By Agence France-Presse

A signed dress worn by Serena Williams at her first tournament of the year is being auctioned off to raise funds for firefighters tackling Australia’s unprecedented bushfire emergency.

Williams, who is preparing for this month’s Australian Open at the WTA Auckland Classic, joins a slate of sports stars from around the world who have stumped up memorabilia and cash to help pay for firefighting efforts.

“I have so many friends in Australia and it’s just been really tragic all around,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion said on Friday.

“I just keep asking every day to people back home or in Australia, what can I do? Is there anything I can do? It’s literally devastating for me and I’m sure a lot of other people feel the same way.”

Her outfit, listed as “a bespoke Nike dress made specifically for Serena”, was worn by the American when she beat Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the first round at Auckland. Williams progressed to the tournament’s semifinals on Friday.

Also for sale is a tennis ball signed by Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, as well as a one-hour private training session from Serena’s long-time mentor Patrick Mouratoglou.

The auction closes at midday Saturday (2300 GMT Friday).

Earlier on Friday, Australian cricket legend Shane Warne raised more than Aus$1 million (nearly $700,000) for bushfire victims by auctioning off the “baggy green” cap he wore through his Test career.

It came a day after reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton pledged $500,000 for relief efforts, saying that he had been deeply saddened by reports that over a billion animals had been killed in the fires.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Serena Williams wore down a tenacious Laura Siegemund to make the WTA Auckland Classic semifinals on Friday, as the 23-time Grand Slam winner chases her first title in three years.

Siegemund had upset US teen prodigy Coco Gauff to reach the final eight and kept up the pressure until the first set hit 4-4, when Williams moved up a gear to win 6-4, 6-3 in just under 90 minutes.

Williams showed her class as she broke Siegemund and then held serve to take the first set.

The German claimed her own service break early in the second set but her opponent broke back to level at 3-3 and then commanded the next three games.

Although still troubled by the Auckland wind, Williams said she was determined to prove herself this week as she uses the competition to fine-tune ahead of the Australian Open.

“The conditions definitely didn’t help, so it was good to get through that,” she said.

Williams had her last tournament win at the 2017 Australian Open and before she arrived in Auckland she had not played since losing the US Open final last September.

But she is now in the semifinals of both the singles and doubles in Auckland and said the court time was beneficial in her bid to win a 24th Grand Slam in Australia later in the month.

“The body’s feeling great. I said I wanted to play singles and doubles here so I knew what I was going to be up against and I’m happy to still be in the tournament,” she said.

Her semi-final opponent will be against the winner of the match between third seed Amanda Anisimova and Eugenie Bouchard while the other semi will feature Caroline Wozniacki and Jessica Pegula.

Former World number one Wozniacki, in the penultimate tournament of her storied career, knocked out defending champion and tournament fourth seed Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Unheralded American Pegula, who is yet to face a seeded opponent in the tournament, was up 6-0, 3-2 against Alize Cornet when the Frenchwoman retired hurt with a thigh injury.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Novak Djokovic dropped his first set of the ATP Cup Friday in a titanic struggle with Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, surviving a scare before rallying to guide Serbia into a semi-final against Russia.

The world number two was made to work hard in a hot and humid Sydney by the 14th-ranked young gun before prevailing 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4).

His impressive teammate Dusan Lajovic, buoyed by a huge contingent of Serbian fans at Ken Rosewall Arena, earlier crushed world number 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2.

“This was the closest match I have ever played against Denis. It was so close it could have gone a different way easily,” said Djokovic.

“He was playing some terrific tennis and I want to give a huge round of applause and credit to him. Well done.”

The win sets up a semi-final against Russia, whose two singles players — world number five Daniil Medvedev and the 17th ranked Karen Khachanov — are unbeaten this season.

The other last four clash will see the Nick Kyrgios-led Australia play either Belgium or Rafael Nadal’s Davis Cup-winning Spain, who are on court later Friday.

Djokovic faced Shapovalov four times last year and won each match comfortably.

But the 20-year-old is fast-improving and had already picked up a pair of top 10 wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the tournament.

He came out with guns blazing, stunning Djokovic and his fans by winning the first set.

Rattled, the Serbian superstar steamrolled the Canadian in the second set, winning five games in a row as the boisterous crowd got to Shapovalov, who allowed errors to creep in.

But after a pep talk from team captain Adriano Fuorivia he returned rejuvenated.

The high-stakes third set went with serve until the ninth game when the Canadian lost his footing going for a shot to hand Djokovic a break point, then sent a forehand long to go 5-4 down.

But the drama wasn’t over.

Djokovic was serving for the match and 30-0 in front when a woman was taken ill in the stands and the action was briefly halted.

The Serb threw her a bottle of cold water as medics escorted her out, but it seemed to affect his concentration and he lost the next four points as Shapovalov broke back.

They both held serve to take it to a tiebreaker and Djokovic, as he has so often done before, rose to the occasion when it mattered most.

Lajovic in the zone

World number 34 Lajovic, who has been steadily moving through the rankings and captured his first ATP title last year at Umag, was in the zone against Auger-Aliassime.

He executed his game plan clinically and was tactically spot on, successfully targeting the wayward forehand of the Canadian, who made 32 unforced errors.

“There were so many Serbian people here today they helped me relax and get that energy that I need to play like this,” he said.

“Today, everything was working fine and I was feeling really myself on the court, I feel like everything is going the way it should.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder spoiled Russell Westbrook’s return.

Westbrook scored 34 points, but the Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 113-92 on Thursday night.

Westbrook was a league MVP and two-time scoring champ for the Thunder before being traded to the Rockets last summer for Chris Paul and draft picks.

Westbrook was the last remaining player from the team that began playing in Oklahoma City in 2008 after leaving Seattle.

The fans remember Westbrook as the star who stayed after Kevin Durant left for then-rival Golden State in 2016, and they showered him with appreciation before the game.

There was a tribute video, then loud cheers as he was introduced with enthusiasm, in the same manner as a home Thunder player.

The crowd stood, cheered loudly and even chanted M-V-P as the announcer moved on to other players.

Westbrook even ran over to a corner of the court and exhorted the crowd before the tip, just like he did when he played for the Thunder.

Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points.
Houston’s James Harden was held to 17 on 5-for-17 shooting.

76ERS 109, CELTICS 98

PHILADELPHIA — Josh Richardson scored 29 points, Ben Simmons had 19 and Philadelphia won without injured center Joel Embiid, beating Boston.

Embiid will have surgery Friday for a torn ligament in a finger in his left hand and will be evaluated in one to two weeks. Embiid, averaging 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds in 31 games this season, tore the radial collateral ligament in the ring finger Monday night in a victory over Oklahoma City.

Mike Scott slid into the starting rotation, along with Al Horford, Tobias Harris, Richardson and Simmons. Simmons played center at times and drew a charge on Enes Kanter with 1:45 left in the first quarter.

The Celtics had their own injury scare when Kemba Walker, ejected for the first time in his nine-year NBA career a night earlier, sprained his left thumb. Walker ran into Mike Scott and instantly clutched his hand late in the second quarter. Walker, who scored 26 points on 10-for-20 shooting, tried to shake it off but left for the locker room shortly before the Celtics took a 55-48 lead into halftime.

CAVALIERS 115, PISTONS 112, OT

DETROIT — Kevin Love made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37.9 seconds left in overtime and Cleveland snapped a five-game losing streak.

On a tumultuous day for the Cleveland organization, the Cavaliers rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit and outlasted Detroit at the end. Tristan Thompson had 35 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland coach John Beilein said earlier Thursday that he’d apologized for his comments during a film session the previous day. ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported that Beilein suggested during a Wednesday film session his players were no longer playing “like a bunch of thugs.” Beilein said he meant to say “slugs” in reference to the team’s effort level.

Andre Drummond had 28 points and 23 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons are without star forward Blake Griffin, who had surgery on his left knee.

TIMBERWOLVES 116, TRAIL BLAZERS 102

MINNEAPOLIS — Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Gorgui Dieng had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Minnesota beat Portland.

The Timberwolves held Portland to 13 points on 6-of-22 shooting in the second quarter, the fewest points the Blazers have scored in a quarter this year.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 20 points and eight of the team’s 13 assists. CJ McCollum and Hassan Whiteside each added 15 points.

Minnesota was without star big man Karl-Anthony Towns for the 12th straight game with a left knee sprain.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder spoiled Russell Westbrook’s return.

Westbrook scored 34 points, but the Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 113-92 on Thursday night.

Westbrook was a league MVP and two-time scoring champ for the Thunder before being traded to the Rockets last summer for Chris Paul and draft picks. Westbrook was the last remaining player from the team that began playing in Oklahoma City in 2008 after leaving Seattle.

The fans remember Westbrook as the star who stayed after Kevin Durant left for then-rival Golden State in 2016, and they showered him with appreciation before the game.

There was a tribute video, then loud cheers as he was introduced with enthusiasm, in the same manner as a home Thunder player.

The crowd stood, cheered loudly and even chanted M-V-P as the announcer moved on to other players.

Westbrook even ran over to a corner of the court and exhorted the crowd before the tip, just like he did when he played for the Thunder.

Westbrook scored 18 points in the first half, but the Thunder led 60-48 at the break after shooting 53.8% from the field. The Thunder extended their lead throughout the second half. Westbrook was subbed out with 7:18 remaining.

Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points.

Houston’s James Harden, who entered the night averaging a league-best 38.5 points per game, was held to 17 on 5-for-17 shooting.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

LUCENA CITY — Eleven PBA players will join 13 amateur standouts in the Gilas Pilipinas pool for next month’s first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Leading the group of pros selected are NLEX’s Kiefer Ravena, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar, TNT KaTropa’s Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Ray Parks Jr., NorthPort’s Christian Standhardinger and Columbian’s CJ Perez.

Other PBA players in the pool are Phoenix Pulse’s Matthew Wright, NLEX’s Poy Erram, Blackwater’s Mac Belo and Magnolia’s Marc Pingris, who last represented the country in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

They will join the Gilas Cadets group of Isaac Go, brothers Mike and Matt Nieto, Allyn Bulanadi and Rey Suerte, who were selected by five PBA teams in last month’s special draft.

Thirdy Ravena, Jaydee Tungcab, brothers Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano, Kobe Paras, Dave Ildefonso, Dwight Ramos and Justine Baltazar round out the pool.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial told Manila-based scribes that the pool was discussed during Thursday’s monthly board meeting, though he mentioned that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has yet to name a coach who will call the shots for the qualifiers. Gilas is aiming at a top-two finish in the three-window qualifiers in order to play in the Asia Cup.

The Philippines’ chances of making the continental competition are high after being drawn in Group A along with bitter rival South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.

Gilas takes on Thailand on Feb. 20 and Indonesia on Feb. 23 for the first window.

The second window pits Gilas opposite South Korea on Nov. 27 and Thailand on Nov. 30.

The last window has the Philippines facing Indonesia on Feb. 18, 2021 and South Korea three days later.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

MONTREAL  — Russia’s four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data is heading to sport’s highest court.

The World Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday it has formally referred the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Russia confirmed last month it will appeal the sanction.

WADA imposed a package of sanctions including banning Russia’s name and flag from the Olympics and world championship events in various sports over four years.

There are also restrictions on Russia hosting some major events, and plans to vet Russian athletes who want to compete at major competitions, barring them if they’re implicated in doping cover-ups.

The next stage is for WADA and Russia to each select one of the three CAS arbitrators to hear the case. Those two then select a third judge to lead the panel.

Next year’s Olympics in Tokyo will be the third consecutive edition of the games preceded by a legal battle over Russian doping issues.

Russia is set to be represented by at least three legal teams in what promises to be a complicated case. Besides the Russian anti-doping agency, which is the body officially sanctioned by WADA, the Russian Olympic Committee and the Russian Paralympic Committee have said they want to be represented.

“We’re hoping for an honest and fair ruling in relation to those issues we disagree with,” ROC president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said earlier Thursday, before the case was confirmed, in comments to state news agency Tass.

WADA’s sanctions are “excessive and in most cases illogical,” Pozdnyakov said.

Russia handed over the Moscow lab’s doping data archive in January in return for having earlier sanctions lifted in 2018.

WADA investigators found evidence that Russia was intensively editing the data in the weeks before the handover to remove signs of failed drug tests.

Russian officials have denied any editing took place and offered various explanations. That includes blaming the supposedly unstable structure of the database program for changing the file structure, and alleged interference by former lab director Grigory Rodchenkov, now WADA’s star witness on Russian doping.

WADA says that a concerted attempt was made to frame Rodchenkov by splicing fake chat messages into the database files.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

TOKYO — One of the creative directors for this year’s Tokyo Olympics has resigned following allegations of what is being termed “power harassment.”

Kaoru Sugano stepped away from the position last month and his resignation was confirmed Thursday by the Tokyo organizing committee.

Tokyo organizers said Sugano had been disciplined for conduct at his employer Dentsu, the giant Japanese advertising and marketing agency that is handling much of the promotion for the Tokyo Olympics.

Organizers said in a statement that the resignation will have “no impact” on the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics or Paralympics.

Tokyo organizers said they received Sugano’s official resignation earlier this week in a telephone call.

Sugano was described as a “creative technologist” in a statement last year by the organizers.

Japanese actor Mansai Nomura is the head creative director for Tokyo and will oversee the opening and closing ceremonies. The Olympics open on July 24 and the Paralympics open on Aug. 25.

Dentsu has helped the local organizers line up a record of more than $3 billion in local sponsorship. The Japanese company has also repeatedly been warned about its overtime practices and work environment.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary  — Although she turned 99 on Thursday, even a 9-year-old would have a hard time keeping up with Agnes Keleti’s irrepressible energy and enthusiasm.

Keleti is the oldest living Olympic champion and a Holocaust survivor. She won 10 medals in gymnastics — including five golds — at the 1952 Helsinki Games and at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

Still, speaking on the eve of her birthday at her elegant apartment in downtown Budapest, Keleti hardly wanted to mention her achievements and her long life, which includes adventures and great accomplishments, but also heartbreak and tragedy.

Keleti’s family was decimated during the Holocaust, which she survived thanks in part to assuming a false identity and working as a maid. While her mother and sister also survived, her father and uncles perished at Auschwitz and were among the 550,000 Hungarian Jews killed in Nazi death camps, Hungarian forced labor battalions, ghettos or shot to death into the Danube River.

“The past? Let’s talk about the future,” Keleti said. “That’s what should be beautiful. The past is past but there is still a future.”

Even her Olympic memories seem to center not on her athletic prowess — among Jewish athletes, only American swimmers Mark Spitz and Dara Torres have won more Olympic medals — but rather on the travel opportunities her sporting career offered.

“It’s not the medals that are significant but the experiences that came with them,” Keleti said while holding some of the nine medals she still has (one was reportedly lent to a journalist for a project and never returned). “I loved gymnastics because it was possible to travel for free.”

Even standing on the podium to get her medals didn’t really appeal to her: “I didn’t want to show myself. I loved to do gymnastics.”

After winning a gold medal in the floor exercise at the Helsinki Games, as well as a silver in the team event and two bronzes, Keleti won three individual golds in Melbourne — balance beam, floor exercise and uneven bars — and another in a team event, while also winning silver in the all-around competition and another team event. She could have won even more but an injury kept her from competing at the 1948 London Olympics.

She doesn’t watch sports on television these days, not even the Olympics, which “aren’t very interesting. I prefer mountain climbing.”

The climbing days may be behind her but she seems most happy taking walks around Budapest, where she returned a few years ago after living for decades in Israel, or traveling to places like Barcelona, which she visited last year.

Keleti, who began her gymnastic career at the age of 4 and won her Olympic medals at the hard-to-believe ages of 31 and 35, was also a talented cello player and, after moving to Israel in 1957, taught gymnastics for years.

“I love children and I also love to teach them,” she said.

Asked about the most important thing children should learn, Keleti answered without hesitation: “The joy of life.”

Keleti, whose infectious laugh seems always ready to spring into action, has a favorite prank for those expecting to meet a frail, weak lady entering her 100th year. She extends her hand in greeting, makes sure her grip is good and tight, and suddenly yanks the unsuspecting “victim” toward her with surprising force.

“I’m strong,” she says with a big chuckle after the pull. “And silly!”

While she stopped doing full leg splits on the floor not long ago, she still does them standing up while holding her son Rafael’s hand, or sitting on a couch.

If there’s one issue she continues to have an opinion about, it’s the premature pressure and exhausting exercises young gymnasts may be exposed to.

“That’s not good,” Keleti said. “Tough gymnastics exercises damage their development. It shouldn’t be started early.
“Not to mention that, in the first place, it’s the children’s minds that should be developed, not their bodies.”

What did she do to train her mind?: “I studied languages and I saw the world.”

Keleti has been given a long series of prestigious awards in Hungary and Israel, including being one of Hungary’s 12 “Athletes of the Nation” since 2004 and getting the Israel Prize, considered that state’s highest honor, in 2017.

But, as with her Olympic medals, she doesn’t seem impressed by the recognition of her successes.

“I excelled?” she asks, almost incredulously. “I did what I could and that’s it.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PHOENIX  — Devin Booker is playing some of the best basketball of his career and starting center Deandre Ayton is back in the lineup after missing a long stretch because of a suspension and an ankle injury.

But the Phoenix Suns are still struggling to win basketball games.

It’s been a frustrating month for a franchise that’s hungry to get back to the playoffs after a nine-year absence, which is the second-longest current drought in the NBA. The Suns have dropped 11 of their past 14 games and now have a 14-23 record, which ranks 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference.

“Coach always says that everything you want is on the other side of hard,” Booker said. “I think we’re in the middle of that right now.”

The team’s toughest loss might have been the last one on Tuesday, when the Suns fell 114-103 to the Sacramento Kings. Phoenix had a 21-point lead late in the third quarter before coughing up the advantage and losing its second straight game at home.

“It feels bad when you lose games the way we’ve lost them,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “But as I’ve said before, I was under no inclination that this would be an easy task. I still feel that way. It’s just going to take time to get to the point where we’re playing consistently and feeling good about ourselves.”

The Suns were among the worst teams in the NBA last season, finishing with a 19-63 record, but a flurry of offseason moves had the franchise excited. They added veterans like Ricky Rubio, Aron Baynes and Dario Saric and re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr., who has played well since he was traded from Washington last year.

Then Phoenix started this season with a 7-4 record and optimism soared. But Booker said the main traits that led to the early success — especially a gritty, physical defense — have been missing. He added that there’s nothing the coaches can do to bring it back because it’s on the players.

“That extra 10% from everybody is what we need,” Booker said. “I don’t think we’re talented enough to go in there, go down by 10 and then say we’re going to turn it on and win.”

Booker scored 34 points in the loss to the Kings, continuing his run of prolific scoring. The fifth-year guard is making a convincing case that he should be an All-Star for the first time in his career after scoring at least 30 points in seven straight games, which is a franchise record.

He’s averaging 26.2 points per game and shooting a career-high 51% from the field. But it’s clear he needs more help.

Ayton’s recent return from a 25-game suspension was supposed to provide that help and statistically the second-year player has been productive, averaging 15.4 points and 11.9 rebounds. But his return to the starting lineup has meant other players — like Baynes and Saric — have had their roles change and the adjustment hasn’t been easy.

The good news for the Suns is they’re still very much in the playoff race as the season nears the halfway mark. Just 2 1/2 game separate the six teams between the 8th and 13th spots in the Western Conference.

But the wins have to start coming soon.

“I still am pleased with the way we fight and battle and compete,” Williams said. “We give ourselves a chance every night. We’ve just got to learn how to close the deal.”

Source: Manila Bulletin