their final squad until 8 September.

"It's the longest period we have ever had with the players, so from a preparation point of view it has been really good," Hatley said.

"The next few games are about making sure that when we get on the plane on the 8 September we are in the best shape we can be."

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