The Fiji Times

Lauren Bruce nails national record in hammer, closes in on Olympics spot

It takes a lot to impress athletics super coach Dale Stevenson who tracks the progress of Kiwi shot put great Tom Walsh on a daily basis. But Lauren Bruce achieved that in a performance that puts the young Cantab within touching distance of the Tokyo Olympics. Bruce produced the standout showing of Athletics New Zealand’s...

Halep to meet Pliskova in Italian Open title clash

ROME (Reuters) – Top seed Simona Halep overcame Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Sunday to reach the Italian Open final and stay on course for her third straight WTA title. Halep, who skipped the U.S. Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, won the Dubai title before the Tour was suspended and lifted the Prague...

Five players out of French Open qualifying due to COVID-19

(Reuters) – Five players have been withdrawn from the French Open qualifying tournament after two players and a coach tested positive for COVID-19, organisers have said. The qualifiers will begin later on Monday, with the main draw set to commence on Sept. 27. “The Roland Garros tournament directors can confirm that two players competing in...

Pillay reigns

Sheraton bowler Kushal Pillay is keen to win a medal for Fiji at the next World Singles Champion of Champions after claiming the Masters Singles Championship title for the third year in a row. Pillay made a three peat after defeating fellow Sheraton teammate Rajnesh Prasad 21-7 in the final of the First Pacific Investment...

Promoter plans big show

The Kiran Boxing Promotions plans to stage four programs in the country next year which will feature local and overseas boxers. KBP launched its lone program for this year in Nadi last week which is set to take place at Prince Charles Park on November 28. It will feature Jese Ravudi and Ronald Naidu battling...

Ingles determined to end Australia’s basketball medal drought with Tokyo 2020 gold

SYDNEY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – The pursuit of Tokyo 2020 success has taken Australia’s basketball team to the “next level”, according to guard Joe Ingles. The Boomers have yet to reach the podium at a World Cup or Olympic Games but have come within touching distance in recent years. Australia fell agonisingly...

‘It is what it is’: Wolff settles for second after charmed U.S. Open run

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (Reuters) – American Matthew Wolff’s howl was reduced to a whimper in the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday, as his charmed run for a maiden major golf title came up short. Locked in a two-man race with hard-hitting Bryson DeChambeau in his first-ever U.S. Open, the 21-year-old couldn’t match his...

DeChambeau wins US Open by six shots

A bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau bashed his way to a six-shot U.S. Open victory, silencing any lingering questions as to whether his brawny game could translate to the major stage. World number nine DeChambeau, who began the day two shots back of U.S. Open debutant Matthew Wolff, used a mix of jaw-dropping drives and clutch putts...

Djokovic battles past Ruud to reach Italian Open final

ROME (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic was made to work hard by Casper Ruud in blustery conditions before the world number one got past the unseeded Norwegian 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach the Italian Open final. The Serbian had to save two set points in the first set before finding his groove to reach his...

Nadal stunned by Schwartzman in Rome quarter-finals

(Reuters) – Defending champion Rafa Nadal crashed out of the Italian Open with a stunning 6-2 7-5 defeat by Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals on Saturday. The nine-times Rome champion, who had won all nine previous meetings against Schwartzman, struggled with his serve throughout the match and made a series of uncharacteristic unforced errors...

‘I’m not perfect,’ says Djokovic after losing cool at Italian Open

(Reuters) – Less than two weeks after being disqualified from the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic’s frustration boiled over once again as he smashed his racket in a fit of rage during his 6-3 4-6 6-3 win over Dominik Koepfer in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Saturday. The top-ranked Serb was broken to love in the...

Lee withdraws from U.S. Open after 18th hole meltdown

(Reuters) – New Zealand golfer Danny Lee withdrew from the U.S. Open citing a wrist injury after a disastrous finish to his third round on Saturday left him 13 strokes behind leader Matthew Wolff. Lee fired rounds of 70 and 75 to make the cut at an unforgiving Winged Foot but carded an eight-over par...

McIlroy fights back to stay in contention at U.S. Open

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (Reuters) – Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy clawed his way back up the leaderboard at Winged Foot on Saturday, carding a two-under par 68 after a second round slump had threatened to derail his latest U.S. Open campaign. The 31-year-old had to recover from a brutal performance on Friday that saw him stumble...

European Tour to allow 650 spectators per day at Scottish Open

(Reuters) – A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian next month, the European Tour said on Friday. The European Tour gave the green light to the trial with 650 spectators per day for the Rolex Series tournament, which has been rescheduled from...

1,000 fans at Italian Open better than none, says Djokovic

ROME (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic on Friday welcomed the Italian government’s decision to allow up to 1,000 spectators for the final two days of the Italian Open in Rome. Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said...

Reed grabs U.S. Open halfway lead, Tiger misses cut

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (Reuters) – Former Masters champion Patrick Reed put his sterling short game on display to grab the U.S. Open halfway lead on Friday while Tiger Woods finished well outside the cut in windy conditions that humbled many of the game’s top golfers. Reed only hit five fairways on a tough scoring day at...

Osaka withdraws from French Open with hamstring injury

(Reuters) – Japan’s Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the upcoming French Open with a hamstring injury, she said on Thursday. The 22-year-old had her left hamstring taped when she battled back against Victoria Azarenka in the U.S. Open final in New York on Saturday to win her third Grand Slam title. “Unfortunately, I won’t be...

Yankees blast Blue Jays, belt record six homers in third straight game

Brett Gardner, DJ LeMahieu, and Luke Voit homered in a span of three pitches with one out in the fourth inning when the New York Yankees became the seventh team in baseball history to homer five times in an inning during a 10-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday night. The Yankees hit 19...

Thomas grabs U.S. Open lead, Mickelson falters

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (Reuters) – World number three Justin Thomas fired his lowest opening score in a major and held a one-shot lead after the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, while Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods were among a slew of big-name players well off the pace. Thomas, who has one top-10 finish...

Basketball star Maya Moore now wed to wrongfully jailed man she helped free

Basketball star Maya Moore has married Jonathan Irons, the Missouri man she helped work to free from prison after a 22-year-old wrongful conviction. Moore and Irons appeared together on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday (NZ time) to discuss their social justice efforts – and their relationship. Moore revealed that the two married this year,...

‘Prayers going up for Logan’: Floyd Mayweather reportedly set to fight YouTube star Logan Paul

Boxing great Floyd Mayweather is reportedly set to come out of retirement for a bizarre exhibition fight with YouTube personality Logan Paul later this year. The American superstar hasn’t fought professionally since his 2017 win over Conor McCregor, which took his record to a perfect 50-0, with 27 knockouts. He also travelled to Japan for...

LeBron, Giannis unanimously selected to All-NBA First Team

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo unanimously were selected to the 2019-20 All-NBA First Team, the league announced Wednesday. James set the NBA record with his 16th All-NBA Team selection, surpassing the 15 set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. James’ total includes a record 13 selections...

Nadal makes fast start in Rome, Tsitsipas out

ROME (Reuters) – Nine-times champion Rafa Nadal showed little signs of rust when he played his first match in 200 days as he beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-1 in the Italian Open in Rome on Wednesday. Nadal, who received a bye into the second round, has not played a tournament since winning...

Ex-head of world athletics Diack given jail sentence for corruption

PARIS (Reuters) – Lamine Diack, once one of the most powerful people in athletics, was convicted in France on Wednesday of running a clique that covered up Russian doping in return for bribes worth millions of dollars and sentenced to spend at least two years in jail. The 87-year-old former head of world athletics’ governing...

Big Ten to start its college football season next month

(Reuters) – The Big Ten Conference changed course on Wednesday saying there will be college football this year after having earlier postponed play amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Big Ten, which includes football powerhouses Ohio State and University of Michigan, said it will begin play the weekend of Oct. 23-24. Under pressure from student...

Hockey reps back on the field

The Lautoka Hockey Association has re-commenced its activities and is holding mixed 5 a-side tournaments after the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have started with the mixed men’s and women’s 5 a-side competitions,” said association president Marcel Hicks. “There are four teams competing for top honours each week. “The format of the tournament enables...

Gymnastics abuse claims: Human Rights Commission now involved

The Human Rights Commission is now looking into alleged abusive practices in gymnastics. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the commission was “in discussions with stakeholders regarding this issue”. The spokesperson said the commission does not comment on whether complaints have been received “as we do not want to undermine the confidential nature of the complaints...

US Open: Ryan Fox predicts Winged Foot course will provide ‘brutal’ test

Ryan Fox’s one and a half practice rounds at Winged Foot Golf Cub were more than enough for him to conclude this week’s US Open is set to be the toughest test of his career. Tougher than two years ago at Shinnecock Hills, when he shot 14-over at the 118th US Open and finished tied...

Australia hold nerve to win thrilling ODI decider against England

Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey struck centuries in a 212-run stand to help Australia reach their target of 303 with two balls remaining and secure a one-day international series win over England on Wednesday (Thursday NZT). Mitchell Starc started the third and deciding ODI by taking wickets from the first two balls of the match,...

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