By Agence France-Presse

The ATP and WTA announced measures aimed at combatting the spread of deadly coronavirus on Saturday, days before the start of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California.

“As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to cause concern on a global scale, the ATP and WTA have jointly announced a series of precautionary health measures that will be implemented on-site at upcoming events including the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Miami Open presented by Itau and WTA’s Volvo Car Open in Charleston,” a joint statement from the men’s and women’s tours said.

Under the new measures, players and mascots won’t hold hands when they walk on court. Ball kids at the tournaments will be provided with gloves and won’t handle player towels or drinks during matches.

Players will be instructed not to distribute used towels, headbands, shirts and sweatbands — which are sometimes tossed to fans as souvenirs.

Players also won’t accept pens, tennis balls or other items to  be signed.

“The health and safety of our players, fans, staff and tournament personnel is paramount and, as the outbreak of COVID-19 continues, these are common sense precautions for us to take,” the ATP and WTA said.

“We continue to monitor this closely on a daily basis, working with our players and tournaments, as well as public health authorities as the situation evolves globally.”

The tours said the measures would be at all events “through the 2020 spring season.”

Indian Wells tournament advisers had already announced precautionary measures for the event, including gloves for ball kids, food workers and volunteers taking tickets.

More than 250 hand-sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the facility and common areas will be cleaned daily with an anti-viral application.

The tournament also announced Friday that it would offer refunds, or credit for the 2021 edition, to fans who purchased tickets but don’t want to attend.

As of Saturday, 150,000 people in 95 countries had been infected with the virus and 3,556 people had died.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss Saturday’s NBA game against the Philadelphia 76ers after being diagnosed with the “seasonal flu”.

The Warriors added Curry had “no specific risk factors for COVID-19,” the coronavirus which has affected people in more than 60 countries and killed at least 16 in the United States.

“This morning Stephen Curry was diagnosed with influenza A by a positive viral testing …. He has the seasonal flu,” the team announced on Twitter.

“We have begun treatment for Stephen and instituted our team protocol for influenza exposure.”

The Warriors said Curry would miss Saturday’s NBA game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of illness. They did not say how long he would be out.

Curry was sidelined just two day after making his much-anticipated return from injury.

Curry missed four months after breaking his left hand on October 30.

He returned on Thursday with a 23-point performance in the Warriors’ loss to the Toronto Raptors in a rematch of the NBA Finals.

The Warriors were also missing forward Draymond Green, who was sidelined a fifth straight game with a knee injury.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday
(OCBC Arena, Singapore)
4 p.m. — Singapore vs Alab Pilipinas

Justin Brownlee finally gets his long-overdue debut as San Miguel Alab Pilipinas returns from a two-week layoff against the host Singapore Slingers in the ASEAN Basketball League at the OCBC Arena.

Brownlee, who finally joined the team after several delays, is expected to provide the needed lift in the 4 p.m. match which will see Alab try to solidify its hold on second spot in the regional league.

The game will also mark the first appearance of new import John Fields, who will face the team he helped reach the ABL Finals last season.

Fields is someone Alab hopes would serve as an upgrade over his predecessor Sam Deguara going into the final 10 games of the campaign that has been hit by numerous delays due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Alab hasn’t played since its 99-79 home win over the Saigon Heat last Feb. 23 after its games against the same team, Hong Kong Eastern and Formosa Dreamers were postponed to a later date.

Coach Jimmy Alapag is hoping that the long respite would be beneficial for Brownlee and Fields in terms of getting themselves familiar with the team.

Singapore is the first of a busy stretch for Alab that will see them play three games over the next seven days, barring any additional postponements.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Sunday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:30 p.m. — Leo Awards/Opening

7:30 p.m. — San Miguel vs Magnolia

San Miguel Beer will finally provide a glimpse of how it can retain supremacy in the season’s most important tournament sans June Mar Fajardo as it battles Magnolia to kick off the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fajardo’s absence is expected to loom large in the 7:30 p.m. contest which will see the Beermen try to start their campaign on a winning note against the Hotshots in the rematch of the last two Philippine Cup title showdowns.

With Fajardo expected to miss at least the whole duration of the conference due to a fractured shin, SMB could play a more up-tempo game that may give Terrence Romeo the opportunity to play a more-prominent role.

But whether Romeo has fully recovered from a sprained ankle he sustained in a preseason game will be known once SMB and Magnolia usher in the 45th season of the pro loop.

The performances Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, Mo Tautuaa and Von Pessumal will also be crucial in the chances of the Leo Austria-coached Beermen.

Magnolia is also determined to start its own title bid with a win behind Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Chris Banchero and new addition Jackson Corpuz.

The game comes after the league recognizes the top achievers from last season’s in the Leo Awards set at 4:30 p.m.

Fajardo is favored to win an unprecedented sixth straight Most Valuable Player award against closest pursuers Jayson Castro of TNT KaTropa, Christian Standhardinger of NorthPort and CJ Perez of Columbian.

Perez, NorthPort’s Robert Bolick, TNT KaTropa’s Ray Parks Jr. and Rain or Shine’s Javee Mocon are top contenders for the Rookie of the Year plum while members of the Mythical Team will also be known.

Also to be handed are the Most Improved Player, All-Defensive Team and Sportsmanship Award.

The traditional parade of teams and muses will be held following the Leo Awards.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

LeBron James and Anthony Davis scored all but one of Los Angeles’ points in the final quarter as the Lakers rallied to beat the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks 113-102 and clinch a playoff spot on Friday.

The dynamic duo combined for 67 points as James scored 11 of his team-high 37 points in the final quarter and Davis scored 14 of his 30 in the fourth in the clash between the teams with the league’s best records.

The two stars played keep away from their teammates and would have shut out the rest of their bench had guard Alex Caruso not made a free throw with 14 seconds left on the clock and the game out of reach for Milwaukee.

“I am extremely tired,” said James, who also had eight rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes of playing time.

The Lakers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013, ending a seven-year tailspin.

Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had a double double with a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. He was matched up against James for much of the evening.

The Lakers earned a measure of revenge with Friday’s win. In their initial meeting this season on December 19 in Milwaukee, the Bucks defeated the Lakers 111-104.

Antetokounmpo played a huge role in that victory with 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

“He got to the free-throw line a lot,” said James of Antetokounmpo on Friday. “He is such a great player. I just wanted to keep a body in front of him and make it tough on him.”

Kyle Kuzma, with 11, was the only other Laker to finish in double figures while the Bucks had five in double figures.

The Bucks led by as much as nine in the first half before the Lakers forced a tie 48-48 at halftime. Davis was limited to five points in 10 first-half minutes because of foul trouble.

James also talked about the possibility of playing NBA games without fans in the arena due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

The league sent a memo to each team on Friday asking them to develop contingency plans to combat the spread of the virus. One of the alternatives is playing games behind closed doors.

“Nah. It’s impossible,” said James. “If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans in the crowd, then I ain’t playing.

“I ain’t never played the game without no fans. Ever since I started. This ain’t Europe.

‘Ain’t playing’

“I play for my teammates and I play for the fans. That’s what it is all about.”

The Lakers have another difficult opponent on the weekend. On Sunday they face Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in second place behind the Lakers in the Western Conference standings.

James said he wants to enjoy their third win in a row for a few hours before he starts thinking about how to play the Clippers.

“I am going to get some rest tonight. Get a good dinner and a glass of wine, maybe two. Then lock in on Clippers tomorrow,” James said.

Elsewhere, Josh Hart scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and rookie Zion Williamson tallied 17 points as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three-game winless streak with a 110-104 win over Miami on Friday.

This was the first game in the last 14 that rising star Williamson scored fewer than 20 points, but the host Pelicans still managed to pull out the victory in front of a crowd of 18,300 at the Smoothie King Center.

Brandon Ingram woke up in the fourth quarter to offset a poor shooting night by making two key late jump shots. Ingram made just four of 20 shot attempts.

Jrue Holiday scored a team high 20 points and Lonzo Ball had 16 in the win.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 for the Heat, Duncan Robinson scored 24, including eight three pointers. Goran Drajic scored 15 and Andre Iguodala had 10 for Miami, who saw their four-game winning streak stopped.

Robinson broke the Heat’s single-season record of 227 three-pointers which was previously held by Wayne Ellington.

Elsewhere, Mike Conley scored 25 points thanks to some brilliant three-point shooting as the Utah Jazz overcame a poor performance from Donovan Mitchell to beat the injury-riddled Boston Celtics 99-94.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

LeBron James and Anthony Davis scored all but one of Los Angeles’ points in the final quarter as the Lakers rallied to beat the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks 113-102 and clinch a playoff spot on Friday.

The dynamic duo combined for 67 points as James scored 11 of his team-high 37 points in the final quarter and Davis scored 14 of his 30 in the fourth in the clash between the teams with the league’s best records.

The two stars played keep away from their teammates and would have shut out the rest of their bench had guard Alex Caruso not made a free throw with 14 seconds left on the clock and the game out of reach for Milwaukee.

“I am extremely tired,” said James, who also had eight rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes of playing time.

The Lakers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013, ending a seven-year tailspin.

Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had a double double with a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. He was matched up against James for much of the evening.

The Lakers earned a measure of revenge with Friday’s win. In their initial meeting this season on December 19 in Milwaukee, the Bucks defeated the Lakers 111-104.

Antetokounmpo played a huge role in that victory with 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

“He got to the free-throw line a lot,” said James of Antetokounmpo on Friday. “He is such a great player. I just wanted to keep a body in front of him and make it tough on him.”

Kyle Kuzma, with 11, was the only other Laker to finish in double figures while the Bucks had five in double figures.

The Bucks led by as much as nine in the first half before the Lakers forced a tie 48-48 at halftime. Davis was limited to five points in 10 first-half minutes because of foul trouble.

James also talked about the possibility of playing NBA games without fans in the arena due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

The league sent a memo to each team on Friday asking them to develop contingency plans to combat the spread of the virus. One of the alternatives is playing games behind closed doors.

“Nah. It’s impossible,” said James. “If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans in the crowd, then I ain’t playing.

“I ain’t never played the game without no fans. Ever since I started. This ain’t Europe.

‘Ain’t playing’

“I play for my teammates and I play for the fans. That’s what it is all about.”

The Lakers have another difficult opponent on the weekend. On Sunday they face Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in second place behind the Lakers in the Western Conference standings.

James said he wants to enjoy their third win in a row for a few hours before he starts thinking about how to play the Clippers.

“I am going to get some rest tonight. Get a good dinner and a glass of wine, maybe two. Then lock in on Clippers tomorrow,” James said.

Elsewhere, Josh Hart scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and rookie Zion Williamson tallied 17 points as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three-game winless streak with a 110-104 win over Miami on Friday.

This was the first game in the last 14 that rising star Williamson scored fewer than 20 points, but the host Pelicans still managed to pull out the victory in front of a crowd of 18,300 at the Smoothie King Center.

Brandon Ingram woke up in the fourth quarter to offset a poor shooting night by making two key late jump shots. Ingram made just four of 20 shot attempts.

Jrue Holiday scored a team high 20 points and Lonzo Ball had 16 in the win.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 for the Heat, Duncan Robinson scored 24, including eight three pointers. Goran Drajic scored 15 and Andre Iguodala had 10 for Miami, who saw their four-game winning streak stopped.

Robinson broke the Heat’s single-season record of 227 three-pointers which was previously held by Wayne Ellington.

Elsewhere, Mike Conley scored 25 points thanks to some brilliant three-point shooting as the Utah Jazz overcame a poor performance from Donovan Mitchell to beat the injury-riddled Boston Celtics 99-94.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida, where Muhammad Ali honed his skills under Angelo Dundee in the 1960s, is where Filipino champion John Riel Casimero trains for his April 25 battle with Naoya Inoue in Las Vegas.

“Same site as the old Fifth Street Gym where Ali used to train,” said Casimero’s chief handler Sean Gibbons.

The original gym was torn down in 1993 and a new gym was built and it opened in 2010.

Still, Gibbons said it stands on the same ground as the one that was called home not only by Ali but by George Foreman and Sugar ray Leonard as well.

The gym was also where a string of famous shots of Ali with The Beatles was taken in 1964.

Casimero will remain there until March 15, the day he and his team fly to Las Vegas for the final push of the buildup.

Casimero left the Philippine early last month and has been neck-deep in training the last four weeks.

Meanwhile, Inoue is also about to head to the US from his home in Yokohama on the advice of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, which is staging the much-awaited fight at Mandalay Bay.

Owing to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Top Rank is expediting Inoue’s departure for the US.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Stefanos Tsitsipas displayed another jaw-dropping performance in crushing Jeson Patrombon 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday to give Greece the 3-1 tie victory against the Philippines in the World Group II Davis Cup playoff tie at the Philippine Columbian Association claycourt.

The world No. 6 sensation turned the 62-minute match into a light workout, overpowering Patrombon on all fronts to steer the Greeks into Group II for the first time since 2014.

The win also reduced the fifth match between Jed Olivarez and Petros Tsitsipas into a dead rubber.

“I can’t wait for our next opponents in Group II. Hopefully, we’ll be more prepared and it fits my schedule. I really want to represent Greece one more time,” said Tsitsipas.

With the loss, the Filipinos are relegated to the Regional Group III in June/July or September.

Tsitsipas set the tone for the Greeks on Friday by toppling AJ Lim 6-2, 6-1 in the first singles before his younger brother, Petros, dominated Patrombon in a similar 6-2, 6-1 fashion.

But Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales briefly breathed life for the PH Cuppers with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Petros and Markos Kalovelonis on Saturday’s doubles.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

STA. ROSA, Laguna – Guido Van Der Valk pulled through in a gripping battle of nerves and wits that stretched up to the final hole, claiming the hotly disputed The Country Club Invitational crown by one with a par against Clyde Mondilla’s wet bogey at the TCC course here Saturday.

Van Der Valk blew a three-stroke lead with six holes left in calmer conditions as Mondilla charged back with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 but the Dutchman toughened up in the stretch, matching the Del Monte star’s pars in the next three before outwitting him on the Tom Weiskoph-designed layout’s tough finishing hole that had decided many an outcome in this highlight event of each Philippine Golf Tour season.

“That was stressful,” Van Der Valk said after clinching it with a pressure-packed five-foot par putt on the 18th for a 75 and a seven-over 295 total.

But it was all worth the stress and tension as he did not only join the elite circle of TCC Invitational winners and keep the foreign bets’ run in the event after Koreans Micah Shin and Kim Joo Jyung reigned the last two years. But he also pocketed the top purse of P1.5 million, more than his combined P1 million earnings in his first two victories.

The victory, the first in wire-to-wire fashion in 15 staging of the blue-ribbon event, thus kept Van Der Valk’s amazing start in the PGT the past three seasons. He scored his maiden win at Eagle Ridge, the kickoff leg of the 2018 circuit, and ruled the Club Filipino de Cebu, the first official event of the tour’s milestone 10th season after the TCC Invitational last year.

“It was all consistency. I was leading the whole time – had a good start in the first two rounds and I tried to hang on from there as good as I could,” said Van Der Valk. “Even without the wind, it was so stressful to play this course. Every hole, there is really something that makes it difficult. I was just lucky to hold on.”

It was a sorry setback for Mondilla, who had appeared headed for a big finish after that birdie-birdie blast to tie but failed to get it through the treacherous closing hole for the second straight day and dumped his approach shot into the water. He wound up with a bogey and settled for a 74 for a 296 worth P700,000 in a follow-up to his earnings of $17,500 after ruling the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic of PGT Asia last January.

Staying ahead by two after 54 holes, the Lelystad, the Netherlands native cracked under early pressure and bogeyed two of the first six holes, enabling Mondilla to draw level with a birdie on No. 7.

But Van Der Valk recovered and pounced on his rival’s bogeys in the next two, including a two-shot swing on the ninth with a birdie to regain a three-stroke lead at the turn. After both bogeyed the 10th, however, Mondilla cashed in on his own two-shot swing on No. 13 (birdie-bogey) then birdied the next to force a tie again at seven-over overall, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.

It was practically a mano-a-mano in the final round of the P5 million event, held to honor the memory of ICTSI founder Don Pocholo Razon, as Jay Bayron, Tony Lascuña and Rupert Zaragosa, the other contenders after three rounds, all bowed out with over-par scores, enabling Reymon Jaraula to snatch third place at 301 with one of the day’s two-best scores of 72 worth P400,000.

Michael Bibat wound up fourth at 306 after a 74 and received P300,000 while Lascuna, winner here in 2004, and Zaragosa both skied to 79s and dropped to joint fifth at 305 with Zanieboy Gialon (74), Spain’s Marcos Pastor (76) and Keanu Jahns (77). Each got P186,000.

Bayron limped with six bogeys and two double bogeys for a birdie-less 82 and tumbled to 10th at 306, just a stroke ahead of 2013 winner and legend Frankie Miñoza, who closed out with a gutsy 73.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales breathed life for the Philippines on Saturday after edging Petros Tsitsipas and Markos Kalovelonis 7-6 (5), 6-4, for its first win against Greece in their World Group II Davis Cup playoff tie at the Philippine Columbian Association claycourt.

Pumped up by the energetic crowd, Alcantara and Gonzales showed chemistry especially in the crucial stretches despite playing together for the first time since 2017.

The Greeks are still ahead 2-1 in this best-of-five affair with Stefanos Tsitsipas playing against Jeson Patrombon as of this writing in hopes of closing the tie in their favor.

The other reverse singles pit Petros against AJ Lim.

The Greeks took a commanding 2-0 lead in Friday’s singles with Stefanos trouncing Lim, and Petros routing Patrombon with similar 6-2, 6-1 scores.

“The crowd was amazing. There’s a big reason why we played very well: it’s because of them,” said Gonzales on his first Davis Cup tie in three years.

“The crowd pumped us. We were down na, but it was the crowd who gave us the energy to keep going,” Alcantara said.

The Filipinos banked on their strong start at the tiebreak after with a 4-1 lead and held on to set the rhythm. However, they briefly lost steam with a 3-1 deficit in the second frame before pulling themselves up.

Petros and Kalovelonis credited the Filipinos’ talent and resolve.

“It was a very good game for both teams. We had some ups and downs especially in the tiebreak, but they played really good. They had good chemistry. Hopefully we get some benefits from this match,” said Petros.

“We tried our best. The level of game today was really close. We lost some important points and in this high level of matches, those small points matter,” said Markos.

Source: Manila Bulletin