Some of the world’s best tennis players, including world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic, traded in their rackets for soccer boots on Wednesday on behalf of Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.
About 15 ATP stars, in Miami for the Masters 1000 hardcourt tournament that started this week, joined with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the second-level North American Soccer League in a light-hearted match that ended in a 4-2 victory for the Strikers.
The tennis stars received enthusiastic backing from a crowd that included a host of children.
The ATP players delivered a relaxed and entertaining performance, displaying an easy teamwork that belied their more usual duels across the net.
Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and Scotland’s Andy Murray both scored for the tennis team captained by Djokovic, who has won all 18 of his tennis matches this season.
The ATP starting 11 included Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Despite Spain’s status as World Cup champions, Nadal and compatriots David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco were among the reserves.
The match, featuring two halves of 20 minutes each, was followed by a gala dinner and proceeds from the two events were to benefit American Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Kody Clemens homered on Wednesday as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 and clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs. Castellanos had three hits and scored three times. Bryson Stott also had three hits and Brandon Marsh drove in three runs for the Phillies, who on Monday claimed their first National League East title in 13 years. Coupled with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia secured the bye and home-field advantage in the NL Division Series. The Phillies owned the tiebreaker with the Brewers after winning the season series against the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946
Olympic bronze medalist Lee Meng-yuan has become the first Taiwanese athlete to top the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) men’s skeet world rankings, while top Taiwanese shooters won golds in each of yesterday’s finals in Taoyuan. Lee’s 6,610 points put him ahead of fellow men’s skeet medalists from the Paris Olympics Americans Vincent Hancock and Conner Prince. Lee on Monday said that he was surprised by the result, although he had expected his ranking to rise after the Games, which was also the first time a Taiwanese athlete had competed in men’s skeet. Despite topping the rankings, Lee said he believed Hancock, who