6 August 2, 2018 Manchester City Track Iran Serena Suffers Career’s World Cup Star Saman Ghoddos Worst Loss to Konta LONDON (The Sun) - Manchester City are tracking Iran World Cup star Saman Ghoddos. The attacking midfielder helped Swedish club Ostersunds to the Europa League last 32 and was voted Sweden’s top striker in 2017. Ghoddos, 24, came off the bench in all three of Iran’s games in Russia last month and is also comfortable playing up front or out wide. Reports in Sweden say Etihad boss Pep Guardiola had the Malmo-born ace watched last Saturday as he helped Ostersunds Serena Williams is trying to regain her top form after missing most of beat Elfsborg 1-0. the 2017 season. Ostersunds chairman Daniel Kindberg confirmed City’s SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Twenty- least two games since turning pro presence - but was coy about three times major champion Serena in 1995. the Premier League champions’ Williams has suffered the worst As poorly as Williams played, interest in his prize asset. loss of her storied career, falling 6-1 the 27-year-old Konta was sharp, He said: “Maybe City are 6-0 to Britain’s Johanna Konta in firing six aces and smacking 17 watching many players in Europe. the first round of the Silicon Valley winners to Williams’ nine while “Have they contacted us about Classic. controlling the tempo of the Ghoddos? You never know.” Iran star Saman Ghoddos After a routine hold to start the match. Chinese clubs have already match, Williams lost the next 12 “She obviously wasn’t playing made huge contract offers to going there right now. games for Ostersunds so far this parents’ home country last year. games in a one-sided affair that at her best level, nowhere near it, Ghoddos. “I am far too young to move to season. The former Syrianska star has lasted less than an hour, stunning and I really just tried to play the He said: “It is sick money, but China just yet.” He won two caps for Sweden in since won 11 caps for Carlos the partisan crowd of 3,000 at match on my terms,” said Konta, I’m not really thinking about Ghoddos has hit ten goals in 20 friendlies before switching to his Queiroz’s Iran side. San Jose State University. who won the tournament two Those expecting to see Williams years ago. continue to battle back after a “I tried to put aside the Tottenham Beat Milan in Final U.S. Tour Game difficult child birth last year were incredible champion she is and left disappointed as the 36-year- just play the player of the day,” LONDON (Dispatches) - French possession in front of 31,000 at old committed 25 unforced errors she said. winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou US Bank Stadium, their Serie to Konta’s nine and managed to “I felt I did better than her on gave Tottenham a 1-0 win over AC A opponents had three times as put just 41 percent of her first the day but it’s still a humbling Milan in their final U.S. tour game. many shots. serves into play. experience to be out here with The 23-year-old finished a Patrick Cutrone went closest “I think she played well in the her.” driving run by firing a shot past for the Rossoneri, with Michel second set and I think I wasn’t With the loss Williams falls Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Vorm palming away the Italian’s sharp at all in the first set and she to 11-4 since returning to the 47th minute, for his second goal point-blank header. Jose Mauri got confident and she clearly ran tour and will look to bounce of pre-season. sliced a shot wide in injury time. away with it,” the American said back when she competes in the It was Spurs’ second win in Meanwhile, Son will after the loss. Cincinnati Open next month, three games, having beaten miss South Korea’s games Williams, who lost the another hard court tune-up ahead Roma and lost to Barcelona on against the Philippines and Wimbledon final earlier this of this year’s U.S. Open. penalties on the tour. Kyrgyzstan in January, as well month to German Angelique Konta will face American They face Girona in a friendly as an international friendly in Kerber, had never lost a match teenager Sofia Kenin in the on Saturday, before their Premier November. before where she did not win at second round. League opener at Newcastle on Spurs only lost to Barcelona on penalties on the U.S. tour Spurs and South Korea have 11 August. agreed a compromise which Spurs started six academy Georgiou, George Marsh, Oliver Heung-min both came on for the will see Son playing at the Asian Iraq Withdraw From Asian players in Minneapolis - Luke Skipp and Kyle Walker-Peters. final half-hour. Games, which run from 18 Amos, TJ Eyoma, Anthony Christian Eriksen and Son While Spurs had more August to 2 September. Games Football Tournament HONG KONG (Reuters) - Iraq have off the original entry list. withdrawn from the football tournament That meant two of the six groups Rockets Remain Interested in Former Warriors Guard of this month’s Asian Games in Jakarta, swelled from four teams to five, but HUSTON (Dispatches) - Carmelo a player option worth nearly $19.3 potentially throwing the competition Iraq’s withdrawal now means one Anthony was expected to clear waivers. million in 2019-20. into turmoil less than two weeks before group - containing China, Timor Leste At that point, all indications point Last season, the 29-year old kickoff. and Syria - will feature just three towards him signing with the Rockets. averaged career highs in points The Iraq Olympic Committee countries. If and when that happens, it doesn’t (12.9), assists (3.5) and steals (1.5), have pulled the team from the event, The Olympic Council of Asia, the mean that Houston is closed for while shooting a career-best 39.4 according to a source in Baghdad, organizers of the Asian Games, have business this summer. percent from deep. and the decision will leave officials yet to respond to a request from The Rockets are currently active in Bazemore began his career with needing to address an imbalance in the Reuters for comment. the trade market and are interested Golden State, appearing in 61 games opening phase of the tournament. A source at the Iraq Football in Hawks shooting guard Kent in 2012-13 and 44 games in 2013-14. Last week the Asian Football Association had initially denied Bazemore, a source told Kelly Iko of He was traded to the Lakers in Confederation conducted a redraw reports the team would be removed The Rockets Wire. February 2014 for Steve Blake. of the competition’s group stage to from the competition and that the Bazemore will make just below Bazemore and Steph Curry are good add Palestine and the United Arab squad’s preparations were being $18.1 million next season and has friends... Emirates after the pair had been left finalized following the completion of a training camp in the northern city of Erbil. Earlier this week, football officials Defending Champion Axelson Advances at Worlds were reported to have been fired over NANJING, China (Dispatches) - Defending Thailand’s Phetpradab Khosit in a match that first half of the match, then we both played their involvement in the selection world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark has lasted 50 minutes. Chen started slowly as Khosit harder in the second half,” Chen said. of overage players for the nation’s defeated Huang Yuxiang 21-17, 21-8 to advance repeatedly attacked the front of the net, but Chen Chen will next face Goh Jin Wei of Malaysia, under-16 team after they were stopped to the round of 16 at the badminton world eventually pulled away for the win. who upset No. 14 seed of Japan. at passport control on their way to championships. “When today’s match started, I still needed to Defending world champion participate in a regional tournament. The match was tied 16-16 in the first game adapt myself and mentally prepare myself for the of Japan defeated Canada’s Rachel Honderich The withdrawal of Iraq’s footballers before play was suspended for roughly 10 match,” said Chen. 21-11, 21-9 to advance. follows a decision by the Philippines minutes as organizers dealt with water that was Chen will next face 14th-seeded Kenta In men’s doubles, top-seeded Indonesians not to send the nation’s basketball dripping on the court. Nishimoto, who also won on the day. Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukalmujo advanced team to Jakarta in the aftermath of When play resumed on a different court, Fifth-seeded Kidambi Srikanth beat Pablo with a win over Han Chengkai and Zhou their on-court brawl with Australia Axelsen won 5 of the next 6 points to clinch the Abian of Spain, while No. 6 seed Kento Momota Viktor Axelsen of Denmark hits a shot Haodong of China. They will face 10th-seeded during a recent World Cup qualifier. game. He maintained this momentum into the continued to shine in his 21-8, 21-10 victory against Duarte Nuno Anjo of Portugal Vladamir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov in the next The football tournament at the Asian second game, as he cruised to an easy victory. over Austria’s Luka Wraber. Momota will play in their men’s singles match during the round. Games begins on August 10 and “When when we changed courts, I knew that Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the round of 16. badminton World Championships in On the women’s side, No. 1 seed Chen features teams made up of players both the light and wind was different, so I tried In women’s singles, China’s top-ranked Nanjing, Jiangsu province on July 30, 2018. Qingchen and defeated Ekaterina 23 years of age and under. Coaches to focus on that and came really aggressive. shuttler edged Gregoria Tunjung of Bolotova and Alina Davletova 21-13, 21-14. The are permitted to select three overage Luckily that paid off in the end,” said Axelsen. Indonesia 21-17, 22-20 in a closely contested “The opponent and I seemed to be equally win sets up a clash with fellow countrywomen players. Two-time world champion beat match. competent. We reached a stalemate during the and in the round of 16. The final will be played on Sept. 1.