Sports News Roundup: ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev reaches Chengdu final; Soccer-Spain's women players ready to stick to football after ending boycott, says Bonmati and more
UEFA Women's Player of the Year and World Cup MVP Bonmati acknowledged that she and her team mates are relieved that they can now concentrate on their day job following "an exhausting" month-long standoff that ended last Wednesday after the RFEF agreed to make "immediate and profound changes" to its structure. Soccer-England boss Wiegman relishing strange but special Netherlands return England coach Sarina Wiegman said there will be no divided loyalties for her in Utrecht on Tuesday when the Lionesses face her native Netherlands in the Women's Nations League.
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev reaches Chengdu final
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany will meet unseeded Russian Roman Safiullin in the Chengdu Open final in Chengdu, China. Zverev saved all five break points and fired nine aces in a 6-3, 7-6 (2) semifinal win on Monday against No. 3 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Zverev is chasing his first hard-court title since the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2021.
Soccer-Spain's women players ready to stick to football after ending boycott, says Bonmati
Spain's women players want to "just stick to football" after they ended their boycott of the national team that started after former Spanish Federation (RFEF) boss Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips following their World Cup triumph, midfielder Aitana Bonmati said. UEFA Women's Player of the Year and World Cup MVP Bonmati acknowledged that she and her team mates are relieved that they can now concentrate on their day job following "an exhausting" month-long standoff that ended last Wednesday after the RFEF agreed to make "immediate and profound changes" to its structure.
Soccer-England boss Wiegman relishing strange but special Netherlands return
England coach Sarina Wiegman said there will be no divided loyalties for her in Utrecht on Tuesday when the Lionesses face her native Netherlands in the Women's Nations League. Wiegman played for the Dutch national team before leading them to Euro 2017 glory on home soil and a runner-up finish at the 2019 World Cup in France.
Soccer-Rapinoe brings the curtain down on her fabled international career
Olympic champion and two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe took her final bow in international football after the U.S. beat South Africa 2-0 in a friendly on Sunday in the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago. The relentless 38-year-old striker was crucial to both of her team's goals, providing the long pass to Alex Morgan that set up Trinity Rodman's goal and taking the corner that Emily Sonnett headed into the back of the net.
Tennis-Rybakina withdraws from Pan Pacific Open
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Monday pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, days after slamming the WTA for the introduction of performance byes at the tournament. Byes are usually awarded to top-seeded players, but performance byes allow for players who have played well in the previous week to move directly into the second round of the following tournament.
Doping-Russian doping in focus as Valieva case heads to court
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping case, a scandal that rocked the sport and cast a shadow over her country's already embattled anti-doping system, will start to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday. Nineteen months after Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Games despite testing positive for a banned substance, her competitors are still awaiting justice.
Golf-Europe captain Donald relishing return of Ryder Cup roar
Europe suffered their worst Ryder Cup defeat two years ago at a hostile Whistling Straits but captain Luke Donald believes the energy of the home crowd in Rome can be a decisive factor in reclaiming the trophy this week. Former world number one Donald was one of Padraig Harrington's vice captains in 2021 as the United States romped to a 19-9 victory in a match sadly lacking European fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soccer-Canada look to deliver Jamaica knockout punch and book Olympic ticket
Canada's national women's team will be looking to deliver the knockout punch when they meet Jamaica in front of a sellout home crowd on Tuesday and claim their ticket to next year's Paris Olympics. With Jamaica on the ropes following a 2-0 defeat in Kingston, Olympic champions Canada return home for the second leg in control of their own destiny but coach Bev Priestman warned her players not to get complacent. let their foot off the gas.
Soccer-Injured De Jong out until international break, says Barca's Xavi
Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong will not return to action until after the next international break at the earliest after picking up an ankle injury at the weekend, manager Xavi said. The 26-year-old Netherlands midfielder had played every minute of Barcelona's LaLiga matches so far this season before being substituted in the first half against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
MLB roundup: Justin Verlander shines as Astros top M's
Justin Verlander turned in a vintage performance, taking a shutout into the ninth inning as the Houston Astros defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Monday night to extend their lead in the race for the American League's third and final wild-card playoff berth. Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker homered for the Astros, who snapped a three-game losing streak and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners, who lost their fourth in a row. Houston remains 2 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.
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