Zverev storms to Davis Cup win after being cleared of abuse

Zverev storms to Davis Cup win after being cleared of abuse
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Alexander Zverev returns to Stan Wawrinka during the Davis Cup qualifying round tennis match between Germany and Switzerland in Trier, Germany, on Feb. 3, 2023. (dpa via AP)
Zverev storms to Davis Cup win after being cleared of abuse
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Stan Wawrinka returns to Alexander Zverev during the Davis Cup qualifying round tennis match between Germany and Switzerland in Trier, Germany, on Feb. 3, 2023. (dpa via AP)
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Updated 04 February 2023
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Zverev storms to Davis Cup win after being cleared of abuse

Zverev storms to Davis Cup win after being cleared of abuse
  • ATP told Zverev there was “insufficent evidence” to substantiate allegations of abuse against former girlfriend Olya Sharypova

PARIS: Alexander Zverev beat three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka in the Davis Cup on Friday as the German star returned to the courts for the first time since being cleared of domestic abuse.
The 25-year-old Zverev swept past Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1 in Trier to bring Germany level with Switzerland after the opening day of their qualifier.
On Tuesday, Zverev was told by the ATP that there was “insufficent evidence” to substantiate allegations of abuse against former girlfriend Olya Sharypova.
Former world number two Zverev had always denied the claims, describing them as “baseless.”
On Friday, Wawrinka, who helped his country win the 2014 Davis Cup, was returning to the team competition for the first time in eight years.
Now ranked 135 in the world, he was comfortably beaten for the fifth time in five meetings by Zverev.
Marc-Andrea Huesler had earlier given Switzerland the lead with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Oscar Otte.
The tie continues on Saturday with a doubles and two singles rubbers.
Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul gave the United States a 2-0 lead in their qualifier against Uzbekistan.
McDonald, who knocked Rafael Nadal out of the Australian Open last month, eased past Sergey Fomin 6-4, 6-1 in Tashkent before Tommy Paul, a semifinalist at the season-opening Grand Slam in Melbourne, defeated Khumoyun Sultanov 6-1, 7-6 (8/6).
“It’s been amazing. It’s not something you get to do a lot throughout the year,” said Davis Cup debutant and 63rd-ranked McDonald.
Despite his lowly ranking of 480, Sultanov opened up a 4-0 lead in the second set over top-20 player Paul before the American’s greater experience paid off.
“He picked up his level a ton,” admitted Paul. “I felt like I wasn’t prepared for it.”
Of Saturday’s rubbers, he added: “A sweep would be nice — bring out the broomsticks!“
France, the 10-time champions, were 1-1 against Hungary in Tatabanya.
World number 182 Zsombor Piros stunned 45th-ranked Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 before Ugo Humbert levelled the qualifier by seeing off Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-2.
“It was my first match in the Davis Cup and I was very excited,” said 24-year-old Humbert, the world number 86.
“I tried to stay focussed on what I was doing and it went well.”
In Stockholm, Sweden opened up a 2-0 lead over Bosnia thanks to a couple of straight sets wins by brothers Mikael and Elias Ymer.
There are 12 ties taking place this weekend with the winners securing places in the group stage in September alongside defending champions Canada, 2022 runners-up Australia and wild cards Italy and Spain.
The eight best teams then go through to the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage in Malaga in November.
The qualifying matches taking place between Friday and Sunday are the first since the International Tennis Federation severed its controversial partnership with investors Kosmos less than five years after a 25-year deal was signed.
 


Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
Updated 4 sec ago
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Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp blasted the “crazy decisions” that led to nine-man Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham as referees’ chiefs admitted the Reds were denied a legitimate goal in Saturday’s dramatic clash.
Klopp’s side had Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota sent off in north London, while Liverpool forward Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed by VAR.
Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement less than an hour after the final whistle conceding Diaz’s first-half goal should have stood.
“PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” the statement read.
“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”
Liverpool paid the price for the controversial calls as Joel Matip’s last-gasp own-goal condemned them to a first Premier League loss this term.
Klopp was incensed by the decisions, with Jones dismissed after his crunching challenge into Yves Bissouma’s ankle.
It was initially ruled a booking by referee Simon Hooper, only for the official to upgrade it to a red card when he reviewed the foul on the pitchside monitor.
Liverpool thought they had taken the lead despite that blow when Diaz fired home from Mohamed Salah’s pass, but VAR ruled it out after a surprisingly quick check.
Son Heung-min put Tottenham ahead before Cody Gakpo’s equalizer for the visitors, then Jota was sent off for two fouls in quick succession on Destiny Udogie after the break.
“I was never more proud of the team than today. I never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions,” Klopp said.
“The first red card, Curtis steps on the ball and goes over. Not a bad tackle.
“It looks different in slow motion. He steps full throttle on the ball and goes over the ball. That is unlucky.
“For Jota, first yellow was not a yellow. Then he gets a second and to defend with eight outfield players is tricky.”
On Diaz’s disallowed goal, Klopp raged at VAR, saying: “The offside goal. That is not offside when you see it, they drew their lines wrong.
“The ball is between Mo’s legs, they drew the line wrong and didn’t judge the moment when Mo passed the ball right. It is so tough to deal with it.”
Liverpool missed the chance to go top of the table after their defeat, but Klopp saluted the way his nine men kept in-form Tottenham at bay until the last moments of stoppage time.
“You want to build something you need players with mentality and I saw them today, they fought. Pretty special tonight,” he said.
“We scored an own goal, that is really tough to take but I am really proud.”

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
Updated 9 min 21 sec ago
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Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
  • Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time
  • Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz

BERLIN: Harry Kane and Leroy Sané scored for Bayern Munich to fight back and draw at Leipzig 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, preserving the 11-time defending champion’s unbeaten start.
But Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time.
Ulreich was the central figure as Bayern rode their luck at times.
The goalkeeper almost gifted Leipzig the opener when he had emerged from goal to stop Xavi Simons, then passed the ball straight to Emil Forsberg. The Leipzig midfielder’s shot drifted to the right and wide.
Loïs Openda scored with the next real chance for Leipzig in the 20th, and Castello Lukeba made it 2-0 six minutes later after Ulreich failed to gather a corner that Openda laid back for his teammate.
Ulreich had a let-off before the break after bringing down Openda who was through on goal in the penalty area – the Leipzig forward was flagged offside and VAR confirmed the call. The Bayern goalkeeper might have been shown a red card otherwise.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel sent on Mathys Tel and Raphaël Guerreiro for the second half and his team was given a way back when Benjamin Henrichs was penalized for handball through VAR after a free kick struck the back of his arm.
Kane duly scored from the spot in the 57th. Jamal Musiala set up Leroy Sané to equalize on a counterattack in the 70th.
Bayern were fortunate again when defender Dayot Upamecano did not see a second yellow card for a foul on Xavi in the 73rd.

THREE GOALS, FEW CHANCES
Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz that lifted Xabi Alonso’s team back to the top earlier Saturday.
An own-goal from Sepp van den Berg gave Leverkusen an 18th-minute lead. The Mainz defender was trying to cut out Jeremie Frimpong’s cross but only deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Alejandro Grimaldo made it 2-0 with a free kick in the 59th, six minutes before Jonas Hofmann sealed the win with what was just the visitors’ second effort on target. There had been another attempt off target before that.
Leverkusen are one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

UNION BERLIN WORRIES GROW
Jan-Niklas Beste scored with a brilliant free kick just before the hour-mark for promoted Heidenheim to beat Union Berlin 1-0 and stretch the visitors’ losing streak to five games across all competitions.
It was Heidenheim’s second-ever Bundesliga win.
Deniz Undav scored twice for Stuttgart to win in Cologne 2-0, and Jonas Wind did likewise for Wolfsburg to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at home. Frankfurt’s Mario Götze was sent off with yellow cards either side of the break.
Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Bochum 3-1 away. The game started late because emergency exits in the visitors’ end were covered by banners and flags before kickoff.


Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
Updated 19 min 11 sec ago
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Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
  • Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener
  • Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings

BARCELONA, Spain: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid dealt Girona their first defeat of the season to move ahead of the hosts at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener. He then rounded off the scoring with his league-leading sixth goal in eight games after Aurélien Tchouaméni doubled the advantage.
Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid now lead Barcelona by one point and Girona by two.
Girona, which are partly owned Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, had entered the round leading the league after winning six straight games for the first time in club history.
Madrid lost defender Nacho Fernández in injury time when he saw a direct red for a studs-first tackle on Girona’s Cristian “Portu” Portugués. Portu had to be carried off on a stretcher. The foul led to a brief confrontation between players.


Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
Updated 35 min 53 sec ago
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Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
  • Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam wins first bronze in Asian Games with a jump of 5.65m
  • Hamoud Al-Elwani qualifies for long jump finals with 7.46m leap in first group semifinals

HANGZHOU, China: Saudi athlete Yousef Masrahi has claimed the Kingdom’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with victory in the 400-meters final on Saturday.
The Asian record holder won with a time of 45.55 seconds, repeating his victory in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 when he won Saudi Arabia’s first gold medal in the same race.
Saturday’s victory marks Masrahi’s third medal in Asian Games. He won his first bronze in the 400-meters in Guangzhou in 2010 before winning gold in Incheon in 2014.
“The support of the Saudi audience was a great incentive for me to achieve the gold medal. I thank my parents for their support. I also thank my national coach Hamdan Al-Bishi, who worked hard to prepare me for this edition for over a year,” Masrahi said following his victory.
He also thanked Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee president, and his deputy Prince Fahd bin Jalawi for their support for Saudi sports.
Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam won his first bronze medal in the Asian Games with a jump of 5.65 meters on Saturday.
Al-Hizam said he is confident his Saudi teammates will win more medals in the remaining days of the Games, being held in Hangzhou in China.
Athletes Raed Al-Jedaani and Faisal Al-Subaiei qualified for the finals of the 1,500-meters race. Al-Jedaani finished first in the semifinals with a time of 3:51 minutes, while Al-Subaiei finished fourth with a time of 3:56 minutes.
Hamoud Al-Elwani qualified for the finals of the long jump with a 7.46-meter jump in the first group semifinals.
Injury forced sprinter Nasser Mahmoud to pull out of the 100 meters semifinals. His teammate Abdullah Abkar finished fourth with a time of 10.21 seconds.
In the 10,000 meters, Tareq Al-Omari finished seventh with a time of 28:46 minutes.
In the hammer throw final, Mohammed Al-Dubaisi finished 10th with a throw of 65.95 meters, while his teammate Mohammed Al-Zayer finished 12th with a distance of 62.5 meters.
Basketball:
The Saudi basketball team defeated the UAE 74-67 in the first group and qualified for the second round after finishing second behind Iran in first group. Iran defeated Kazakhstan 86-60. Each group’s first two teams will qualify in addition to the top four teams that rank third.Asian 


Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
Updated 39 min 33 sec ago
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Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
  • New Joelinton blow adds to treatment-room headaches for head coach Eddie Howe

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe admits Newcastle United are in a “difficult moment” after three key players were seemingly ruled out of next week’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies recorded yet another win, this time over newly promoted Burnley at St. James’ Park thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak. However, the shine was taken off the victory somewhat, as Joelinton’s return from a knee injury lasted just two minutes.

Head coach Howe confirmed after the game that the Brazilian had suffered a hamstring injury and will almost certainly be out until after the international break. That news comes fresh off the back of injuries suffered by Sven Botman and Callum Wilson, both of whom missed the victory over the Clarets.

“It’s a difficult moment for us injury wise. It’s that kind of season for us, with the physical demands we’re going to face," said Howe, whose side take on PSG under the St. James’ Park floodlights on Wednesday.

“You don’t want any injury, and any injury really hurts us, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. We have to be resilient and deal with the challenges that will come. We just hope we can get those players back really quickly.”

While Wilson has an outside chance of playing against the Qatar-owned French giants, the prognosis on Botman is less positive.

“We’ve always believed we’ve got some really good players here. The problem for us, with the amount of games we have, is if we get injuries in one area,” Howe added.

“Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s all attackers, plus Sven, that are injured, which is a blow. It’s obviously going to stretch us, but hopefully with the international break coming, it will be a good time, fingers crossed, to get the majority of them back if we can, and then our squad will look really strong.

“The players that have come in, it’s great experience for them. I think they have done well, and that will lift us long term. It’s a great thing for us to see.

“Callum’s got a very minor hamstring problem. We hope he will be back soon. We hope we will see him before the international break, but there’s no guarantee. Sven has a hamstring problem, and I don’t think we’ll see him before the international break. Hopefully, we’ll see him very quickly afterwards.”

On Joelinton, Howe refused to close the door on his midfielder making a miraculous recovery, although given the nature of what the club fear with the injury, it seems unlikely.

He said: “It looks like a hamstring. That would be a huge blow if he lose him (Joelinton), but we’ll wait and see.”

While the story of the day may well be the Magpies’ mounting injury concerns, the overriding picture at Newcastle is a positive one.

Emerging from their sticky spell, which included defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton, Howe’s men have now gone on a five-game unbeaten run, not conceding a goal in that time.

“There’s no such thing as a regulation win. It was a tough game,” said Howe.

“We anticipated a tough game; I think Burnley are a really interesting team. I think Vincent (Kompany) has done a great job. We knew we had to be really good because they play a very open style, but it’s a dangerous style if you’re not perfect on your press or with whatever your game plan is.

“You have to deliver your game plan well, and I thought we did, probably after the first 10 minutes when we were a little bit slow out of the blocks. I thought we recovered really well, and I thought we deserved to win.”