Saina, Sindhu, Marin attract max price in pbl
New Delhi: P V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and world champion Carolina Marin were the expected top buys at the Premier Badminton League season four auction, fetching the maximum price of Rs 80 lakh here on Monday. The unexpected one was rising doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who was the highest paid non-Icon Indian player with Rs 52 lakh. With all players returning to the auction pool for the first time since 2015 and no Right to Match (RTM) card at teams' disposal, the exercise gained more significance with franchisees looking to get the combination right besides their ideal Icon player. Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto was the highest paid non-Icon Player with Delhi Dashers splurging Rs 70 lakh for his services.
Osaka claims 4th spot in women’s ranking
Paris: US Open champion Naomi Osaka rose to fourth place in the latest WTA rankings released Monday on the strength of her outstanding form in recent weeks. Romania's Simona Halep tops the table ahead of second-placed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark with Germany's Angelique Kerber holding onto third place. Osaka, aged 20, who reached the semi-finals of the China Open last week, moves up from sixth to fourth place on 4,770 points and is closing in on Kerber, who has 5,400 points. The rising Japanese star become only the second Asian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title with last month's stunning win over Serena Williams in the US Open final.
Querrey, Fritz win in Shanghai Masters
Shanghai: Sam Querrey and Taylor Fritz both won in straight sets at the Shanghai Masters on Monday, setting up a second-round match between the Americans. Querrey upset ninth-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4, while Fritz beat Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6 (3). The 54th-ranked Querrey had 14 aces and won 34 of 39 points when his first serve went in. Fritz, a qualifier in Shanghai who is ranked 60th in the world, also had 14 aces. Another American, Frances Tiafoe, was less fortunate. He lost to Matthew Ebden 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Pliskova advances in Tianjin Open
Tianjin: Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova needed six match points to beat Varvara Lepchenko 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3 and advance to the second round of the Tianjin Open on Monday. Pliskova will next face Polona Hercog, who defeated Lara Arruabarrena 7-6 (5), 6-2. Also, Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova beat 2014 champion Alison Riske 5-7, 6-1, 7-5, fifth-seeded Hsieh Su-Wei beat Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (4), 7-5, and Magda Linette defeated Evgeniya Rodina 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Icardi fires Inter into third in serie a
Milan: Napoli moved back to within six points of Serie A leaders Juventus on Sunday as goals from Adam Ounas and Lorenzo Insigne clinched a 2-0 win over Sassuolo, while Inter Milan took third by beating SPAL. Carlo Ancelotti's hosts slipped off the pace last weekend with a loss to Juve in Turin, but managed to avoid dropping further adrift, after the embattled Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the reigning champions' victory at Udinese on Saturday. Algerian youngster Ounas, making his full debut in Serie A, gave Napoli the perfect start with a magnificent goal in only the third minute. And them Insigne came off the bench early in the second half and secured the win in trademark style. Inter Milan moved into third place, eight points off the lead, after a 2-1 win at SPAL, their fourth in a row. Captain Mauro Icardi scored both Inter's goals.
Terry retires from professional football
London: Former England captain John Terry announced his retirement from football on Sunday with the 37-year-old central defender now set to pursue a career in management. Terry, who spent the bulk of his career with Chelsea, captained second-tier Aston Villa last season. Now the Birmingham club reportedly want him to join their coaching staff as part of a new-look set-up, with Thierry Henry in the running to take over as manager at Villa Park after Steve Bruce was sacked earlier this week. "After 23 incredible years as a footballer, I have decided now is the right time to retire from playing," Terry said in a message posted on his Instagram account. His last game as a professional was Villa's 1-0 Championship play-off final defeat by Fulham in May.