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I Dig Sports
Worthy opponents but title for name with familiar ring
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Table Tennis
Thursday, 18 April 2019 17:53
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A 3-0 quarter-final win was the outcome against Italy’s Nicole Arlia and Miriam Carnovale, before the Russian pairing of Svetlana Dmitrienko and Alina Zavarykina proved most redoubtable opponents.
The Chinese duo emerged success but not before some moments of trepidation in a 3-1 success.
In the opening match of the fixture Alina Zavaykina beat Leng Yutong (11-9, 3-11, 11-2, 12-10) before a recovery was mounted. Xu Yi overcame Svetlana Dmitrienko (11-8, 11-3, 11-7), prior to Liang Jiayi and Leng Yutong recovering from a two games to nil deficit to secure the vital doubles (9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7). The momentum now in favour of China, Xu Yi offered no charity; she accounted for Alina Zavaykina in straight games (11-3, 11-5, 11-4) to seal the victory.
Undoubtedly a hard fought success, it was the same in the final against Chinese Taipei’s Liu Ru-Yuan and Tsai Yun-En; a 3-0 was posted but the contest was closer than the eventual outcome may suggest.
Liang Jiayi resisted a brave recovery by Tsai Yun-En to emerge successful by the minimal margin in the decider (11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10) to set her team on the road to victory. Xu Yi accounted for Liu Ru-Yun in four games to extend the lead (10-12, 17-15, 11-8, 11-5) before in a second full distance contest, Leng Yutong and Liang Jiayi secured the doubles (11-3, 11-5, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5).
In the opposite half of the draw, Liu Ru-Yuan and Tsai Yun-En had likewise endured somewhat testing times. At the quarter-final stage a 3-1 win had been the order of proceedings against Ukraine’s Vasylysa Kanunnikova and Iolante Yevtodi, prior to one round later the same margin of victory being recorded against Russia’s Anastasiia Beresnova and Vlada Voronina.
Play concluded in the cadet girls’ team event; attention now turns to the individual competitions.
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Tough examination to gain qualification, honours the eventual outcome
Published in
Table Tennis
Thursday, 18 April 2019 17:59
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Following a 3-0 success against Germany’s Soren Dreier and Vincent Senkbul, the same margin of victory was recorded in opposition to Chinese Taipei’s Chang Yu-An and Kuo Chia-Hung at the semi-final stage.
A place in the final booked, an equally resounding win was the order of the day when facing the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik and Ondrej Kveton. Chen Yuanyu set the wheels in motion by beating Ondrej Kveton (11-3, 11-4, 11-4), before Tao Yuchang accounted for Simon Belik (11-7, 11-8, 11-2) and then joined forces with Lin Shidong to secure doubles success (11-8, 11-8, 11-6).
Progress to the final in style for Chen Yuanyu, Lin Shidong and Tao Yuchang; life for Simon Belik and Ondrej Kveton was more exacting. Following a 3-1 quarter-final success in opposition to Spain’s Daniel Berzosa and Miguel Angel Pantoja, the full five matches were required to end the aspirations of the host nation’s Tim Giltia and Louis Laffineur.
The thorn in the side of the eventual silver medallists was Louis Laffineur; he accounted for both Simon Belik (5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-1) and Ondrej Kveton (11-6, 12-10, 13-11). Man of the moment for the Czech Republic was Simon Belik; a place in the final at stake, in the concluding match of the engagement he overcame Tim Giltia (11-6, 12-10, 13-11).
Matters over in the cadet boys’ team event; attention now turns to the individual competitions.
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Wins by the 3-0 score-line were recorded in each fixture prior the final; it was no different in the title decider.
However, in the gold medal contest, the Chinese Taipei trio comprising Chang Ju-Chia, Chien Tung-Chuan and Yu Hsui-Ting proved more than worthy adversaries; the initial two engagements both needed five games to determine the outcome.
In the opening contest, Li Yuqi had to resist a spirited recovery by Yu Hsui-Ting before emerging successful (11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-7); similarly, Zang Xiaotong was extended the full distance by Chien Tung-Chuan (11-2, 7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5). Meanwhile, the confrontation that concluded matters needed four games to determine the outcome; Huang Yingqi overcoming Chang Ju-Chia to end matters (11-6, 11-5, 11-13, 12-10).
Defeat for Chinese Taipei in the final at Chinese hands. In the penultimate round it had been the same outcome. After overcoming Sweden’s Jennie Edvinsson, Hanna Kjellson and Rebecca Muskantor; Huang Yingqi, Li Yuqi and Zang Xiaotong ended the hopes of Cai Fong-En, Lee Wan-Hsuan and Tsai Yu-Chin.
Imposing wins; for Chang Ju-Chia, Chien Tung-Chuan and Yu Hsui-Ting, life was somewhat different.
After recording a 3-1 victory in opposition to Germany’s Anastasia Bondareva, Sophia Klee and Franziska Schreiner, the Chinese Taipei trio needed the full five matches to end the hopes of Poland’s Aleksandra Michalak, Anna Wegrzyn and Katarzyna Wegrzyn. The player to cause the eventual runners up problems was Anna Wegrzyn, she accounted for both Chien Tung-Chien (11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 13-11 and Yu Hsiu-Ting (11-2, 11-13, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6).
Play concluded in the junior girls’ team event; attention now turns to the individual competitions in the cadet age group.
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Impressively, the top step of the podium was gained without surrendering a single individual match; however the 3-0 margin of victory in the final was arguably a little harsh on their spirited opponents.
Facing the combination of Japan’s Ryoichi Yoshiyama and Takeru Kashiwa who joined forces with New Zealand’s Nathan Xu; Cao Yantao gave his team the perfect start by beating Ryoichi Yoshiyama in straight games (11-8, 11-8, 12-10). A comprehensive win, the next contests both needed the full five games to determine the outcome. Eventually Zeng Beixun overcame Takeru Kashiwa (11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6), before Quan Kaiyuan brought matters to a close by overcoming Nathan Xu (11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8).
A hard fought contest; somewhat predictable, at both the quarter and semi-final stages, maximum distance 3-0 wins by each outfit had been posted.
Quan Kaiyuan, Cao Yantao and Zeng Beixun had started their day by overcoming the trio formed by Belgium’s David Comeliau, Maciej Kolodziejczyk and Serbia’s Dimitrije Levajac, prior to ending the progress of Chinese Taipei’s Feng Yi-Hsin, Huang Yan-Cheng and Li Hsin-Yu.
Meanwhile, in a similarly impressive manner, Takeru Kashiwa, Nathan Xu and Ryoichi Yoshiyama had shown no charity. They ended the hopes of Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Jen, Peng Chih and Tai Ming-Wei; prior to reserving their place in the final courtesy of success in opposition to the international outfit formed by India’s Manush Utpalbhai Shah who allied with Iran’s Amin Ahmadian and Radim Khayyam.
Matters concluded in the junior boys’ team event; attention now turns to the individual competitions in the cadet age group.
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Repeat success, even more difficult in Budapest
Published in
Table Tennis
Thursday, 18 April 2019 18:41
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In the German city, Miu Hirano commenced matters the no.8 seed; to some extent the luck of the draw shone on her shoulders. She appeared in the quarter where there were no players on duty representing China.
Ding Ning was the top seed, followed by Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling; the fourth seed was Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the player whom Miu Hirano faced in the quarter-finals. She rose to the occasion, emerged victorious and thus reserved her place in the penultimate round. At that juncture, a determined Ding Ning avenged the defeat of earlier in the year at the quarter-final stage in Wuxi at the Seamaster 2017 Asian Championships.
High praise for Miu Hirano, it was the first time since 1969 in Munich when Japan had secured a medal in a World Championships women’s singles event; on that occasion Toshiko Kowada had emerged the winner, a player with a very similar sounding first name to that of Miss Hirano, Miho Hamada, had clinched bronze.
Furthermore, it was the first time since the Volkswagen 2005 World Championships in Shanghai that China had not claimed all four medals and members of their team had experienced defeat against foreign opposition. On that occasion Hong Kong’s Lin Ling secured bronze, she beat Gao Jun of the United States to reserve her semi-final place, one round earlier Gao Jun having ousted Cao Zhen.
Significantly, both Lin Ling and Gao Jun learned their trade in China before transferring allegiance. However, there was one notable success in the women’s singles event in 2005 from a player with no Chinese connections. In the third round, Korea Republic’s Moon Hyunjung powered her way to victory against Wang Nan, the winner two years earlier in Paris when Croatia’s Tamara Boros had claimed bronze, the most recent European to secure a medal.
History puts into perspective, the outstanding achievement realised in Düsseldorf by Miu Hirano. It also puts into perspective the Budapest challenge facing the now 19 year old, or that of her highly rated colleagues Kasumi Ishikawa and Mima Ito. Frankly, it puts into perspective the task of any female player not wearing the shirt of the People’s Republic of China.
In the Hungarian capital city, life is different to Düsseldorf; there is no quarter of the draw that will not possess an elite Chinese name. Ding Ning, followed by Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Liu Shiwen complete the top four seeded names.
A Moon Hyunjung performance now 14 years ago is required.
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Washington Capitals will be without winger T.J. Oshie for "quite some time," according to Capitals coach Todd Reirden.
Oshie was pushed into the boards by Carolina Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele late into the third period Thursday, crashing shoulder-first. Oshie laid on the ice for several minutes and went directly to the locker room clutching his right arm.
"It's a defenseless player quite a distance from the boards," Reirden said. "It's an extremely dangerous play. He won't be with our team for a while. He won't be playing anytime soon."
The Hurricanes won the game 2-1 to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Saturday in Washington.
Reirden said the play will be reviewed by the Department of Player Safety. The Capitals took offense that there was no major penalty called on the play.
"If the guy hurt, it's a dirty play," captain Alex Ovechkin said. "It has to be not two minutes. It has to be different call."
Foegele, the 23-year-old rookie who has been a breakout offensive star for the Hurricanes during the postseason with three goals in the first four games, was apologetic afterward.
"I was trying to lift his stick, trying to give him a little nudge," Foegele said. "It was a little unfortunate play there. I wasn't trying to hurt him or anything. I hope he's OK."
Oshie missed 12 games during the regular season as he dealt with symptoms from a concussion.
The series turned testy as it shifted to Carolina for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, Ovechkin fought -- and knocked out -- Carolina rookie Andrei Svechnikov. Svechnikov missed Game 4, as he is in concussion protocol. Carolina lost another top-six forward, Micheal Ferland, in Game 3 to injury. Ferland has no timetable to return, according to Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. In the first period of Game 3, Carolina forward Jordan Martinook awkwardly collided with the boards and had to be helped off the ice. He was later ruled out of the game with a lower body injury.
When asked about what it would mean if Oshie was out for an extended period, Brind'Amour said: "We have way more injuries than they do, so I don't worry about their team."
Brind'Amour did not see any problem with the play.
"[Oshie] crashed into the boards hard, and that's when the [official's] arm went up, because [Oshie] stayed down," Brind'Amour said. "You don't like to see that, but more than anything, he was just not ready for the hit. You see a lot of hits that are way, way worse than that. So, I think he just went in awkward."
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Entries closed for U.S. Women's Open as ages 11 to 63 try to qualify
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 18 April 2019 12:14
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Rolex world No. 1 Jin Young Ko and defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn topped the list of players qualified for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Wednesday’s close of entries.
Forty-seven of the top 50 players in this week’s world rankings are qualified for the event, scheduled May 30-June 2 at the Country Club of Charleston (S.C.). (Click here for the full exempt field)
Sectional qualifying begins later this month.
Brittany Lincicome, No .37 in the world, and Sarah Jane Smith are using the USGA’s maternity extension opportunity to defer their exemptions until next year. Smith qualified with a tie for fifth at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek.
Two-time major champion Stacy Lewis (world No. 66) isn't yet qualified after taking time off last year to give birth to her first child. She can still qualify by cracking the top 50 in the world rankings in the May 27 release of the rankings, by winning an LPGA event before U.S. Women’s Open week, or by qualifying through the sectional qualifying process.
Karrie Webb, the two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, has accepted a special exemption.
The USGA accepted 1,552 entries for the championship. The youngest entry was 11-year-old Seojin Park of South Korea. She is registered to attempt to qualify at the sectional in Incheon, Korea, on April 25. Laura Baugh, 63, is the championship's oldest entrant. She will attempt to qualify in Bradenton, Fla., on May 6.
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Lowry leads RBC Heritage with world No. 1 DJ three back
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 18 April 2019 12:24
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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Shane Lowry was convinced his game was on the rise, despite his poor scoring. He finally showed that Thursday in the RBC Heritage, shooting a 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead.
Trey Mullinax, Daniel Berger, Luke List, Ryan Moore and Ryan Palmer were tied for second.
Top-ranked Dustin Johnson, coming off a second-place tie at Masters last week, rallied with two birdies in his final seven holes for a 68, leaving him three shots back.
Lowry had not broken 70 in a stroke-play event since a 67 in the third round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February on his way to missing the cut. The Irishman missed three more cuts in the past five weeks, including going 78-73 to end his Masters after two rounds.
Things changed for Lowry at Harbour Town Golf Links, where he birdied three of his first six holes. He made three more birdies on his back nine.
''My scores haven't been great as of late,'' Lowry said. ''But I felt like I've been playing OK. So maybe this is a reward for the perseverance.''
Palmer drove the green on his final hole, the par-4 ninth, and was about 12 feet away from catching Lowry with an eagle. But the putt slid 2 feet past and he tapped in for a birdie.
A group of eight, headed by Patrick Cantlay, was two strokes back at 67. Cantlay finished ninth at the Masters helped by a 64-68 weekend.
Johnson led 12 players tied for 15th .
The tournament, which typically struggles to attract a quality field the week following the Masters, was packed with star power with 11 of the world's top 30 players entered. A couple, however, showed fatigue that comes from a grueling, pressure-filled week at Augusta National.
Xander Schauffele, ninth in the world, followed up his tie for second last week with an even-par 71 at Harbour Town.
Seventh-ranked Francesco Molinari , who held a two-stroke lead at Augusta with seven holes left, struggled to a 3-over 74, which was also his final round score at the Masters.
Masters winner Tiger Woods, who has played in just one RBC Heritage in 1999, was off.
Molinari said his challenge this week was to find a spark to pick him back up after his Masters letdown. Instead, ''I made too made too many unforced mistakes,'' he said. ''But it is what it is.''
Lowry, whose only PGA Tour win came in 2015 at the WCG-Bridgestone Invitational, got things going quickly on his second hole, the 11th, when he put his approach to 19 feet and made the birdie putt. He stuck an iron to 8 feet on the next hole and made that, too. Lowry stuffed his third shot to 3 feet on the par-5 15th for a third birdie.
Lowry closed things off in style on No. 9 with an 8-footer for a sixth birdie in the bogey-free round.
Lowry had a similarly strong first round of 66 the only other time he played here in 2017 before ballooning to a 75 in Round 2 and eventually tying for 44th. He discovered then that patience around Harbour Town is a virtue.
Lowry acknowledged he tried to force things after his hot start two years ago and paid the price. His plan for Friday? ''Just try and stay patient,'' he said. ''It's nice to shoot a good score and it's my first good score in a few weeks,'' he said. ''So just enjoy that.''
Johnson seemed stuck in a par-heavy funk before birdies on 12th and 15th holes. It was the fourth time he has broken 70 in his past five rounds here.
Johnson was born in Columbia and played college golf at Coastal Carolina near Myrtle Beach. He was happy to have a solid showing in front of friends and family.
''It's a really nice week. The golf course in in great shape,'' he said. ''My whole family comes down for this week. I think they enjoy it.''
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Major League Soccer clubs will be compensated for the costs of developing players from its youth academies who opt to sign their first professional contract with foreign clubs after the league announced on Thursday it will begin complying with FIFA regulations relating to training compensation and solidarity payments.
The decision means MLS clubs will now receive compensation for players they develop, which could reach well into six figures. They will also receive a cut of transfer fees when those players are transferred to clubs in a different country. Conversely, MLS clubs will have to pay these fees to foreign clubs when it pays a transfer fee for incoming players.
"We have been making increasing investments in youth development, and that investment has accelerated over the past few years," said MLS executive vice-president of player relations and competition Todd Durbin of the announcement. "We intend on continuing to make that investment and we want to grow that investment. But in the event that a player that we developed decides to sign overseas, we believe that we should be able to recoup the value of that investment."
Solidarity payments are paid whenever a player is transferred to another club prior to the end of their contract, and that transfer involved moving to another country -- a "change of association" in FIFA, according to world soccer's governing body.
Five percent of the transfer fee is paid to the youth clubs responsible for the player's development between the ages of 12 and 23. The rules also stipulate that when a player signs their first professional contract with a club in a foreign country, or is transferred to a club in a different association, the professional club is obligated to pay training compensation to the youth clubs that developed the player between the ages of 12 and 21. Training compensation is also due when a player is transferred to a club in another country up until the season of his 23rd birthday.
Q&A: What does the decision mean for MLS clubs?
Not everyone is happy with the move by MLS, however. The MLS Players Association, as well as the players' agents, view training compensation and solidarity payments as a glorified tax whose amounts have the potential to kill deals.
In a statement provided to ESPN FC, the MLS Players Association said the league's announcement was "a step backward for the development of soccer in the United States and Canada" and called it an effort by MLS to inhibit player choice.
"Despite claims to the contrary, this move is not about improving youth development," the MLSPA said. "Rather, it is simply about trying to force players to sign with MLS by limiting opportunities abroad."
The MLSPA added: "The fact that training compensation and solidarity payments are paid elsewhere in the world under applicable FIFA regulations is an indefensible justification for MLS's change in position on these issues. The league routinely ignores regulations that protect players under contract with MLS -- like those requiring guaranteed contracts, prohibiting unilateral options and limiting the length of contracts -- yet is now attempting to rely upon these same regulations to limit opportunities for players in youth academies.
"We will review these changes, including the Consent Decree entered into by the U.S. Federation on this subject, and will explore all of our options with other stakeholders."
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) had forbidden the implementation of training compensation and solidarity payments, which FIFA introduced within its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) in the aftermath of the 1995 Bosman decision that granted free agency to players at the end of their contracts.
Among their reasons were fears that RSTP violated child labor laws or would result in litigation on anti-trust grounds by various stakeholders, including the MLS Players Association. The USSF had also in the past contended that a consent decree contained in the court case Fraser vs. MLS -- which stipulated that MLS would not require a transfer fee to be paid for out-of-contract players -- prevented it from enforcing RSTP.
The USSF contends that at a meeting of stakeholders in 2015, opposing viewpoints among youth clubs, professional leagues, and players' unions left the organization caught in the middle.
"Since that time, U.S. Soccer has maintained a position of neutrality on the issue of training compensation and solidarity payments and, accordingly, will not be a party to enforcement of those regulations," a USSF spokesperson told ESPN FC.
The spokesperson added, "We will, however, continue to pass through any claims made by clubs as required by FIFA regulations. This position remains the same regardless of the affiliation of the club making the claim."
The decision is a philosophical shift for MLS and could amount to a considerable financial benefit for its clubs. MLS has never paid or received training compensation and solidarity payments. But as the league's clubs began developing their own youth academies -- investing tens of millions of dollars annually -- it ran into situations where academy products were signing their first professional contracts with foreign clubs. Elsewhere in the world, the academy would have been compensated, but because RSTP was not adhered to in the U.S., the MLS clubs received nothing in return.
One example came in 2016 when current U.S. international Weston McKennie spurned his youth club, FC Dallas, to sign with Bundesliga side Schalke 04. The money invested in McKennie's development was never recovered and the deal removed some incentives for Dallas to make investments in youth development, leaving some clubs questioning MLS's overall commitment to youth development.
Deals like McKennie's will not be reexamined by MLS, but if McKennie is transferred to a team outside of Germany, Dallas -- and not MLS -- would be eligible to receive the entire solidarity payment as a return on player development.
But while MLS is set move forward in the area of training compensation and solidarity payments, the future is less certain for U.S. youth clubs that operate outside of MLS.
In recent years, some clubs had taken the matter of solidarity payments to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC). A case involving the 2014 transfer of U.S. international DeAndre Yedlin from the Seattle Sounders to Tottenham Hotspur sparked a filing from one of Yedlin's youth clubs, Crossfire Premier. A decision on the case is expected in the coming days.
Two other cases -- one filed by the Dallas Texans regarding Clint Dempsey's 2013 transfer from Tottenham to the Seattle Sounders, and another from Sockers FC Chicago regarding Michael Bradley's transfer from Roma to Toronto FC in 2014 -- were denied by FIFA's DRC last month, for reasons that weren't made public.
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