Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Tennis-Kvitova gets engaged to coach in ‘special place’ at Wimbledon
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova added another happy memory at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, announcing she has become engaged to her coach Jiri Vanek in her “special place”. Kvitova, who won her two titles in 2011 and 2014, tweeted the news of her engagement to former player Vanek three days after finishing runner-up at a WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
Tennis-Top seed Dimitrov forced to retire against Thiem in Winston-Salem
Grigor Dimitrov came out strong but faded fast as the Winston-Salem Open’s top seed was forced to retire from his match against Dominic Thiem, sending the Austrian into the Round of 16. With less than a week to go before the start of the U.S. Open, Dimitrov came out sharp, unleashing a torrent of backhanded slices to keep Thiem off balance as the Bulgarian raced through the surprisingly one-sided first set 6-0.
MLB roundup: Justin Verlander tosses 6 no-hit innings in Astros’ win
Justin Verlander hurled six no-hit innings and Alex Bregman provided insurance with a seventh-inning homer as the Houston Astros topped the visiting Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Tuesday. Verlander (16-3) allowed just one baserunner, and that came when Nick Gordon struck out but reached on a wild pitch with one out in the second inning. He fanned 10, moving past Pedro Martinez and Max Scherzer into 13th place on the all-time strikeouts list with 3,161.
Tennis-Zverev ‘super happy’ with recovery despite U.S. Open withdrawal
World number two Alexander Zverev said he was “super happy” with his recovery following ankle surgery despite having to pull out of the U.S. Open, the main draw of which kicks off in New York on Monday. The 25-year-old German needed surgery to fix damaged ligaments in his right ankle following a freak injury he suffered during this year’s Roland Garros semi-final against Rafa Nadal.
Tennis-Kenin finding form ahead of U.S. Open with win in Cleveland
A solid Sofia Kenin knocked fifth-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu out of the Tennis in the Land tournament on Tuesday as the American looks to find her form and add a second Grand Slam trophy to her case when the U.S. Open kicks off next week. The 2020 Australian Open champion has suffered back-to-back first-round exits at her last two U.S. Open tune-up events but has looked much better in Cleveland, winning 70% of her first serve points and saving four of the five break points she faced against the Romanian.
Soccer – Jeonbuk coach Kim hopes to rouse weary players for Urawa semi-final
Jeonbuk Motors coach Kim Sang-sik has called for one last push from his weary players in their quest for a place in the Asian Champions League final ahead of the South Korean side’s meeting with Urawa Red Diamonds on Thursday. Kim’s team needed extra time to defeat Daegu FC and Vissel Kobe in the previous two rounds and take on a Urawa side that has sailed through wins over Johor Darul Ta’zim in the Round of 16 and BG Pathum United in the quarter-finals.
Tennis-There will be no fairytale ending for Serena, says Navratilova
Serena Williams may have planned retirement her way but the American must be prepared to accept the goodbyes as well as the losses and exit the stage with grace, tennis great Martina Navratilova has told Reuters. Williams signaled her intention to retire in a Vogue article in early August saying she was “evolving away from tennis” but never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.
Soccer-Indian federation asks FIFA to lift the suspension
India’s football association has asked world governing body FIFA to lift the suspension imposed on it after the mandate of a court-appointed committee to govern the sport in the country was terminated this week. India’s highest court disbanded the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in May and appointed a three-member committee to govern the sport, amend the body’s constitution and conduct elections that have been pending for 18 months.
Tennis-Djokovic missing U.S. Open over COVID vaccine status would be ‘a joke’ – McEnroe
Four-time U.S. Open winner John McEnroe said it would be “a joke” if Novak Djokovic is unable to compete at the U.S. tournament starting later this month due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. Djokovic has refused to take the vaccine and appears set to miss out on the year’s last Grand Slam due to current U.S. rules that require travelers to show proof of full vaccination to board flights to and enter the United States.
Baseball-Los Angeles Angels owner to explore selling team
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno on Tuesday said he has begun exploring the possibility of selling the Anaheim-based team he has owned for 20 seasons. “Although this difficult decision was entirely our choice and deserved a great deal of thoughtful consideration, my family and I have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time,” Moreno said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies.)
