The Fiji Times

Wozniacki seeks repeat at wide-open WTA Finals

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The women’s tennis season concludes at the WTA Finals in Singapore next week and, like a majority of tournaments during the 2018 campaign, picking a winner from a wide-open field seems a near impossible task. With Serena Williams battling to regain fitness and top form following a difficult childbirth in 2017, the...

Motorcycling – Dovizioso on pole in Japan, Marquez to start sixth

TOKYO (Reuters) – Italian Andrea Dovizioso piled the pressure on championship leader Marc Marquez by qualifying in pole position for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix while the Spaniard will start in sixth. Honda’s Marquez can win a fifth MotoGP title with a win at Motegi but Dovizioso, his closest rival in the championship race, showed he...

Suva zone 1: Marist Brothers, Saint Marcellin retain zone titles

MARIST Brothers Primary School managed to retain their title today in the boys division at the Suva Zone 1 meet at the ANZ Stadium at Laucala Bay, Suva. Marist team track coach Bill Momo said trying to defend their title was quite difficult for them in the zone because there was a lot of competition....

Bred Bank wins charity golf tournament

BRED Bank walked away as the Telecom Ambrose charity golf winners. This was followed by team Ernest and Young at second place, team Standss at third Place, Telecom at fourth place and team B W Holdings at fifth place. More than 16 teams participated in the challenge to showcase their skill in an effort to...

Fiji Drua secures historic NRC home final with brave comeback

THE Fiji Airways Drua side made a brave comeback and stole the win away from Canberra Vikings to secure a historic NRC home final next weekend. Downed 23-7 early in the second spell, the Fijians gave the visitors a good taste of their own medicine countering their big forward with huge hits and waves of...

Wimbledon brings in final set tiebreak

LONDON (Reuters) – Wimbledon will introduce a final set tiebreak starting from next year’s Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), organisers said on Friday. After a period of consultation with players and officials, the AELTC ruled that the tiebreak will be played when the score reaches 12-12 in the final set of...

Lopetegui sure Real will rise from slumber

MADRID (Reuters) – Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui is convinced his stuttering, goal-shy team can turn things around and have a season to remember as he prepares for a vital La Liga game at home to Levante on Saturday. Real are fourth in the standings after eight games and only two points behind surprise leaders...

Uluinakau retains Nasinu challenge shield

THE Uluinakau 15s rugby team has retained the Nasinu rugby union challenge shield after they defeated Flick Vatuwaqa 15-5 today at the St Marcellin Primary School ground in Suva. The Uluinakau 15s team was boosted by the presence of its rugby 7s players who helped the team defend the title for two consecutive challenges since...

Keita to miss Liverpool’s trip to Huddersfield

(Reuters) – Liverpool will be without injured midfielder Naby Keita for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Huddersfield Town but defender Virgil van Dijk has recovered from a rib problem, manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday. Keita, who has featured in all eight league matches for the club so far, went off with a muscle problem...

European Leagues group calls for more level playing field

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A proposal aimed at reducing the financial gulf between the continent’s richest clubs and the rest was put forward by the European Leagues group (EL) on Friday. The umbrella group representing Europe’s domestic football leagues said it would ask UEFA to allocate fewer Champions League group stage slots to teams from the...

Barcelona not considering swoop for Neymar, says vice-president

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Barcelona have no plans to re-sign Neymar from Paris St Germain, the club’s vice-president Jordi Cardoner said on Friday, knocking down media reports the La Liga champions were ready to tempt the Brazilian forward back to the Nou Camp. Neymar won two La Liga titles and the 2015 Champions League in four...

Calls for change in treatment

“WE have to see the children and not the disability,” said Nadi Special School teacher and head of the Nadi team Ulaiasi Ravugatini. Ravugatini with 48 students and 11 teachers have been part of the 2018 Fiji Council of Special Educators (FCOSIE) games which ended yesterday at the ANZ Stadium in Suva. “There is still...

Fiji Drua’s call: Seruvakula pleads for fans’ support

FIJI Airways Drua coach Senirusi Seruvakula has urged the public to turn out in numbers to support the side in the historic first home National Rugby Championship semi-final against Canberra Vikings at Churchill Park in Lautoka this afternoon. Fiji Drua’s home games have recorded average crowd with it being shown live on free to air...

Primary school IDC: Ba and Suva wins U12 and U14 titles

THE 43rd Vodafone Fiji Primary Schools Football Association Inter District Championship ended at Churchill Park in Lautoka today. Ba won the under-12 title after defeating Labasa 1-0 in the final. Namosau Methodist School student Jone Ralulu was the hero for the ‘Junior Men in Black’ scoring the lone goal in the fourth minute. Suva took...

DM Matamanoa Black 7s team secures a spot

DM Matamanoa Black 7s team, which comprise some Fiji Airways national 7s team players, has secured a spot in the Turnbull Namamanuca Primary School 7s tournament in Yanua Village in Malolo this afternoon. Sevuloni Mocenacagi, Waisea Nacuqu, Alosio Naduva, Kalione Nasoko and Vatemo Ravouvou made his presence felt to down the Pacific Island Air Yasawa...

Man United’s Shaw agrees new five-year contract-reports

(Reuters) – Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has agreed a new five-year contract at the Premier League club after a strong start to the season, according to British media reports. Shaw’s United career has been interrupted by poor form and injuries since he joined the club from Southampton for 27 million pounds ($35.37 million) in...

Tennis star Wozniacki signs deal to launch her own crypto token

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki signed a deal with a Singaporean company to launch her own crypto token on Thursday, with the firm saying it hoped ex-soccer star Michael Owen or boxer Manny Pacquiao would be the first to sell such a token next year. Global Crypto Offering Exchange (GCOX) lists Pacquiao and...

Ba, Labasa in U12 final

BA will be out to avenge last year’s semi-final loss to Labasa when they meet in the under-12 final of the 43rd Vodafone Fiji Primary Schools Football Association Inter District at Churchill Park in Lautoka this morning. The two teams outplayed their opponents in the semi-finals yesterday. The physically built Labasa outfit defeated Lautoka 1-0....

Kikau visits academy

RUGBY Academy Fiji founder Seremaia Bai thanked Penrith powerhouse and Fiji Bati player Viliame Kikau for giving sports gear to the players. In the academy Facebook page, Bai wrote “sports change lives in Fiji and you will only understand it if it changed yours,” he said. “We were fortunate to have our very own superstar...

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Osaka plans to stay ‘weird’ in ever-changing career