Sabalenka beats Paolini in straight sets to reach last four of WTA Finals

Sabalenka beats Paolini in straight sets to reach last four of WTA Finals
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka during her match against Jasmine Paolini, King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 4, 2024. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 05 November 2024
Follow

Sabalenka beats Paolini in straight sets to reach last four of WTA Finals

Sabalenka beats Paolini in straight sets to reach last four of WTA Finals
  • Top-ranked Sabalenka cruised in the first set after building a 4-0 lead, then saved two set points in the second to advance at the year-ending tournament
  • Sabalenka has won 22 of her last 23 matches, and three of the last four tournaments in which she played

RIYADH: Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jasmine Paolini on Monday for a second straight victory in the group stage.
The top-ranked Sabalenka cruised in the first set after building a 4-0 lead, then saved two set points in the second to advance at the year-ending tournament for the top eight ranked players.
Sabalenka will face already eliminated Elena Rybakina on Wednesday in the final group match of the week.
Sabalenka has won 22 of her last 23 matches, and three of the last four tournaments in which she played.
Another round-robin win will secure her the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career.
In the other Purple Group match, Zheng Qinwen defeated Rybakina 7-6 (4) 3-6, 6-1 to maintain chances of advancing.
It was Zheng’s first career win over Rybakina in three tries.
Rybakina sits at 0-2 and can’t advance to the semifinals. She lost to Paolini on Saturday, while Sabalenka eased to a straight-set victory over Zheng in the opening match in Saudi Arabia.
Zheng and Paolini will play each other on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to her first WTA Finals semifinal to face the winner of the Orange Group.


Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double

Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double
Updated 17 sec ago
Follow

Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double

Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double
  • Cleveland made 22 three-pointers off 48 attempts as Denver connected with six of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc
  • In Washington, Luka Doncic also climbed on the all-time triple-double list, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks piled more misery on the Wizards with a 137-101 victory

LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers drilled a season-high 22 three-pointers in a 126-114 NBA victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Darius Garland added 24 points and Caris LeVert contributed 21 off the bench as the Cavs withstood a triple-double from NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic to improve to 13-1 at home and 20-3 overall.

Cleveland made 22 three-pointers off 48 attempts as Denver connected with six of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets made it close in the first half with a strong showing in the paint, where they would out-score the Cavs 76-40.

Jokic scored 27 points with 20 rebounds and 11 assists for the 139th triple-double of his career, moving past legendary Earvin “Magic” Johnson (138) for third-most all-time.

Russell Westbrook tops the list with 200 career triple-doubles — reaching double digits in three key statistical categories — and Oscar Robertson is second with 181.

The exploits of Serbian star Jokic, who earned a third MVP award last season, helped the Nuggets claw back from an 18-point second-half deficit and cut the lead to nine with less than four minutes to play.

But LeVert and Mitchell answered with three-pointers and the Cavs cruised home.

“It took everybody,” Mitchell said. “Jokic is MVP for a reason, he makes that team phenomenal.”

Jokic called his rise up the triple-double list “a great thing,” but said it’s more something to look back on “after you finish your career.”

After watching his team fall to 11-9, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he was more concerned about getting the 2023 NBA champions on a firm upward trajectory.

“I love Nikola, I really do, and I’m fortunate to coach him and he’s one of the best to ever do it,” Malone said. “But I’m just so much more concerned about my team right now.”

In Washington, Luka Doncic also climbed on the all-time triple-double list, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks piled more misery on the Wizards with a 137-101 victory.

With his 78th career triple-double the 25-year-old Slovenian star tied Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh place.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 25 points and the Mavs handed the Wizards a 16th straight defeat— matching the team’s longest-ever losing streak.

The Mavs, in contrast, have won six straight and 10 of their last 11.

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show in his hometown, scoring 30 points to lead the Western Conference-leading Thunder to a crushing 129-92 victory over the Raptors in Toronto.

The Thunder notched a sixth win in their last seven games to push their record to 17-5.

Oklahoma City’s suffocating defensive effort included 14 steals and 11 blocked shots and they turned 19 Toronto turnovers into 28 points.

In San Francisco, Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 99-93 victory over the Houston Rockets in a preview of their NBA Cup quarterfinal next week.

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, who snapped a five-game losing streak despite missing stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

In New York, a big third quarter saw the Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-101 to push their winning streak to four games.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and OG Anunoby scored 15 of his 25 points in the third, when the Knicks outscored the Hornets 38-16 to take control for good.

Brandon Miller scored 26 points to lead the Hornets, who led by as many as 13 in the first quarter and were down by just three at halftime but spiraled to a seventh straight defeat.


UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look

UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look
Updated 18 min 27 sec ago
Follow

UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look

UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look
  • The card as a whole — even the preliminaries — is filled with intriguing matchups and storylines to close out 2024
  • Three other matches include former champions — heayweight Ciryl Gane, bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman

LAS VEGAS: Following a Jon Jones-headlined card is never an easy task, and without a doubt, UFC 310 won’t sell a lot of pay-per-views based on Saturday night’s main event alone.

But the card as a whole — even the preliminaries — is filled with intriguing matchups and storylines to close out 2024.

Whether that’s enough to match the attention Jones received for a third-round technical knockout of Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at New York’s Madison Square Garden is another matter.

As for the main event, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight championship against Kai Asakura, who is making his UFC debut.

They replaced what was to be the main event when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad pulled out because of a bone infection in his foot. Muhammad was to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov, who now takes on Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event. Rakhmonov (18-0) is the third-ranked challenger and Garry (15-0) is seventh.

Three other matches include former champions — heayweight Ciryl Gane, bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman. Gane takes on Alexander Volkov, Sterling will fight as a featherweight against Movsar Evloev and Weidman meets Eryk Anders.

Pantoja (28-5) is making his third title defense since winning a split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. The 34-year-old followed that with a pair of one-sided unanimous-decision victories.

Those performances established him as the clear fighter in his class, and now Pantoja is headlining his second pay-per-view card this year. The first was in his native Brazil for UFC 301 on May 4 and now this one in what is still proclaimed by many to be the fight capital of the world.

“That’s a gift God gave to me,” Pantoja said. “That’s an opportunity to come here and make this main event. I think 2024 was a very good year for flyweights. I think maybe it’s the best year for us.”

Asakura (21-4) will test his skills in the UFC for the first time at age 31. He was the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion, so entering the octagon for mixed-martial arts premier organization is quite a leap for the Japan native.

BetMGM Sportsbook makes Pantoja a 2-5 favorite.

“The UFC fans have never seen anybody fight like me ever before,” Asakura said through an interpreter. “I always aim to go for a KO finish. I’m an exciting fighter and I’m here to bring excitement back to the flyweight division.”

Asakura said he has created interested since announcing he was joining the UFC and even has been stopped in Las Vegas by fans curious about how his debut might go.

“I realize there are some expectations on this event and this fight, and I’m going to do my best to exceed those expectations and give those fans something very exciting,” Asakura said.

Pantoja said it made sense for the UFC to pair him with Asakura, a champion in another organization, because he had beaten the top two contenders twice each.

“I looked at my rank and tried to figure out who’s going to be my next opponent,” Pantoja said. “Then the UFC contacted Askaura. I think that’s a very good move. That’s the power about UFC, to bring a champ from another promotion.

“If you want to be the best fighter in the world — that’s what he thinks — you need to win the UFC belt.”


Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected

Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected
Updated 36 min 44 sec ago
Follow

Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected

Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected
  • All the storylines to look out for at the F1 season finale at Yas Marina Circuit

The longest season in Formula 1 history ends this weekend at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi with several intriguing matchups expected.

While Max Verstappen has already secured a fourth world championship, there is still plenty at stake at the 24th and final stop of the 2024 campaign.

McLaren and Ferrari in fierce battle for P1

With Red Bull no longer a contender for the constructors’ championship, the fight for the top spot is between McLaren and Ferrari, with the former entering Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead.

The way Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc put it, Ferrari must have a perfect weekend, while McLaren must have a not-so-perfect one in order for the Scuderia to win.

For Sainz, helping Ferrari secure their first constructors’ title since 2008 would be a special parting gift as the Spaniard moves to Williams next season.

“It would mean everything to me, honestly,” Sainz said on Thursday.

“It’s, I think, the best way to say goodbye to my home these last four years and to the team that I’ve given my absolute best to for the last four years; and I’ve enjoyed every single moment with them.

“And to say goodbye with a constructors’ title, I think, would be the perfect sign off, the perfect goodbye. I am also honest with you saying that it’s still not a long shot, but it is a difficult one.”

He added: “Being 21 points behind two of the fastest drivers and one of the fastest teams and recovering those 21 points in one weekend requires perfection from our side, and probably a not-optimal weekend or a bad weekend from their side.

“It’s still going to be difficult, but I’ve seen worse things in racing happen before, and we’re going to give it our best shot.”

McLaren’s Piastri is confident but is aware there will be multiple battles unfolding on the track that could affect his team’s chances.

“We’re still in a good spot in terms of the lead we have. I think it’s going to be a very tightly fought weekend between probably the top four teams, not just us and Ferrari, which means that some of the other teams can potentially play a role in deciding the championship. So let’s see,” said the Australian.

Leclerc and Norris vie for runner-up spot

In the drivers’ championship, Lando Norris is leading Leclerc by eight points.

Norris will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 10-second stop/go penalty that dashed his podium chances in Qatar, where he finished in 10th place.

Meanwhile, Leclerc noted that Ferrari have not done well at Yas Marina Circuit in recent years.

“We need to do first and second this weekend and we need things to not go exactly the way they want in McLaren,” said Leclerc. “Because on paper they will be strong on this track as well. It’s also true that we’ve never won here in Abu Dhabi, so there’s quite a lot of work. It’s not impossible.

“I think we’ve had the right approach in the last few races and we’ve taken some points even on weekends where we did not expect to do so.

“On this weekend, we are a bit more neutral and we think it’s going to be a positive weekend for us. I really hope that is the case.”

Alpine in three-way fight for P6

Given they were hovering between eighth and ninth at the summer break, it is quite remarkable what Alpine have managed to achieve in the last three months.

The Enstone outfit arrive in Abu Dhabi in sixth position but have to fight off Haas and RB to keep that position by season end.

A fifth-place finish for Pierre Gasly in Qatar gave Alpine a five-point edge over Haas, with RB a further eight points behind.

Gasly will have a new teammate in Abu Dhabi, with Jack Doohan starting his Formula 1 career earlier than expected, replacing Esteban Ocon for the final race of the season instead of waiting until 2025.

“I would say personally it doesn’t change anything,” said Gasly of having a rookie teammate for a crucial race.

“I know exactly what my target is this weekend. I know what I got to do on track. I think it’s going to be intense until the line because Haas has proved at times to be able to put both cars up there.

“Even though we have a small cushion after last week’s result, it’s still going to be tight and we’ve got to get it done. I’m confident. I’m confident we’re going to be there in the battle with them.

“But there’s still a few more racing laps that we’ve got to make sure we optimize and really get together.”

Doohan ‘ready’ for F1 debut

Doohan was already scheduled to drive the Alpine car in Free Practice 1 but now gets a full drive and is excited to experience several firsts this weekend.

“It’s a great opportunity just to run through the motions and go over everything,” said the 21-year-old Aussie, who has been reading up on all the regulations these past few days.

“To simply put it, like the driver parade that I’ve never done, laps of the grid that I’ve never done from junior categories. So these little things that are new territory, now I just get to familiarize myself before next year.

“I’m feeling comfortable and feeling ready for the weekend ahead.”

War of words escalates between Russell and Verstappen

The feud between Verstappen and George Russell has carried over from Qatar, where the world champion accused Russell of fighting to get him penalized during a meeting with the stewards.

Verstappen was handed a one-grid penalty for driving too slow in qualifying, and the Dutchman later slammed Russell, calling him two-faced, and saying he lost all respect for him.

The Red Bull driver doubled down on his comments on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, saying he has “no regrets” and in fact wishes he had said more.

That pushed Russell to hit back at Verstappen as the Mercedes man spoke to the press, in the presence of team principal Toto Wolff, to “set the record straight.”

“As drivers, you fight hard on the track, you fight hard in the stewards; the same way as Max the very next day asked his team to look at Lando’s penalty through the yellow flag,” Russell explained.

“That’s not personal Max to Lando, that’s just racing. And I do not see why he felt the need for this personal attack, and I’m not going to take it.

“I’m not going to stand here watching some guy slam me personally as he has done.”

Russell claimed that Verstappen threatened to purposely crash into him.

The Brit added: “I think we’ve got a duty as drivers, I’ve got an 8-year-old nephew who’s just starting go-karting, he watches all of my races, watches TikTok, watches YouTube, and for a world champion to be coming out saying he’s going to go out of his way to crash into someone, put them on their (expletive) head, that is not the sort of role models we should be.

“He’s a four-time world champion, but when I compare his actions to the ones of Lewis (Hamilton) — Lewis is the sort of world champion I aspire to be like.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lando Norris (@landonorris)

Hamilton bids Mercedes farewell

Meanwhile, Russell’s teammate, Hamilton, is ending a history-making 12-year chapter with Mercedes as he prepares to race his 246th and final Grand Prix with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton admitted it has been a “painful” and “emotional” time since he announced his move to Ferrari next year, and he “massively underestimated” how difficult it would be.

“It’s been a very emotional year for me. And I think I’ve not been at my best in handling and dealing with those emotions,” he confessed on Thursday.

“You’ve all seen the worst of me and seen the best of me and I’m not going to apologize for either because I’m only human and I don’t always get it right.

“And I would definitely say this year’s been one of the worst in terms of handling that from my side, which I’ll work on trying to be better at.”

Quick hits

— In practice on Friday, Leclerc and his younger brother Arthur will make history as the first siblings to take part in a Formula 1 session as teammates.

— There is uncertainty about the future of some drivers including Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto. Despite rumors he is being replaced next year, Perez renewed his contract with Red Bull earlier this year — until the end of 2026 — and is hopeful it will stick.

The new terms of his agreement could possibly include performance clauses. Meanwhile, Williams rookie Colapinto is highly-rated but without a confirmed seat for next year.

“I am trying to stay away (from speculation). I try to enjoy the moment. At the moment it’s my last race, so I’m trying to give the best I can for the team,” said the young Argentine.

— The F1 Academy is also in Abu Dhabi this weekend and Emirati sisters Hamda and Amna Al-Qubaisi will be racing for the last time in the female-only series. They have hit the two-season limit and get to enjoy a swansong on home soil.

— The battle for the Formula 2 Championship could not be any tighter with leader Gabriel Bortoleto and contender Isack Hadjar separated by just half a point.


Tottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth as fans jeer Postecoglou

Tottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth as fans jeer Postecoglou
Updated 06 December 2024
Follow

Tottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth as fans jeer Postecoglou

Tottenham joins list of top Premier League teams to lose at Bournemouth as fans jeer Postecoglou
  • Bournemouth climbed to ninth — a point and a place above Tottenham in the standings
  • Alex Iwobi scored goals early and late in the game to lead Fulham to a 3-1 win over Brighton

LONDON: Manchester City, Arsenal, and now Tottenham.

The list of top Premier League teams beaten at Bournemouth this season is growing.

Dean Huijsen took advantage of Tottenham’s weakness at set pieces to head home a 17th-minute winner in Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory on Thursday.

After the game, some Spurs fans appeared to vent their frustration at manager Ange Postecoglou when he went over to the away contingent following his team’s insipid display.

“They are pretty disappointed, rightly so, and I got some pretty direct feedback as to how we are going,” the Australian coach said, “and that’s fair enough.”

Bournemouth climbed to ninth — a point and a place above Tottenham in the standings — and underlined its penchant for surprising high-profile visitors to Vitality Stadium.

Man City’s remarkable four-game losing run in the Premier League started with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, while fellow title contender Arsenal’s first loss of the season also came at the Vitality, 2-0 on Oct. 19.

This was Spurs’ sixth defeat of the campaign. They now have as many wins as losses, highlighting the inconsistency blighting their season, and their seven away results so far make remarkable reading: aside from a 3-0 win at Manchester United and a 4-0 thrashing of Man City, Tottenham has lost four and drawn the other at relegation candidate Leicester.

“We’ve got to get out of this space we’re in at the moment where we’re just not able to get a real grip on our season,” Postecoglou said.

An inability to defend set plays continues to hurt Postecoglou’s team. A week after Roma scored twice from them in a 2-2 draw in the Europa League, Huijsen roamed free in the area at a corner and headed home unmarked.

Postecoglou said in May said he “wasn’t interested” about his side’s fallibility while defending set pieces, and said after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in September — after a goal from Gabriel at a corner — that “it’s my burden to carry and I’m happy to do that.”

“We started well and conceded a really poor goal,” Postecoglou said after the Bournemouth game. “It’s a difficult place to come when giving the opposition the opportunity to play in the manner they want.”

Iwobi double

Alex Iwobi scored goals early and late in the game to lead Fulham to a 3-1 win over Brighton.

The Nigeria winger intercepted a stray pass out from the back by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and slotted into an unguarded net for the opener in the fourth minute and curled home Fulham’s clinching goal in the 87th.

Carlos Baleba equalized for Brighton in the 56th before Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley – a former Fulham academy player – deflected the ball into his own net from a corner to put the home side back in front.

Fulham climbed to sixth in the standings, a point and a place behind Brighton.


Scottie Scheffler has new putting grip and trails Cameron Young by 3 in Bahamas

Scottie Scheffler has new putting grip and trails Cameron Young by 3 in Bahamas
Updated 06 December 2024
Follow

Scottie Scheffler has new putting grip and trails Cameron Young by 3 in Bahamas

Scottie Scheffler has new putting grip and trails Cameron Young by 3 in Bahamas
  • Scheffler: I’m always looking for ways to improve
  • Young led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago

NASSAU, Bahamas: Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday.

Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on and around the greens of Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and holing four birdie putts from 15 feet or longer for his 64.

He led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas ran off four straight birdies late in his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth.

The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he has all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His putting at times has kept him from winning more or winning bigger. He decided to try to a “saw” putting grip from about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and his fingers, with his left index finger pointed down the shaft.

“I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler last year began working with renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon mentioned the alternative putting grip back then.

“But it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it.

“Figured this is a good week to try stuff.”

He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he holed a birdie from about the same distance at the next par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to save par.

His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for a closing birdie.

“I really enjoyed the way it felt,” he said. “I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”

Young, regarded as the best active player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and got back to the basics in his powerful golf swing.

And on this day, he was dialed in with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and kept piling up birdies in his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas.

“The wind wasn’t blowing much so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said.

Patrick Cantlay, along with Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, also was at 67 with Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala.

Thomas also took this occasion to do a little experimenting against a 20-man field. He has been using a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his regular driver — in a bid to gain more speed. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he decided to put it in play.

“Just with it being a little bit longer, I just kind of have to get the club out in front of me and get on top of it a little bit more,” Thomas said. “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.”

Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 extra yards in the air.

“It’s very specific for courses, but gave it a try,” he said.

Conditions were easy enough that only four players in field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75.