Other Sports
Serena to begin 2020 season with return to Auckland
(Reuters) – Former world number one Serena Williams will begin her 2020 season with a return to the Auckland Open in January, her first appearance at the tournament since she was ousted in the second...
Blake blasts back with 100m Diamond League win, eyes world champs
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Former world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica edged Britain’s Adam Gemili in a photo-finish to win the 100 meters at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting on Sunday. Both sprinters were given the same time of 10.07 seconds, with Blake declared the winner. “It was coming,” said Blake, the 2011 world champion...
Tiger leaves door open to playing on Presidents Cup team
(Reuters) – U.S. Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods said on Monday he may select himself to play for the team in December but he would need to see how sharp his game is before making the call. Woods was not among the top eight players to automatically qualify for the squad after he finished 13th...
Stephens splits with coach Groeneveld ahead of U.S. Open
(Reuters) – American Sloane Stephens has parted ways with her coach Sven Groeneveld less than a week before the U.S. Open gets underway, the former champion has said. Stephens, who only teamed up with Dutchman Groeneveld in May, has not announced a replacement ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam, which begins on Monday. “After...
20th August
Basketball clinic aimed at encouraging kids on the importance of staying healthy
THE Hoops for Health Basketball clinic organized by Basketball Fiji drew in many children from around the Suva area in its attempt to raise awareness against non-communicable diseases. The clinic is being held at the Damodar City car park and will end on Thursday. Program organizer Kenneth Taliu said the program was aimed at encouraging kids...
Former Fiji golden girl breaks multiple records in Australia
FORMER Fiji weightlifter Eileen Cikamatana has risen to the top of the world after breaking 46 weightlifting records and three world records all in one day during the Australian National and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Sydney over the weekend. The former Fiji Commonwealth Games gold medallist now plying her trade in Australia was reported by...
One for the ages – Cikamatana breaks 46 records in one day
EILEEN Cikamatana has written her name in history books after breaking 46 weightlifting records including three world records during the Australian National and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Sydney last weekend. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist now plying her trade in Australia is now the No.1 junior weightlifter in her category in the world by 50...
Relieved Thomas wins BMW Championship by three strokes over Cantlay
(Reuters) – Justin Thomas faltered in the final round at the BMW Championship on Sunday but held on for an ultimately comfortable three-stroke victory at Medinah in suburban Chicago. He carded a closing four-under 68 to finish on a 25-under-par total of 263, while fellow American Patrick Cantlay shot a 65 for second place on...
WTA roundup: Keys downs Kuznetsova to win Cincinnati title
Madison Keys served 13 aces and won the fifth singles title of her career on Sunday when she posted a 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the Western & Southern Open near Cincinnati. The 16th-seeded Keys registered 43 winners while overcoming 33 unforced errors to outlast Kuznetsova in one hour,...
Marathon man Medvedev beats Goffin for Cincinnati crown
(Reuters) – Russian Daniil Medvedev survived cramps and tantrum where he cracked a racquet to clinch his first Masters 1000 title on Sunday with a 7-6(3) 6-4 win over David Goffin in the final of the Cincinnati Masters. Medvedev saved two breaks points while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set before...
19th August
38 vie for top title
THIRTY-EIGHT sailors participated during the annual Vuda Regatta which ended at the Vuda Marina in Lautoka yesterday. The championship attracted sailors from as far as Savusavu and Suva. The participants competed in the optimist sailing, laser sailing and hobie cat sailing categories. Vuda Sailing Championship race master and Vuda Marina representative Lisa Philip said this...
Sam Lee to compete in Vanuatu open
TOP local-based professional Sam Lee will be out to better his performance when he participates in the Vanuatu Golf Open which starts at the Port Vila Golf and Country Club on August 27. Lee finished in fifth position last year carding a score of 12 under par. The event was won by Australian Ryan Gaske...
18th August
Osaka retires at Cincinnati with knee injury
(Reuters) – World number one Naomi Osaka retired from the Cincinnati Masters with an apparent knee injury on Friday, less than two weeks before the start of her U.S. Open title defence. Osaka was trailing American Sofia Kenin in the third set of their quarter-final in Cincinnati when she sought treatment on her left knee....
Tiger’s charge fizzles in second 71 at BMW
Tiger Woods was unable to keep a mid-round charge going Friday and will have to rally over the weekend at the BMW Championship in order to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship. Woods traded a pair of birdies and bogeys over his first nine holes at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago to make the...
Relentless Djokovic beats Pouille to reach semi-finals
(Reuters) – Novak Djokovic wore down Lucas Pouille after an even first set, dispatching the Frenchman 7-6(2) 6-1 in a Cincinnati Masters quarter-final in Ohio on Friday. The match was much closer than when the pair met in the Australian Open semi-finals in January, when Djokovic conceded only four games before going on to win...
17th August
Korean Ambassador’s tae kwon do cup a success
THE Korean Ambassador’s Cup Taekwondo Championship is gaining popularity since its introduction to Fiji six years ago. With the successful competition this week by the Korean Embassy in Fiji more athletes, especially young people in Fiji and from around the region are taking up the sport. Korean ambassador to Fiji, Shinhee Cho believes tae kwon...
Federer stunned by Russian qualifier Rublev in Cincinnati
(Reuters) – Fearless Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev needed just over an hour to beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday, the Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion suffering his quickest defeat for 16 years. The 21-year-old Rublev, who broke the third seed in his first two service games,...
Osaka survives Hsieh to reach quarters in Cincinnati
(Reuters) – World number one Naomi Osaka survived a tough test against Hsieh Su-Wei and eked out a 7-6(3) 5-7 6-2 victory to reach her first ever quarter-final at the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday. Osaka, who lost to Hsieh at the Miami Open in March, admitted a day earlier that the Taiwanese challenger was an...
Thomas and Kokrak in BMW driver’s set as Woods stalls
(Reuters) – Justin Thomas and Jason Kokrak matched the Medinah course record with seven-under 65s to share the first round lead at the BMW Championship on Thursday while a fit-again Tiger Woods struggled to get anything going and finished the day six off the pace. A shot behind the leading pair were 49-year-old Jim Furyk,...
16th August
Schools basketball tournaments play a vital role: Puamau
BASKETBALL Fiji chief operating officer Laisiasa Puamau said the organisation of secondary schools basketball tournaments played a vital role in scouting talents for the national level. The Fiji Secondary Schools Basketball competition ends today with 49 teams battling for the winning title. Puamau said the competition had showcased raw talent from schools all over the...
Barty beats Sharapova, Halep survives scare in Cincinnati
(Reuters) – Top seeded Ash Barty overcame a slow start to defeat Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1, while Simona Halep battled past Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6 7-5 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday. French Open champion Barty double faulted to give Sharapova a 2-1 lead in the first set and it looked...
Woods ready to play in BMW Championship
(Reuters) – Tiger Woods says he is ready to play golf again this week after the former world number one withdrew from last week’s Northern Trust due to back pain. Woods arrived on Tuesday at Medinah, Illinois, venue for this week’s BMW Championship, and said he would play in the second event of the FedEx...
15th August
Yat Sen remains unbeaten at schools basketball meet
DEFENDING champions Yat Sen Secondary School under-19 boys have remained unbeaten going into the second day of the Fiji Secondary Schools Basketball Championship at the Yat Sen Hall in Suva. The school won in their first game yesterday against western giants Natabua High School 27-17 at the Yat Sen Secondary Schools hall. Team captain Rusiate...
Venus stuns holder Bertens in Cincinnati, Serena withdraws
(Reuters) – Former world number one Venus Williams, playing what she called “smart” tennis, beat defending champion Kiki Bertens 6-3 3-6 7-6(4) in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday before her sister Serena withdrew due to back problems. Serena, who was forced her to retire from the Rogers Cup final on Sunday...
Simbine on world mission but rues Semenya absence
LONDON (Reuters) – South African sprinter Akani Simbine will look to become the fastest man on earth at next month’s world championships but he will run with a heavy heart that his compatriot and friend Caster Semenya will not be joining him in Doha. Simbine, 25, has enjoyed a stellar year in preparation for his...
Djokovic shakes off rust, Federer rolls in Cincinnati
(Reuters) – Novak Djokovic survived a nervous start to see off Sam Querrey 7-5 6-1 at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday as the world number one returned to competition for the first time since beating Roger Federer in last month’s epic Wimbledon final. Seven-time Cincinnati champion Federer, also playing his first match since Wimbledon, was...
