By Agence France-Presse

The 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber lost in three grueling sets as Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached the quarter-finals for a third time on Monday.

The 30th seed Pavlyuchenkova won through against the German 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in 2hrs 37mins to set up a last-eight clash with Garbine Muguruza in Melbourne.

The 28-year-old Pavlyuchenkova has now reached the quarter-finals three times in the last four years — but has never got any further in the Grand Slam.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Coaches have welcomed the WTA Tour’s decision to allow them to help players from the stands this season after the issue became a hot-button topic in the wake of the 2018 US Open final when Serena Williams was controversially penalized.

Williams’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou gestured to Williams during her defeat by Japan’s Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows, leading to a code violation and sparking a heated row between the American great and the chair umpire.

Coaching from the stands would still be banned at Grand Slam events but the top women’s tour was quoted by ESPN.com as saying it would trial the new system at all WTA Premier and International tournaments this year.

Darren Cahill, coach of women’s world number three Simona Halep, said it was a step in the right direction.

“I think as an industry, a coaching industry in tennis, it’s important that we do evolve and do this,” he said on Monday.

“I’m really for it. I think the WTA is doing a good thing.”

The WTA, which has allowed players to call their coaches onto court at certain points during matches, said in the ESPN report: “The new trial will allow coaches to coach their player in the form they are currently coaching from the box without getting penalized.

“Whether it’s verbal words of encouragement or few words when their player is on the same side of the court to any hand signals, such coaching as it takes place now from the box will be allowed.”

Australian Cahill said he would have little to offer from the box, even in similar situations to Monday when his player Halep was yelling at the stands and whacking her racquet into the ground.

“Even today, you know, if I was allowed to coach today, you’d be surprised how little coaching the coaches will do if they’re allowed to do it,” said Cahill, who has also worked with Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.

“The reason why probably a lot of it goes on at the moment is because you’re not allowed to do it so you’re trying to get the sneaky coaching message across.

“But if you were allowed to do it, it’s a simple one line, ‘Hey, Simona, hold your line’. Okay, that’s coaching. But it’s not over-the-top coaching.”

Artemon Apostu-Efremov, who is also part of Halep’s coaching staff, hoped the trial would be a success.

“I think it’s a step that should have been taken quite a while ago, because coaches are part of the game,” he said.

“Mostly in all the sports you see coaches interact with the athletes.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Hanah Tabios

A day before Kobe Bryant’s tragic death Monday in Calabasas City in Los Angeles, the City of Valenzuela unveiled what could now be considered a tribute to one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Now called “House of Kobe,” the court was originally built as a convention center in Barangay Karuhatan. But Valenzuela City 2nd District Representative Eric Martinez, the House committee chair on youth and sports development, told the Manila Bulletin that a group of artists had painted a huge mural of Kobe Bryant on the cemented fence, prompting them to transform it into a basketball court.

The artwork even had a text: “Heroes come and go but legends are forever.”

Martinez said the inauguration accidentally coincided with the Black Mamba’s death.

Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash which left millions of fans from across the globe devastated.

The fans paid tribute by remembering him as a great man on and off the court.

Reports claim Bryant had “no friends” in a basketball game. But his “Mamba Mentality” had influenced a lot of people in many ways than he could not imagine. The NBA superstar also runs a foundation for the homeless for many years.

“Noon ngang inauguration noong Sunday sabi ko sa microphone, I am calling on Kobe Bryant na if bumalik siya sa Pilipinas, please visit Valenzuela City,” said Martinez, a diehard fan of the Lakers legend.

Martinez said the court was also adorned with other Lakers memorabilia, including T-shirts hung on the side railings, as well as images of Bryant’s teammates like NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal whom he had a celebrated feud before.

He said the court even served as a makeshift funeral on Monday for mourning fans who also offered candles and flowers outside.

The city, in fact, is famous for its hoops courts inspired by other NBA teams like San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, among others.

Martinez said “House of Kobe” was the sixth.

At around 10 a.m. Sunday (US time) news broke out that a helicopter had crashed in a hilly aread I Calabasas City.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Former champion Stan Wawrinka battled past Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2 2-6 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 victory on Monday.

Medvedev came into the contest having won both their career meetings at Grand Slams in four sets but the 2014 Australian Open champion took the opening set with a double break of the Russian’s serve.

Medvedev, who lost to Rafa Nadal in five sets in last year’s US Open final, leveled the contest by breaking Wawrinka twice in the second and nosed ahead in the match with a break in the seventh game of the third.

But Wawrinka refused to yield and took the fourth set tiebreaker comfortably before breaking Medvedev twice in the fifth to set up a quarter-final against either German seventh seed Alexander Zverev or 17th seed Andrey Rublev of Russia.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic led the tennis world in mourning for “mentor” Kobe Bryant on Monday after Melbourne Park awoke to the news that the NBA great had died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and seven others.

Djokovic had spoken fondly of his relationship with the former Los Angeles Laker in an interview at the weekend and the 16-times Grand Slam champion signed off his Tweet of condolence with the words: “RIP my friend”.

“My heart truly mourns over the news today. Kobe was a great mentor and friend to me,” the Serbian wrote.

“You and your daughter will live forever in our hearts. There are not enough words to express my deepest sympathies to the Bryants and every family suffering from this tragedy.”

Multiple Grand Slam champion doubles pairing and Lakers fans Bob and Mike Bryan played their final match at Melbourne Park before retirement with yellow tape on the backs of their legs marked with Bryant’s shirt number, 24, and nickname, Mamba.

Djokovic’s great rival Rafa Nadal also joined a cavalcade of top players in expressing his condolences, declaring his “shock” at the news of the death in California of one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players.

“I woke up this morning with the horrible news of the tragic death of one of the greatest sportsman in the world,” the Spaniard wrote.

Nadal, chasing his 20th Grand Slam title, plays his fourth round match later on Monday against Australian Nick Kyrgios, who is a massive NBA fan.

Djokovic said at the weekend Bryant had helped him when he was battling an elbow injury and was struggling to “mentally and emotionally handle” working his way back to the top.

“He was one of the people who was really there for me to give me some very valuable advice and guidelines to kind of believe and trust in myself, trust the process that I’ll be back,” he told ESPN.

“I’m very grateful to him for being there for me, for being very supportive. I love Kobe, who doesn’t? He’s an amazing guy and one of the best basketball players and athletes of all time.”

Djokovic was clearly not alone in receiving support from Bryant, with 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, who was knocked out in the first round this year, also stunned by the news.

“This is incredibly difficult to process,” wrote the Russian.

“I will never forget your generosity, and the time you set aside in some of my most difficult moments. I am forever grateful. My heart is with you and your beautiful family.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

The sporting world was plunged into mourning on Sunday as news of Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash spread leaving the rich and famous, presidents, Hall of Famers and ordinary fans stunned.

A true global superstar, the depth of Bryant’s popularity quickly surfaced as reports were confirmed that the Los Angeles Lakers great had been killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven others when his helicopter crashed in a remote field near the city of Calabasas.

As the deaths were confirmed social media exploded in grief while television programming was interrupted to report on the tragedy with video showing smoke billowing from the crash site as first responders put out the flames.

US President Donald Trump was among the first to take to Twitter to express his shock.

“Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!” tweeted Trump.

Trump and former US President Barack Obama agree on little but were united in their grief over the five-time NBA champion’s untimely passing.

“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,” Obama wrote on Twitter.

Where Bryant’s death hit close to home was on the basketball courts, where his skill and personality made him one of world’s most recognisable and popular athletes.

“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning.

“He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary: five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals.

“He will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.”

But perhaps it was three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade who best expressed the disbelief and sadness that washed over the league, tweeting: “Nooooooooooo God please No!”

Two of the greatest players of all-time, Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, praised Bryant as one of the best ever to set foot on the court but noted he was an even better person.

“Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players,” tweeted Abdul-Jabaar. “But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete.”

No group was left more devastated than the Lakers family that Bryant had been a part of for 20 seasons as a player.

“As I try to write this post, my mind is racing. I’m in disbelief and have been crying all morning over this devastating news that Kobe and his young daughter, Gigi have passed away in a helicopter crash. Cookie and I are heartbroken,” Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter.

As a slate of NBA games tipped off on Sunday, teams and players searched for ways to pay tribute to the man they knew as “Mamba”.

The NBA champions Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs honored Bryant by both choosing to run out the shot clock on their opening possessions.

It was not just basketball fans left blindsided by Bryant’s death, as tributes poured in from other athletes, other sports, on other fields, golf courses and arenas around the globe.

In France, Brazil soccer international Neymar dedicated his goal scored from a penalty for Paris St Germain at Lille in a Ligue 1 match on Sunday to Bryant, holding up two and four fingers (Bryant’s retired jersey number), putting his hands together in prayer and bowing before the crowd.

“It’s very sad for the world of sport and for all of us, not just for the basketball fans as he did so much for sport in general,” said Neymar. “I hope he will rest in peace.”

“A legend in one sport who loved, and was loved in, ours,” tweeted FIFA, world soccer’s governing body.

It was not just the sports world left crushed as Bryant’s popularity cut across cultures and countries.

Being a Hollywood fixture, the death of Bryant, who also won an Oscar to go along with his five NBA titles, sent shockwaves through the music, entertainment and business worlds as well.

“It can’t be. You always encouraged me mamba. Gave me some of the best quotes that we smile about to this day! Love you man!” tweeted singer Justin Bieber.

At the end of the day those impacted most, however, were Bryant’s ordinary fans, who took to social media in millions in an outpouring of sadness.

“Feels like a bad dream,” wrote Twitter user @mischiefluis. “Kobe’s the reason I love the game. My super hero. My heart breaks for his family and the other 4 individuals involved.

“Let’s keep the memory of Kobe alive.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Hydrogen will be used for the first time to power the Olympic torch during its journey through Japan, organizers said on Monday, as part of Tokyo 2020’s efforts to hold an environmentally friendly Games.

Organizers aim to offset all carbon emissions generated during the Games and also use the Olympics to boost awareness of environmental issues in Japan.

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee said certain stages of the torch relay will use hydrogen, which emits no carbon dioxide when it is burned, and it will also fuel the ceremonial Olympic Cauldron featuring in the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.

Hydrogen will be used to power the torch on its journey through the prefectures of Fukushima and Aichi, as well as parts of Tokyo, with gas used in other stages of the relay.

“During its preparations for the Games, Tokyo 2020 has consistently promoted energy conservation and the use of renewable energy with the aim of supporting the realization of a carbon-neutral society,” the organizers said in a statement.

About 500 hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles will also be used during the Olympics, which run from July 24 to Aug. 9.

Other initiatives to cut the environmental impact of the Games include beds made from recyclable cardboard in the athletes’ village, Olympic medals made from recycled consumer electronics and the torches themselves, formed of aluminum waste.

The torch relay begins in Fukushima on March 26 and will visit all 47 of Japan’s prefectures ahead of the July 24 opening ceremony.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO

Filipino champion Pedro Taduran didn’t waste time in whipping himself into form when he worked out just hours after arriving in Mexico on Sunday.

Taduran makes the first defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) mini-flyweight against Daniel Valladares on Feb 1 in the city of Nuevo Leon.

The boxer’s team left Manila on Saturday morning and upon landing in Mexico, the 23-year-old he went to the gym where he skipped rope and ran on the treadmill as his lead trainer Tacy Macalos, a former world champion, watched his every move.

Taduran had won the IBF 105-lb crown last September, stopping fellow Filipino Samuel Salva in four rounds.

One of just four reigning Filipino world champions apart from

Manny Pacquiao, Jerwin Ancajas and Johnriel Casimero, Taduran faces a livewire foe in Valladares, whose top victim is the previously unbeaten Filipino Christian Araneta.

But Art Monis, the champion’s chief handler insists that his ward is more than ready to bring the title back.

“Tiwala ako kay Pedro. Maganda ang paghahanda nya sa labang ito,” said Monis.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Tiger Woods played the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego on Sunday unaware his good friend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.

The news broke while Woods was in the early part of his round, and though it spread around Torrey Pines quickly, caddie Joe LaCava refrained from telling his boss during the round.

LaCava finally gave the news to Woods as the pair were walking from the 18th green to the scoring room.

“Excuse me!” a clearly shocked Woods said without breaking stride.

Woods, a lifelong Lakers fan, emerged about five minutes later and briefly signed autographs before speaking with the media.

“Joey realized that I was locked into trying to (win and) didn’t want to distract me with this type of news,” Woods told reporters.

“I didn’t really understand why people in the gallery were saying ‘Do it for Mamba’ but now I understand.”

‘Black Mamba’ was Bryant’s nickname.

Woods, at 44 three years older than Bryant, was still processing the news of his friend’s death. The pair are among a select few sportsmen famous enough to be universally known by only their first name.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Source: Manila Bulletin