I Dig Sports
Andy Murray says he could return to playing singles at the Cincinnati Masters next month.
The Briton, 32, has been competing in doubles since June having had a hip resurfacing operation in January.
He is playing doubles with brother Jamie at the Citi Open this week but had previously said it was "pretty unlikely" he would play singles at the US Open, which starts on 26 August.
"Best-case scenario probably would be Cincinnati," said Murray.
"Then if I wasn't able to play in Cincinnati, there's a good chance I would probably wait until after New York because I wouldn't want my first tournament to be playing best of five [sets]."
The men's singles event at Cincinnati starts on 11 August.
After playing with this brother this week in Washington, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray is due to partner Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the doubles at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, which begins on 5 August.
He and Lopez won the doubles title at Queen's in June, which was the Scot's first tournament since his career-extending surgery.
Murray last played in the mixed doubles with Serena Williams at Wimbledon, where they reached the third round.
"For the most part, I'm going to practise singles and play doubles to compete and then each week I'm just going to see," he added.
"In terms of how I'm moving and feeling and pulling up the next day from these practices, I'm really happy with where I'm at. I think I'm quite close.
"If I keep progressing and feel good in three weeks' time then I'll play singles as soon as I'm ready.
"It's just to get to where I want to get to. I'll need to play matches and get a little bit more work done in the gym on my cardio."
It was the dawn of a new Millennium, the year that George W. Bush was elected US President, that Russell Crowe starred in “Gladiator” and that Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe (or “Thorpedo”) took home five medals at the Sydney Olympics.
What you may not have known is that the year 2000 was also the last time that Hou Yingchao won gold at the China National Table Tennis Championships. He was aged 20 back then.
Having spent 15 years with the China National Team, Hou decided to retire from the setup in January 2013 and started to take part in leagues around Europe. Poland, Russia, France and Austria all formed part of his almost nomadic table tennis itinerary.
From something of a wilderness in his career, the journeyman chopper began to re-emerge on the scene in 2018, when representing Canada, he beat Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik at the Hong Kong Open.
Onto this year’s China National Championships in Tianjin, Hou stunned world no. 6 and tournament favourite Liang Jingkun, before defeating Liu Dingshuo, Zhou Qihao and overcoming Wang Chuqin – China’s highly regarded teenage talent, who beat Ma Long at the Australian Open just a fortnight ago.
Hou did not let the form book faze him for one moment, as he romped to a 4-0 victory in the final.
“Wang Chuqin felt some pain in his shoulder, which is part of the reason why I could win the match 4-0 today. Now I have two kids. I am more mature in my thoughts and mentality compared to 19 years ago when I first won the National Championships. I feel more relaxed on court now. I just want to enjoy myself out there.” Hou Yingchao
Hou’s story is certainly an inspirational one, which also follows the motto heralded by the ITTF World Veterans Tour “Better With Age”!
Who knows what is next for Hou Yingchao – China’s unlikely national champion.
Ma Long & Timo Boll
If you have to start, start at the top. These two legends could not have more respect for one another. German Timo Boll and China’s Ma Long have played together as a men’s doubles pair and exhibited that there is nothing but utmost praise for each other between them:
Adriana Diaz & Bruna Takahashi
Representing Puerto Rico and Brazil respectively, Adriana Diaz (aged 18) and Bruna Takahashi (19) two buddies are Latin America’s rising female table tennis stars, and much like everything else have grown in table tennis together. A real millennial pair, they are often seen hanging out at events and liking each other on Instagram, where both have fans who “” them.
Hugo Calderano & Simon Gauzy
When Brazilian star, Hugo Calderano, made the unusual move from sprawling home city Rio de Janeiro to the sub 10,000 inhabitants town of Ochsenhausen in south-west Germany, you can imagine how the 23-year-old would might have felt rather isolated. Fortunately for him, Frenchman Simon Gauzy, well settled in the region with a wife and kid, has taken “The Thrill from Brazil” under his wing. Their friendship can only have been a positive as TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen were crowned 2019 German Champions!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdCfLjHZ60/?utm_source=ig_embed
Liu Shiwen & Ai Fukuhara
What’s more special than having your friend by your side on your most special day? Nothing! China’s Liu Shiwen was the bridesmaid for Japanese Ai Fukuhara’s wedding, and the two could not look happier!
Liam Pitchford & Jonathan Groth
It speaks volumes towards your friendship if you live together while competing against each other! Denmark’s Jonathan Groth did the same with his English buddy, Liam Pitchford, as they shared an apartment in Copenhagen for a few years. The mutual trust between the pair was fully evident when they appeared as “coach” for one another at the 2019 Australian Open!
Bernadette Szocs & Manika Batra
Undoubtedly their respective nations’ biggest female stars, Romania’s Bernadette Szocs and India’s Manika Batra have consistently been in the spotlight for their performances in recent years, which led them to being nominated for the 2018 ‘Breakthrough Star’ Award. At Incheon for the ceremony, Manika won the award and if possible, Bernadette looked happier for her friend than Manika herself!
Xu Xin & Patrick Franziska
Respect between two ‘fighters’ of the game: that is how Chinese star and world no.1 Xu Xin has developed a bond with Germany’s Patrick Franziska. Both were recently involved in a number of classic thriller matches and this photo was taken just days after their sensational semi-final at this year’s Australian Open.
Quadri Aruna & Omar Assar
Africa’s two highest-ranked male players have often been seen training hard with each other before many ITTF events. Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egpyt’s Omar Assar were both interviewed on their rise and Quadri had the following to say:
“Omar Assar is a good friend and in 2017, we were doubles partners. We respect each other and the rivalry between the two of us is very healthy for Africa.”
Mattias Falck & Kristian Karlsson
Childhood friends in Sweden, Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson have grown up as a formidable men’s doubles partnership. Mattias recently even acted as coach for Kristian at the 2019 Korea Open! Hearty and regular banter is the trademark of the dynamic duo’s close friendship.
Chen Meng & Kasumi Ishikawa
The popular internet term, “” was taken seriously by these two best friends on the request of their fans. By posting such a cute picture, these two have proved that Team China and Japan are fierce rivals on court, yet off it, friendships – and deep ones – can be formed!
Stay up to date with where these pairs end up as the ITTF World Tour hots up right here and on itTV!
100 days since World Table Tennis Championships: What have we learnt?
Ma Long breaks World Tour titles record
‘The Dragon’ has been soaring high these past few months, as he broke the World Tour titles record when he won the China Open in Shenzhen immediately after securing the Qatar Open in Doha. It’s almost as if Ma’s unprecedented third straight World Table Tennis Championship success is propelling the legend for more, every time he steps forth. At this rate, Tokyo 2020 will be expected to host a roaring next year.
Xu-perman in control, while Fan continues to falter
A world #1 battle between two top-class athletes is generally enjoyed by the fans, however China’s Fan Zhendong’s decline since the start of this year has his faithful rather worried. He has been largely unable to stick the landing as he lost in the T2 Diamond series final to Chinese Taipei prodigy Lin-Yun Ju.
Meanwhile, post the World Championships in Budapest Xu Xin has lived up to his nickname of “Xu-perman” as he won three World Tour titles back to back in Japan, Korea and Australia claiming the number one spot for his own. The Cloudwalker had the following to say after defending his title in Geelong:
“You get into good shape through competing, one match after another. I did not think about winning three straight championships. I just do what I need to do, to be active and switched on.”-Xu Xin
Change of guard: Chen top as Queen of Hearts comes close
Just as in the men’s game, China’s top female athletes have been jostling for position and Chen Meng’s undisputed claim to the #1 spot was a journey to behold. After missing out on the gold in Budapest, she has won both China and Korea Opens, facing the toughest of competition along the way. One of whom was her senior compatriot and Olympic medalist Ding Ning. The Queen of Hearts has been unable to record any victories despite amazing performances getting her to two consecutive finals. World Championships winner Liu Shiwen is the other candidate who has not been able to get going, primarily due to her injury setback.
Teenage talents impress
Reigning Youth Olympic Games champions, China’s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin have turned up the heat over their senior opponents in the last 100 days. Sun, who had never won against Ding Ning in world ranking events, defeated the Queen of Hearts in the final of the Australian Open, after previously having secured a convincing win over Liu Shiwen to claim the Japan Open. Wang has been no less impressive, with critical wins over Ma Long (!) and Liang Jingkun in the World Tour. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Lin-Yun Ju defeated Fan Zhendong to claim the T2 Diamond Series. Is he the real deal?
No joy for Japan: Harimoto & Ito unable to replicate 2018 form
Despite the best efforts of Japan’s finest, not much has changed their fortunes since the World Championships. Tamakazu Harimoto’s loss in the round of 16 in Budapest was followed by just one finals appearance in Hong Kong. Similarly, Mima Ito had a runners-up spot at Hang Seng as well, but little else across the World Tour. It is coming to a time where fans would really want to see these two channel some of their 2018 form in anticipation of the Olympic Games next year, which will be held of course on home soil in Tokyo.
Franziska & Falck fight Europe’s corner
German Patrick Franziska’s epic performance against Xu Xin in Australia brought him within two points of reaching his first ITTF World Tour final in two years. It was a testament to Europe’s quality, as Franziska had to produce a miraculous fightback against Sweden’s Mattias Falck in the previous round. These two have been giving their best since the World Championships, where Falck reached the finals but could not tame Ma “The Dictator” Long.
Timo’s going to Tokyo
Flying the European flag highest, though, is legendary German Timo Boll who claimed glory – and a ticket to Tokyo 2020 – at the European Games last month. Boll has never made it a secret that he intends to keep going for as long as possible. Where that takes the 37-year-old is something we all await to see.
Mixed Doubles: Xu Xin & Liu Shiwen remain brilliant but beatable
The World Championships pairing from China have continued being irresistible across the World Tour, but not invincible. As Hong Kong’s pair Wong Chun Ting & Doo Hoi Kem showed their strength on the table when they beat Xu & Liu at the 2019 Korea Open. Wong and Doo followed that up with yet another victory in Australia when they saw off Japan’s Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani. What we definitely know now is that there are no favorites when the next Hong Kong-China match takes place.
More to come from Calderano and co?
Patrick Franziska has not been the only player to provide Xu Xin with a scare over the last 100 days. In the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, Hugo Calderano from Brazil battled with vigor and style, threatening to come back from 3-0 down. There have been regular glimpses of such brilliance from Calderano across the World Tour, as well as from the likes of Portuguese Marcos Freitas and Frenchman Simon Gauzy, who knocked out Xu Xin in Budapest.
The feel of Gold: more chances to taste silverware on the ITTF Challenge Series
The remodelled ITTF Challenge series has been responsible for a lot of the excitement since the World Championships concluded in Budapest. The Pyongyang Open last week signalled the start of second half of the season, one where the opportunist athletes have made hay. This is especially true for China’s Zhu Yuling and Chinese Taipei’s prodigy Lin-Yun Ju, both of whom used another remodelled tournament, the T2 Diamond Series in Malaysia, to taste Gold and showcase their talent to the entire world.
What will the next 100 days bring for these elite athletes? Stay tuned at ITTF and itTV for more!
Sisters Amanda (left) and Sabrina Sobhy celebrate their doubles title in Lima
Colombia claim mixed title
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent
After success in the women’s singles in the XVIII Pan American Games in Peru, USA added two further squash gold medals to its Lima haul after title triumphs in both the Men’s and Women’s Doubles events.
US women’s No.1 Amanda Sobhy added to her personal gold collection by partnering her younger sister Sabrina Sobhy to a straight games victory in the women’s doubles final at the Villa Deportiva Nacional Videna in the Peruvian capital.
The top-seeded Sobhy siblings successfully retained the title won four years ago in Toronto by Amanda and former world No.1 Natalie Grainger when they beat Canadian pair Samantha Cornett and Danielle Letourneau 11-10, 11-8 in 24 minutes.
Sobhy senior later told her Twitter followers: “Gold medal with the sis in the women’s doubles! Bringing this one home to the Sobhy household!”
USA then struck gold in the Men’s Doubles when Chris Hanson and Todd Harrity recovered from a game down to overcome Canadians Shawn Delierre and Nick Sachvie 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 in 46 minutes.
The 3/4 seeded US pair made their breakthrough in the semi-finals where they despatched the second-seeded hosts’ Diego Elias & Alonso Escudero in straight games.
“Yesterday was historic for Team USA squash doubles,” said Paul Assaiante, the Ganek Family US Squash Head National Coach. “It brought us goosebumps to see our men and women on top of the podium over the likes of Canada, Mexico and Peru.
“Amanda and Sabrina had to come back from 6-1 in the first game of the final and the second game was tight point by point, but they were able to pull out another doubles gold for the U.S,” Assaiante said.
Catalina Pelaez and Miguel Rodriguez taste gold in the mixed doubles
“The men were another story. Do you believe in miracles? Canada jumped all over Todd and Chris in the first game. There simply didn’t seem to be any holes in their armour, but Todd and Chris picked up the pace and effectively took away their shot-making.”
Colombia claimed their first squash gold medal of the 2019 Games when Catalina Pelaez and Miguel Rodriguez justified their top-seeding in the Mixed Doubles by seeing off Diana Garcia and Alfredo Avila 11-10, 11-4 in the final.
The unseeded Mexican pairing claimed their surprise place in the final with successive victories over the No.2 seeds from Argentina and US duo Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Andrew Douglas, one of the 3/4 seeds, in the semi-finals.
XVIII Pan American Games Squash Championship, Lima, Peru.
Men’s Doubles Semi-Finals:
[5/8] Shawn Delierre & Nick Sachvie (CAN) bt [1] Arturo Salazar & Cesar Salazar (MEX) 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 (55m)
[3/4] Chris Hanson & Todd Harrity (USA) bt [2] Diego Elias & Alonso Escudero (PER) 11-8, 11-8 (37m)
Final:
[3/4] Chris Hanson & Todd Harrity (USA) bt [5/8] Shawn Delierre & Nick Sachvie (CAN) 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 (46m)
Women’s Doubles Semi-Finals:
[1] Amanda Sobhy & Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt [3/4] Giselle Delgado & Anita Pinto (CHI) 11-5, 11-3 (13m)
[3/4] Samantha Cornett & Danielle Letourneau (CAN) bt [2] Laura Tovar & Maria Tovar (COL)
Final:
[1] Amanda Sobhy & Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt [3/4] Samantha Cornett & Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 11-10, 11-8 (24m)
Mixed Doubles Semi-Finals:
[1] Catalina Pelaez & Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [3/4] Hollie Naughton & Andrew Schnell (CAN) 11-10, 11-5 (28m)
Diana Garcia & Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [3/4] Olivia Blatchford Clyne & Andrew Douglas (USA) 11-6, 11-5 (19m)
Final:
[1] Catalina Pelaez & Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Diana Garcia & Alfredo Avila (MEX) 11-10, 11-4 (35m)
Pictures courtesy of WSF
England's Shields in fitness race for World Cup opener
England flanker Brad Shields will be out for up to six weeks, meaning he may not play again before the squad depart for the World Cup in Japan.
The Wasps forward, 28, returned home early from a training camp in Italy last week after injuring a foot.
He now faces a race to prove his fitness before England's World Cup opener against Tonga on 22 September.
"Brad has got a tear in the lower foot," said assistant coach John Mitchell.
"It's always a little bit niggly - and it's four to six weeks for him - but we will continue to appraise his recovery and see where he gets to."
Head coach Eddie Jones will name his 31-man World Cup squad on 12 August - the day after England's first warm-up match against Wales at Twickenham.
Jones' side then face Wales in Cardiff, with games against Ireland and Italy completing their preparations.
With experienced former captain Chris Robshaw omitted, a fully fit Shields would appear to be a near certainty for selection.
"Obviously we have got a deadline, and that is important," said Mitchell. "But there is plenty of time to go."
Defence coach Mitchell, meanwhile, played down concerns about the fitness of winger Jack Nowell, who flew back from Italy for a medical assessment on his ankle problem.
But he said he had "no idea" when the Exeter back would be available for selection, with a "clearer view" expected "once he is out of his surgical review".
"Jack is going really well," said Mitchell, who added Nowell's return home was "in his programme" and "happens with all surgical situations".
Mitchell also said lock George Kruis was back training after his ankle operation, with England running drills this week against Italy's national side in extreme humidity in Treviso.
"The heat isn't so bad, but the variance in the humidity means it takes a while to adapt," he said. "We have had some humidity ranging between 75 and 90% which makes you sweat.
"Italy were in on Monday, which was invaluable. It is always nice at some point in your preparation to train against an organised opposition you are not familiar with on a day-by-day basis."
Mitchell said there were strict parameters in place to avoid a repeat of England's training session against Georgia earlier in the year, when brawls erupted between the two sets of forwards.
"There were rules around the contact constraints, so there was no bone on bone or live contact," he said.
"It was really constructive and unemotional, which often isn't the case when forwards are up against forwards. Both countries got a lot out of it."
STATESVILLE, N.C. – Jordan Anderson Racing and Niece Motorsports have partnered to field an entry for sprint car racer Mark Smith in the Eldora Dirt Derby this week at Eldora Speedway.
“When the opportunity presented itself to put Mark Smith in a truck, it was a no brainer,” said Jordan Anderson Racing’s Jordan Anderson. “His success on the dirt has been proven over the years and it’s going to be an honor to see him get an opportunity in NASCAR on the dirt. Incredibly grateful to everyone in the shop that put in the extra hours and helped make this happen. From Mark’s partners at Selinsgrove Speedway, and NRG Controls North, to Rolando Arroyo from Traction Marketing Group, it’s been a complete team effort to make this dream a reality.”
The 48-year-old Smith, from Sunbury, Pa., is a veteran sprint car driver and co-owner of Mach 1 Chassis. This year he has earned seven sprint car victories driving his own Mach 1 Chassis house car.
Smith will drive the No. 38 Chevrolet Silverado with sponsorship from Selinsgrove Speedway and NRG Controls North.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to compete at the NASCAR level,” said Smith. “These types of opportunities typically don’t present themselves at 48 years old. I’m looking forward to strapping into the No. 38 Chevy Silverado and compete at a track that I’m very familiar with. The entire team has done a great job preparing a truck I feel confident in, and I’m hoping that we can bring home a finish that everyone will be proud of.”
Lane Vacala Joins Dreyer & Reinbold Rallycross Effort
CARMEL, Ind. – Kart racer Lane Vacala has joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the remainder of the ARX Rallycross season and the full 2020 ARX campaign.
Vacala will drive the No. 55 DRR/Tyler Lane Construction ARX2 car beginning this weekend in the ARX of Canada doubleheader event at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
Vacala, 22, makes his ARX2 debut at Trois-Rivieres while continuing his successful karting career, including as a member of the Factory Compkart racing team in the J3 Competition. Lane has been a top nationally-ranked karting racer for the past five years and won the Great Lakes Sprint Series Championship in 2014.
In addition to the ARX2 action with DRR in 2019, Vacala also plans to compete in the Rotax International Trophy Race in LeMans, France and FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy events in France and the season-finale in South Africa this November.
Vacala recently tested the DRR ARX2 cars with the team and showed outstanding speed in preparing for the ARX of Canada weekend.
“We are very pleased to bring in a young driver like Lane with his past racing credentials,” said Dennis Reinbold, team owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “We have been very successful bringing in karting racers in the past and Lane’s testing was impressive in our ARX2 cars. We’re anxious to see him compete this weekend at Trois-Rivieres. I think he has a great future in ARX and with our race team.”
Vacala has been a regular on the winner’s podium in karting including at the Rotax All-Stars Finals, Texas Prokart Championship, WKA Mid-Season Shootout and the USPKS Chicagoland Grand Prix. Lane has also tested the Dodge SRT Hellcat with DRR ARX Technical Director Buddy Rice.
“To be joining a team with so much knowledge and history is a dream come true,” said Vacala. “It’s an honor to be racing for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in ARX. Coming from the karting world and having never raced on dirt before, this will be a whole new experience. I’ve been doing a lot of training and preparation for this season, and I’m excited to finally race.”
Vacala will be joined in the DRR four-car lineup this weekend at the ARX of Canada at Trois-Rivieres by other young racers Cole Keatts, 18, in the No. 53 Black Rifle Coffee Company ARX2 car and female driver Gray Leadbetter, 14, in the No. 28 Oil2Soil machine. A future announcement will be made regarding the WIX Filters DRR ARX2 machine this coming week.
ROSSBURG, Ohio – NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series competitor Spencer Boyd will sit out Thursday’s Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway because of a back injury.
Landon Huffman will drive the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in the Eldora Dirt Derby while Boyd recovers. It will be Huffman’s fourth series start.
Boyd confirmed in a tweet Tuesday that the injury happened prior to the race last week at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. He said he raced at Pocono against his doctor’s recommendations.
“For the last week I’ve had back pain that I’ve been fighting through,” Boyd said. “I went against my doctor’s advice and raced at Pocono. I’ll be taking his advice this time and sitting out Eldora and perhaps more races to heal properly.”
Thanks for the support guys. #boyd20 pic.twitter.com/ya8zEt0EnA
— Spencer Boyd (@SpencerBoyd) July 30, 2019
Boyd, in his first full season in the Truck Series, earned a best finish of fourth earlier this year in the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
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