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SportAFP NewsSilent night as La Liga restarts with Seville derby
Sevilla and Real Betis is the game in Spain most defined by its fans and on Thursday it will be a first glimpse of La Liga without them as the season resumes behind closed doors after three months away due to the coronavirus. Fireworks, banners, plumes of smoke and crowds, deliri
SportAFP NewsWADA wants answers after banned Sun's 'Olympic training call-up'
The World Anti-Doping Agency demanded answers Friday after reports that Chinese swimming star Sun Yang was called up for national training for the Tokyo Olympics in an apparent breach of his doping ban. The latest incident in the colourful career of the three-time Olympic champio
SportAFP NewsATP, WTA announce measures aimed to limit coronavirus spread
The ATP and WTA announced measures aimed at combatting the spread of deadly coronavirus on Saturday, days before the start of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California. "As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to cause concern on a global scale, the ATP and WTA have jointly
SportAFP NewsOlympic champ Van Avermaet joins AGR2, Bardet signs for Sunweb
Two of cycling's big names made moves on Monday, with Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet joining AG2R La Mondiale from next season in place of Tour de France hopeful Romain Bardet, who will leave for Sunweb. In a statement AG2R, who will change their name to AG2R Citroen Team from 2021, said that Van Avermaet and Swiss rider Michael Schar had signed three-year deals with the French team.
NewsAutosportHorner: Verstappen had to "buy into" hard tyre gamble for 70th Anniversary GP
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Max Verstappen had to "buy into" the crucial decision to qualify on the hard tyre in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
SportAFP NewsAnderson 'still hungry' as he quashes retirement talk
James Anderson insisted Monday he was still "hungry" to play Test cricket after speculation the England great was considering retirement. Given his age, Anderson's meagre match haul of 1-97 during England's three-wicket win in the first Test against Pakistan completed Saturday inevitably led to speculation about his future. "I want to play as long as I possibly can," Anderson told reporters during a conference call on Monday.
SportAutosportMorbidelli: Maiden MotoGP podium because of "big brother" Rossi
Franco Morbidelli says his maiden MotoGP podium in the Czech Grand Prix is "mostly because of" his mentor Valentino Rossi, who he says is "like a big brother" to him
SportAFP NewsJesus says City stronger for past Champions League disappointments
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus says he can imagine his hands round the Champions League trophy and he and his team-mates are stronger for previous disappointments in the competition coveted by their Abu Dhabi owners above all others. The 23-year-old Brazilian had a standout performance in Friday's 2-1 win over 13-time European champions Real Madrid that earned a place in the quarter-finals. Jesus's starring role eased concerns at the likely absence of injured record goalscorer Sergio Aguero for Saturday's quarter-final in Lisbon.
SportAutosportFerrari open to making F1 chassis change for Vettel
Ferrari is open to changing Sebastian Vettel's chassis if the German feels that there is a fundamental problem with the car he's had for the last two Formula 1 weekends
SportAutosportRacing Point "99% sure" Perez will race in F1 Spanish GP
Racing Point is "99% sure" Sergio Perez will be able to race in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, but will have Nico Hulkenberg on standby once again
SportAutosportBlomqvist steps in to replace Calado at Jaguar for Berlin FE finale
Tom Blomqvist will replace out-going Formula E driver James Calado at the Jaguar team for the final two races in Berlin following a World Endurance Championship calendar clash
SportAutosportPodcast: F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix review
Formula 1 celebrated its big birthday in style with a fascinating 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday, producing a surprise winner in Red Bull's Max Verstappen
SportAFP NewsDesperate Chiefs, successful Sundowns eye South African title
Success-starved Kaizer Chiefs and mega achievers Mamelodi Sundowns are the leading candidates to win the South African Premiership, which restarts Tuesday behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic. Chiefs have 48 points with eight fixtures to fulfil and Sundowns 44 with a match in hand in the richest African league with a 15 million rand ($850,000/720,000 euro) first prize. Sundowns meet Orlando Pirates Tuesday and Chiefs tackle Bidvest Wits a day later in top-six clashes as the title run-in begins with all matches at neutral venues in the Gauteng province.
SportAFP NewsKoepka's run at history fizzles in final round of PGA
Brooks Koepka showed he's human on Sunday, the normally unflappable American struggling through the final round of the PGA Championship and falling short of a bid for a historic three-peat. "To make the turn at four-over was disappointing, to say the least," said Koepka. When it comes to major championships, Koepka has been the man to beat.
SportAFP NewsMorikawa on 'cloud nine' after PGA victory
Collin Morikawa put it all together on Sunday, winning a major in just his second appearance and becoming just the fourth player to win a PGA Championship before his 24th birthday. The 23-year-old American fired a bogey-free 64 to emerge from a crowded leaderboard and win by two shots over Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey at TPC Harding Park. "I'm on cloud nine right now," said Morikawa.
SportAFP NewsLillard scores 51 in Portland win as Sixers lose Embiid
Portland's Damian Lillard poured in 51 points against a Philadelphia team missing injured stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, powering the Trail Blazers to a 124-121 NBA victory Sunday. Lillard, taunted on social media after two key missed free throws in a Saturday loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, unleashed the 10th 50-point performance of his career and fifth of the season to pull Portland within a half-game of Memphis for eighth in the Western Conference playoff fight.
SportAFP NewsCould new Champions League format lead to new name on trophy despite virus worry?
With just two former winners left in the competition, no Cristiano Ronaldo and no fans, the Champions League moves to Lisbon this week for the start of the 'Final Eight' with the intriguing prospect that a new format could lead to a new name on the trophy. "On Saturday, all members of the first team and the club's party to Lisbon underwent tests as required by UEFA protocols," said a club statement. Barcelona and Bayern Munich, with five European Cups each, are in contention for the title but only one will reach the semi-finals -- they meet each other in the quarter-finals at the Estadio da Luz on Friday.
SportAFP NewsO'Sullivan laments world championship 'morgue' after beating Ding
Five-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan ended Chinese star Ding Junhui's world championship dream on Sunday at a Crucible Theatre venue he described as a "morgue" due to the ban on spectators. The mercurial 44-year-old Englishman won an enthralling high-quality second-round encounter 13-10 to set up a quarter-final clash with three-time champion Mark Williams. O'Sullivan -- who will be bidding for a first semi-final appearance since losing to Mark Selby in the 2014 final -- said playing in front of an empty auditorium was an unrewarding experience.
SportAFP NewsAstros, Athletics clear benches after Laureano hit
The Houston Astros were involved in a bench-clearing incident for the second time this season on Sunday after Oakland Athletics batter Ramon Laureano was hit by a pitch and charged the dugout. The Astros, who were found guilty of an elaborate cheating scandal during their 2017 World Series-winning season, had already been involved in a stormy clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers last month. On Sunday, Athletics centerfielder Laureano lost his cool after being struck by a pitch from the Astros' Humberto Castellanos during the seventh innning.
SportAFP NewsHamilton compares tyres to 'balloons', feared explosion
Lewis Hamilton compared his Pirelli tyres to balloons on Sunday after he and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas suffered serious blistering problems at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. Just a week after his dramatic victory on three wheels, with a punctured fourth, at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton admitted he was afraid one of his tyres might explode. Three cars had suffered tyre failures at Silverstone last weekend, but Pirelli pressed ahead with a decision to introduce softer tyres running at higher pressures than previously, much to the concern of many teams.
SportAFP NewsKo collapses as Kang snatches win at Marathon Classic
Danielle Kang completed back-to-back LPGA Tour triumphs with a one-shot victory at the Marathon Classic on Sunday after former world number one Lydia Ko suffered a dramatic late collapse. Ko, who had started the final round four shots clear, looked to be cruising to victory after opening up a five-shot lead with six holes to play at Highland Meadows in Sylvania, Ohio. Ko's stumble allowed Kang to sneak in and claim victory by one shot only a week after her win at last week's Drive On Championship in Toledo, the first LPGA event after a five-month COVID-19 hiatus.
SportAFP NewsPortugal's Da Costa wins Formula E title with room to spare
Portugal's Antonio Felix da Costa claimed the Formula E championship at the Berlin E-Prix on Sunday, the first driver to achieve the title with two rounds left to race. Jean-Eric Vergne clinched the race victory on Sunday at Tempelhof Airport with da Costa finishing second ahead of Sebastien Buemi to ensure DS Techeetah took the team championship. Da Costa has a 76-point advantage over team-mate Vergne with only 60 points left to play for.
SportAFP NewsLyon lift Women's French Cup as Champions League warm-up
Lyon beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-3 on penalties to claim a record-extending ninth Women's French Cup on Sunday, less than three weeks before the Champions League quarter-finals. The European champions were held 0-0 in normal time before Sarah Bouhaddi saved Lea Khelifi's effort. "It was a difficult game after the health crisis, we got back into a high level match, it wasn't easy for both sides," Bouhaddi told broadcaster France TV.
SportAFP NewsFrance's Ferro triumphs in post-coronavirus Palermo WTA Open
France's Fiona Ferro shocked fourth-seed Estonian Anett Kontaveit to win the Palermo Ladies Open, the first post-coronavirus tennis tournament on Sunday. The 53rd-ranked Ferro came through 6-2, 7-5 in one hour 43 minutes on her second match point against Kontaveit, ranked 22nd, and an Australian Open quarter-finalist this year. The 23-year-old Ferro claimed her second WTA after Lausanne last year, which will see her break into the top 50 next week.
