Internationals return the favor with a sweep of their own in the Presidents Cup

Internationals return the favor with a sweep of their own in the Presidents Cup
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Updated 28 September 2024
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Internationals return the favor with a sweep of their own in the Presidents Cup

Internationals return the favor with a sweep of their own in the Presidents Cup
  • In a stunning turnaround at Royal Montreal, the Internationals flipped the script by sweeping the foursomes session, a performance so one-sided that the Americans led in only one of the five matches
  • Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im tied a record for the biggest blowout in the Presidents Cup

MONTREAL: Tony Finau could feel a big change when he stepped on the first tee Friday at the Presidents Cup. The horseshoe-shaped grandstand was packed and loud. The gallery was four-deep down the first fairway. The vibe was entirely different.

The biggest difference was the scoreboards. They switched from red to gold.

All of them.

In a stunning turnaround at Royal Montreal, the Internationals flipped the script by sweeping the foursomes session, a performance so one-sided that the Americans led in only one of the five matches, and that was only for one hole.

Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im tied a record for the biggest blowout in the Presidents Cup. Jason Day assured a full point with a chip that was sublime even by his standards. Si Woo Kim polished off a most perfect day with a 15-foot par putt.

Three of the matches didn’t get beyond the 14th hole.

“Incredible,” said Adam Scott, playing in his 11th Presidents Cup without ever winning one. “To come back and show everyone what this team is made of after a tough day out there yesterday is just incredible. ... This team knows what it’s capable of now.”

Tom Kim didn’t play and still played a big role. The 22-year-old from South Korea had said on Thursday he thought the crowd was too quiet, and he hoped Canadian fans would “help us out a little bit more.”

That they did, and scorecards filled with gold International leads were not even necessary. The noise across Royal Montreal made it clear what was happening. Inside the ropes, there was nothing the Americans could do about it.

“We definitely felt the energy right out of the gate,” Finau said. “I hit the first tee shot yesterday in our group, and I hit the first tee shot today. It was night-and-day difference, I think just the noise and the energy.”

Patrick Cantlay and and Xander Schauffele, 3-0 in foursomes at the Presidents Cup, never stood a chance against Matsuyama and Im. The Internationals had birdies on their final seven holes, a staggering streak considering they were alternating shots, for a 7-and-6 win.

It tied the Presidents Cup record, last done in 2011 when Scott and K.J. Choi defeated Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in 12 holes. The Americans didn’t help the cause by not hitting a fairway until the eighth hole. Then again, Matsuyama and Im were the equivalent of 8 under for 12 holes.

Right behind them, Scott and Taylor Pendrith made three straight birdies. They never trailed and lost only one hole in a 5-and-4 win over Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

The Canadians delivered, too. Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners won the first two holes in a 6-and-5 rout over Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau. They lost only one hole, and that was only after they had a 6-up lead after 11 holes.

“There was a lot of belief among the room, among the guys, that hey, we can still do this. We’re still a great team, and we’ve got a lot of golf left to play,” Hughes said. “We came here this morning, we had our heads held high, chin up, and we were ready to play.”

Two matches went the distance, and the Internationals were just as relentless.

Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were 1 up over Max Homa and Brian Harman going to the 18th. Day faced a pitch from muddied grass that had been tamped down by spectators. Once one of the best chippers in golf, even he was impressed to see it roll out to a foot.

“The lie wasn’t that great. It was wet,” Day said. “So I was just trying to understand the lie a little bit more through the practice swings. Is it going to bounce? Is it going to dig? Just for how wet it is.

“Halfway through the shot I had my hand up, just knowing it was going to be a good one.”

And then Si Woo Kim produced one last cheer. In a match in which 13 holes were halved, Kim and Byeong Hun An were 1 up over Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley going to the 18th when An hit left into a thick, nasty lie in the rough and Kim couldn’t reach the green.

“It was a tough second shot, so I told him, ‘Just get me inside 15 feet and I got it.’ And I knew I had a chance to win,” Kim said.

Henley missed a 25-foot birdie putt. Kim drained a 15-foot par putt to secure another 1-up victory, another full point, and a deadlock going into the weekend.

Saturday features two sessions — four matches of fourballs, four matches of foursomes — before the 12 singles matches on Sunday.

It’s almost like starting over, and now it becomes a sprint.

“I’m just so proud of the guys, so pumped for them,” International captain Mike Weir said. “To play that well yesterday and not have any points on the board was disappointing. So to see their hard work and them sticking in there and us captains and myself asking them to stick in there and believe, couldn’t be happier.”

It was the sixth time a session had been swept in the Presidents Cup, and the first for the International team since a 6-0 foursomes shutout in South Africa in 2003.

Weir put out three of his best foursomes matches for the Saturday morning fourballs session; US captain Jim Furyk kept three of his fourballs partnerships from Thursday.

“I said yesterday, ‘Their back’s against the wall. They’re going to come out firing,’” Furyk said. “Well, I’m sure my guys are a little pissed off right now back in the team room. The idea is to come out firing tomorrow.”


Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League
Updated 07 November 2024
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Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan maintained their unbeaten start in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday as the Gunners suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.
Hakan Calhanoglu scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time after a handball from Mikel Merino, leaving the Italian champions with 10 points from four matches and Arsenal on seven points.


Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale
Updated 07 November 2024
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Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

RIYADH: Tickets for the much anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are now on sale, organizers announced on Wednesday.
The heavyweight boxing contest will take place on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena.
Tickets for “Fury vs Usyk Reignited” can be purchased through Webook App.
The main event will see Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk face off against British powerhouse Tyson Fury in a highly anticipated rematch of their previous fight held last May as part of Riyadh Season. Known for his speed and agility, Usyk holds all major belts in the heavyweight division, marking a historic achievement as the first boxer in 25 years to claim unified heavyweight titles. Fury, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience and raw strength, celebrated for his knockout power and tactical prowess.
Alongside the main event, Ukrainian boxer Serhii Bohachuk will take on Uzbek opponent Israil Madrimov. Bohachuk enters the ring with an impressive record of 24 wins, including 23 knockouts, while Madrimov showcases his strength with 10 wins, 7 by knockout.
Other fights include an electrifying bout between unbeaten Johnny Fisher, with 12 wins and 11 knockouts, facing British veteran David Allen, who has amassed experience in 31 bouts. Dennis McCann will battle Peter McGrail as McCann aims to maintain his flawless 16-win record, while McGrail looks to claim his 11th victory.
Isaac Lowe and Lee McGregor will also go head-to-head in what promises to be an intense fight. Lowe brings 30 fights of experience, while McGregor boasts a strong record of 14 wins, including 11 knockouts, making this one of the most anticipated fights of the night.


Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge
Updated 06 November 2024
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Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge
  • Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal
  • The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool

BRUGES, Belgium: A strange penalty for handball ended Aston Villa’s winning run in the Champions League on Wednesday as the English team lost 1-0 at Club Brugge.
In the other early game, Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champion against Young Boys.
Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal — and they took a bizarre incident before goalkeeper Emi Martínez was eventually beaten.
Villa defender Tyrone Mings was punished for picking up the ball when Martínez seemed to restart play with a goal kick passed short to his teammate.
Mings walked forward a couple steps to gather the ball with his left hand and returned to place it at the corner of the six-yard box.
The penalty kick was awarded and Brugge captain Hans Vanaken scored in the 52nd minute, placing the ball to Martínez’s left as the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived to his right.
Martínez tried to persuade German referee Tobias Stieler after the game that he had made a mistake.
The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool, with Inter Milan, Arsenal and Brest all able to rise above coach Unai Emery’s team with a win later Wednesday. Inter were hosting Arsenal at San Siro.
Club Brugge have six points, from two wins and two losses and were provisionally in 20th place, which after all eight rounds in January would earn a place in the knockout playoffs round.
Shakhtar’s Sudakov showed against Young Boys why he is expected to be the club’s next big-money sale.
Both teams came into the game without scoring a goal in the first three rounds of the new league phase format.
Swiss champion Young Boys are struggling in 10th place in their domestic title defense and took an unexpected lead in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where Shakhtar are playing their Champions League home games during the military invasion by Russia.
After the Shakhtar defense was caught in the 27th minute playing short passes deep in their own half, Kastriot Imeri struck with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Shakhtar was level four minutes later when Sudakov’s precise pass into the goalmouth eluded a circle of five Young Boys players to find Oleksandr Zubkov for a tap-in.
Sudakov cleverly created space in the 41st to stride forward and fire a low shot from 20 yards (meters) into the far corner of the net past diving goalkeeper Marvin Keller.
Shakhtar are outside the playoff places in 26th, with four points, and Young Boys is 35th and among six teams with zero points.


Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini
Updated 06 November 2024
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Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini
  • The Olympic gold medalist, seeded 7th, sweeps aside 4th seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in just 67 minutes, her 30th win in 35 matches
  • Already eliminated Rybakina claims consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Sabalenka, who secured semi-final spot on Monday

RIYADH: Zheng Qinwen continues to deliver in her breakthrough season, as she advanced to last four of the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Wednesday with a victory over Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini.

The Chinese Olympic gold medalist swept past fourth seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 67 minutes. It was her 30th victory in 35 matches.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina claimed a consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had already secured her semi-final spot as group winner on Monday.

Rybakina, who was already out of the competition after losing her first two matches, finally found form against Sabalenka. It was a much-needed confidence boost for the world No. 5, who missed most of the second half of the season with allergies, insomnia and a back injury.

“It was a tough match and I’m really happy that I managed to win,” said Rybakina, who shared a warm embrace with Sabalenka at the net. “I think it’s nice to finish the year at least with one win against the world No. 1.”

The loss was only Sabalenka’s second in 24 matches. She was yet to learn who she will face in Friday’s semi-final but whatever happens, she has reason to celebrate as she clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking when Iga Swiatek was defeated by Coco Gauff on Tuesday.

However, the Belarusian does not intend to let that achievement distract her from the task at hand, which is to lift the WTA Finals trophy for the first time in her career.

“It’s a really great feeling but I figured that last night and it didn’t work really well tonight for me, so I just want to focus on the current tournament, to stay hungry and stay motivated, because it’s a big tournament and it’s also one of my goals, so I’ll focus on this goal,” Sabalenka said on Wednesday.

In the last day of round-robin action in the Purple Group, Zheng and Paolini were fighting it out for the second qualification spot behind Sabalenka.

Zheng, seeded seventh, locked down her place in the last four with a dominating performance as she became the first Chinese player to make it out of the group stage at the event since Li Na in 2013.

“That was 11 years ago; I’m really proud I could make it,” said the 22-year-old. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to these WTA Finals for the first time. I was in a very difficult group.

“It’s one of the best performances I’ve had during this year. Really good percentage of first serves. I felt really good on my groundstrokes and I made a couple of good volleys. I really enjoyed it.”

An aggressive return earned Zheng her first break of the match in game three and then she broke again and held her serves to go 5-1 up. Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist this season, saved one set point on her own serve in game seven but Zheng kept her foot on the gas to close out the 32-minute set on the second opportunity.

Zheng was just as impressive in the second set, and after saving a break point while serving for the match at 5-1 she closed out the win with her 12th ace of the match.

“I finally feel that my serve has started to be a bit more consistent,” said Zheng, who leads the tour in aces and first-serve points won this season.

This was her fourth victory in as many meetings with Paolini, who will remain in Riyadh to battle for a semi-final spot in the doubles competition alongside fellow Italian Sara Errani.

Since Wimbledon in July, Zheng has recorded the most wins of any woman on the tour. Besides taking gold in the singles at the Olympics, she defended her Palermo title, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, the semi-finals in Beijing, the final in Wuhan, and lifted the trophy in Tokyo. Three of her five defeats during that run were at the hands of Sabalenka and she said she has been impressed by the Belarusian’s form this season. Zheng’s record against Sabalenka is 0-5, and she said this is a big source of motivation for her.

“She won two slams,” Zheng said. “This is really big achievement for her. And I remember last year, she won her first Grand Slam in the Australian Open. And then she kept going, kept working.

“But you know, both slams that she won this year, I lost against her on the way. Which means if I want to win a slam, I have to be able to beat her. And I’m quite excited for that day.”


Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury
Updated 06 November 2024
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Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury
  • Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals
  • US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina

RIYADH: American sixth seed Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the WTA Finals in Riyadh with a left knee injury, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals.

The US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek in the last day of round-robin action on Thursday and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina on the schedule.

“I’ve just been struggling with a little bit of an injury and for whatever reason, it really flared up this week. Not really sure why,” Pegula, 30, said.

“In the few days before practice, it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match, and just feel like I’m not feeling comfortable moving on court, so I just wanted to make the decision to unfortunately pull out.”

Kasatkina is ranked No. 9 in the world and recently clinched the WTA 500 title in Ningbo.

She is 1-5 head-to-head against Swiatek, losing her last five consecutive clashes with the Pole. 

Coco Gauff is the only player in the Orange Group in Riyadh to have secured passage to the semifinals.