ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2021 SPORTS 14

Sabalenka and Muguruza advance at Wimbledon Djokovic overcomes wobbly start to win, Tsitsipas ousted WIMBLEDON, England, June 28, na Halep and four-time major champ (AP): Wimbledon returned Monday Naomi Osaka pulled out - advanced after being called off in 2020 because with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over qualifi er of the pandemic, and so much felt rath- Monica Niculescu. Other winners in- er familiar at the All England Club, cluded 2017 champion Garbiñe Mugu- from the rain that disrupted the sched- ruza, No. 23 Madison Keys and No. 32 ule to the victory for Novak Djokovic. Ekaterina Alexandrova. Much like the delays to competition The tournament referee began an- around the grounds - it took about 4 nouncing postponements at about 3 1/2 hours to begin play on the outside p.m., including matches involving courts; more than a dozen matches fi ve-time Wimbledon champion Venus were postponed entirely - Djokovic Williams, French Open semifi nalist got off to a slow start in his bid for a Maria Sakkari and seeded men Denis record-tying 20th Grand Slam title and Shapovalov and Alex de Minaur (who sixth at Wimbledon. is supposed to face up-and-coming The defending champion dropped American Sebastian Korda). the opening set against Jack Draper, a Still, at least there was tennis being 19-year-old wild-card entry from Eng- played at the venue that hosts the old- land who is ranked 253rd, before even- est Grand Slam tournament. tually showing his best tennis under the Centre Court roof and winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 with the help of 25 aces. Djokovic is halfway to a calendar- year Grand Slam, after trophies at the Australian Open in February and the French Open two weeks ago. The man he came back to defeat in the fi nal at Roland Garros after dropping the fi rst two sets, No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, quickly was bounced out of the All England Club, losing to 57th-ranked Frances Tiafoe of the United States 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in just over two hours at No. 1 Court. TENNIS

Tiafoe had been 0-11 against oppo- nents ranked in the Top 5. “That guy is special. He’s going to do a lot of great things. Win a ton of Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka cel- Grand Slams,” Tiafoe said about Tsit- ebrates winning the first round sipas, then broke into a wide smile and women’s singles match against added: “But not today.” Romania’s Monica Niculescu on In the fi rst women’s match complet- day one of the Wimbledon Tennis Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Britain’s Jack Draper during their first round men’s singles match on day one of the Wimbledon Tennis Cham- ed, Aryna Sabalenka - who is seeded Championships in London, on June pionships in London, on June 28. (AP) No. 2 after defending champion Simo- 28. (AP) Japan ‘backs off’ on forecast of Korda wins Women’s PGA 30 gold medals at Tokyo Games TOKYO, June 28, (AP): Japan is back- Japan is likely to rely on seven core ing off a forecast of how many gold sports - swimming, judo, badminton, medals it will win at the pandemic- track and fi eld, gymnastics, table ten- delayed Tokyo Olympics that are set nis, and wrestling. It will also hope to to open next month. score in the fi ve sports added for To- Predicting performance in Tokyo kyo: baseball, softball, sports climb- to move to No. 1 in world could be a problem for many countries, ing, karate, and skateboarding. not only Japan. The pandemic has dis- The offi cial cost of the Tokyo Olym- rupted qualifying events, thrown train- pics is $15.4 billion, although govern- ing into turmoil, and raised questions ment audits have said it’s much higher. English beats Hickok to claim Travelers title about worldwide tests for doping. All but $6.7 billion is public money. The Japanese Olympic Committee The pressure to hold the games dur- said 30 gold medals was the target just a ing the pandemic is largely fi nancial JOHNS CREEK, Ga., June off and Jessica was making the turn - co-winners by mutual agreement due few months before the pandemic hit. The for the Switzerland-based Interna- though the older sibling had another to darkness; four other events have president of the Japanese Olympic Com- tional Olympic Committee, a nonprofi t 28, (AP): Nelly Korda pow- reason to celebrate. She easily held reached an eighth playoff hole. mittee now says that is no longer the goal. but highly commercial body that earns ered her way to her first down the fourth American spot for the The eight-hole playoff was a record “In regard to whether it’s important 91% of its income from selling broad- major championship with Olympics in Japan for the tournament, which went seven to achieve 30 (gold) medals, I would cast rights and sponsorship. Estimates The Korda sisters each have six holes in 1961 (Ted Kroll) and again in have to answer clearly ‘no,’” Yasuhiro suggest a cancelation could cost the a performance worthy of LPGA Tour victories. Their younger ’62 (Bob Goalby), when it was known Yamashita said IOC $3 billion to $4 billion in broad- her new status as the No. 1 brother, Sebastian, is at Wimbledon as the Insurance City Open. at a news confer- cast rights income. player in women’s golf. this week as the 50th-ranked player in It was the second win this year and ence on Monday. men’s tennis and has a chance to join the fourth career victory for English, He said the fo- Korda nearly holed out with a them in Tokyo for the Olympics. Their who fi nished third at the U.S. Open cus is now off the OLYMPICS 7-wood from 243 yards for a tap-in father is Petr Korda, who won the Aus- last week - and fourth in the pandemic- number of med- eagle, and the 22-year-old Ameri- tralian Open in tennis in 1998. delayed U.S. Open in September. als. Japan has attributed about 14,500 can seized control by using her In Akron, Ohio, Steve Stricker “I think it is a deaths to COVID-19, good by world length from that graceful swing won the Bridgestone Seniors Players common under- standards but worse than many Asian GOLF Championship at diffi cult Firestone for standing (at the neighbors. About 9% of Japanese have for another eagle that sent her to Japanese Olym- been fully vaccinated with the rollout victory in KPMG Women’s PGA his second victory of the year and third Nelly Korda of the U.S. kisses the In Cromwell, Conn., Harris Eng- major title. pic Committee) Yamashita getting faster in the last few weeks. Championship. trophy after winning the KPMG lish birdied the eighth hole of sudden Eight strokes ahead in the third that we want to Primer Minister Yoshihide Suga was She fi nished with a 15-foot par putt Women’s PGA Championship golf death to win the Travelers Champion- round and four in front entering the have each athlete be able to do their at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Monday for a 4-under 68, giving her a three- tournament, on June 27, in Johns ship, beating Kramer Hickok after both fi nal round, Stricker closed with an best and do their utmost,” he added. to focus attention on border protocols shot victory over Lizette Salas at the Creek, Ga. (AP) birdied the fi nal hole of regulation to even-par 70 for a six-stroke victory The United States and China are for athletes and others entering Japan Atlanta Athletic Club. At 19-under force the playoff. over defending champion and Wiscon- predicted to fi nish fi rst and second in for the Olympics and Paralympics. 269, she tied the Women’s PGA re- putt, a three-shot swing when Salas It matched the second-longest sud- sin friend Jerry Kelly. the gold-medal standings, as they did About 15,400 athletes will arrive for cord to par last matched by Inbee Park - who had to lay up on the hole - hit den-death playoff in PGA Tour his- With wife Nicki working as his in Rio and London. China topped the both events, in addition to tens of thou- at Westchester Country Club in 2015. wedge over the green into a bunker and tory. caddie, Stricker finished at 7-under United States in the gold-medal tally at sands of others from more than 200 na- Korda won for the second straight made bogey. Salas closed with a 71. English shot a 5-under 65 to fi nish 273 on the South Course. The U.S. the 2008 Beijing Olympics. tions and territories. week on the LPGA Tour - her third this Korda’s older sister, Jessica, was at 13 under, then made a 16-foot putt Ryder Cup captain opened with a 63, Japan was aiming very high looking A member of the Ugandan Olym- year - and it was enough to become the among the fi rst to embrace her on the on the seventh trip down the 18th hole shot 68 in the second round and 72 for 30 gold. pic contingent tested positive for fi rst American at No. 1 in the women’s 18th green as the tears began to be- of the day. Hickok missed a 36-foot in the third. Five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Ja- coronavirus last week upon arrival world ranking since Stacy Lewis in low, and before long the newest ma- birdie putt on the fi nal hole. Stricker has has seven senior victo- pan won 12 gold medals, and its best at Tokyo’s Narita airport. The re- 2014. Jin Young Ko had held the No. 1 jor champion was doused with cham- The tour record for a sudden death ries after winning 12 times on the PGA was 16 in 2004 at Athens and in 1964 mainder of the team was allowed to spot for nearly two years. pagne. playoff is 11 holes in the 1949 Mo- Tour. He earned a spot in The Players when Tokyo was also the venue. travel to a training camp near Osaka, Korda seized control with an iron Jessica Korda fi nished much earlier tor City Open, when Lloyd Mangrum Championship at the TPC Sawgrass Countries generally get a medal where another member of the party into the par-5 12th for the 8-foot eagle - they shared a hug as Nelly was teeing and Cary Middlecoff were declared next March. bounce from being the host nation. also tested positive.