Posts

Posted on

England must turn potential into points in pivotal clash with Australia | Robert Kitson

With hosts stung by agonising losses and Wallabies eager to impress before Lions tour, much is at stake for both sides

Some games shape entire seasons and, for both England and Australia, another one is looming. Nail the Wallabies convincingly and the home side will believe their fortunes are finally reviving. Permit the visitors a morale enhancing first win in south-west London since the 2015 Rugby World Cup, on the other hand, and the horizon will darken swiftly.

England have already lost five of their past seven internationals dating back to Murrayfield in February. Next week the current world champions are due at Twickenham and, after a brief subsequent reunion with Eddie Jones’s Japan, the first two rounds of next year’s Six Nations championship pit Steve Borthwick’s team against, respectively, Ireland and France.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Coco Gauff sinks Aryna Sabalenka to set up WTA Finals showdown with Zheng

  • American outlasts world No 1: 7-6 (4), 6-3 in Riyadh
  • Zheng Qinwen beats Barbora Krejcikova in first semi

When Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff stared each other down just a month ago in Wuhan, Gauff clearly had the edge as she methodically established a set and break lead. But then, out of nowhere, her serve spectacularly crumbled. Although she fought valiantly until the end, she was torpedoed by an astounding 21 double faults.

Having already been a presence on the tour for half a decade, it is sometimes easy to forget that, at 20 years old, Gauff is still growing, still a work in progress. Throughout this week, the American has shown the results of some of that progress as she arrived in Riyadh with significant adjustments in her game and she has used them to play some of the best tennis of her career. On Friday, Gauff produced a superb performance against Sabalenka, the world No 1, to reach the final of the WTA Finals with a spectacular 7-6 (4), 6-3 win.

Continue reading...