Sport
Monday, 10 September 2018 03:37
Serena Williams fined $17K for rules violations at US Open
Serena Williams was fined a total of $17,000 for three code violations during her loss to Naomi Osaka in the U.S. Open final. On Sunday, a day after the match, the tournament referee’s office docked Williams $10,000 for “verbal abuse” of chair umpire Carlos Ramos, $4,000 for being warned for coaching, and $3,000 for breaking her racket. The money comes out of her prize money of $1.85 million as the runner-up to Osaka, whose 6-2, 6-4 victory on Saturday made her the first tennis player from Japan to win a Grand Slam singles title In the second set’s second game,…
Monday, 10 September 2018 03:36
US Open 2018: Novak Djokovic beats Juan Martin del Potro to win title
Novak Djokovic produced an impeccable performance to beat Juan Martin del Potro in the US Open final and win his 14th Grand Slam title. The 31-year-old Serb won 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to earn his third triumph in New York and equal American great Pete Sampras' haul of major trophies. Djokovic, who won Wimbledon in July, will climb to fourth in the world after back-to-back Grand Slam victories. Only great rivals Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17) have won more. Argentine third seed Del Potro, 29, was playing his first Grand Slam final since winning the 2009 US Open,…
Sunday, 09 September 2018 04:10
Osaka claims U.S. Open title after Serena meltdown
Naomi Osaka became Japan’s first Grand Slam singles champion after she thumped Serena Williams 6-2 6-4 in a controversial U.S. Open final on Saturday, with the American suffering a mesmerizing meltdown after being handed a code violation. It was drama-filled conclusion to a final that was rich with storylines but will now go down as one of the most controversial Grand Slam finals of all time. There was much riding on the match for both women, with Osaka bidding to become the first man or woman from Japan to lift a Grand Slam singles title and Williams poised to equal…
Sunday, 09 September 2018 04:08
AFCON Qualifiers: Ahmed Musa leads Nigeria to victory over Seychelles
Ahmed Musa justified the captain’s armband handed to him on Saturday as he scored the opening goal in the Super Eagles’ 3-0 win over Seychelles in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series. Super Eagles who lost their opening game of the qualifiers against South Africa 15 months ago, needed victory on Saturday to get back on track in their quest to make it to AFCON 2019. The Coach Gernot Rohr’s side started brightly against Seychelles and they did not have to wait for too long as Musa continued from where he stopped from the World Cup in Russia; giving…
Friday, 07 September 2018 03:40
Minister inaugurates National Anti-Doping Committee
Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung, on Thursday inaugurated members of National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) with a charge on them to ensure Nigeria’s compliance with anti-doping policies. The minister said that the inauguration had placed Nigeria in the league of nations, committed to promoting clean competition in sports. Dalung listed the terms of reference of the committee to include: working on the necessary executive and legislative instrument for the establishment of National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs). He said the committee would act as an Extra-Ministerial Department/Agency that would promote and coordinate the country anti-doping activities in line with World…
Tuesday, 04 September 2018 03:51
AFCON Qualifiers: Three Super Eagles stars ruled out of tie
Three Super Eagles players from the original roster of the 24 invited for the September 8 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Seychelles have been ruled out of the crucial tie. The affected trio as announced by Nigeria Football Federation on their official twitter handle are Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi, and William Troost Ekong. It is understood that Torino wing-back Ola Aina pulled out of international duty with Nigeria after sustaining a muscular injury. The player on loan from Chelsea limped off during the 1-0 Serie A win over SPAL on Sunday night. According to reports from Italy, more…
Monday, 03 September 2018 04:14
Serena Williams hits 18 aces in US Open win; Isner into QF
Serena Williams’ yells of “Come on!” crescendoed right along with the tension in a fourth-round U.S. Open match that began as a rout and suddenly became riveting. When she ripped a backhand winner to claim the third set’s opening game Sunday, Williams let out her loudest shout of the day, leaning forward and rocking both arms. This turned into a test, and she passed it. Williams reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for a 10th consecutive appearance — she wasn’t there last year because she gave birth to her daughter during the tournament — by picking her level up after…
Saturday, 01 September 2018 03:48
Serena matches her easiest win over Venus in US Open rout
Serena Williams equaled her most-lopsided victory ever in 30 professional meetings with sister Venus, beating her 6-1, 6-2 on Friday night in the third round of the U.S. Open. Serena shook off an early ankle injury to win seven straight games and seize control in perhaps her most dominant performance since giving birth to her daughter a year ago Saturday. The sisters’ earliest meeting in a Grand Slam tournament in 20 years was over early, with Venus unable to do anything to blunt Serena’s power, even after the crowd tried desperately to get behind her early in the second set.…
Wednesday, 22 August 2018 05:22
NFF leadership tussle: Dalung dares Osinbajo
Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung appears to be taking the Nigeria Football Federation leadership tussle personal, as he released a statement yesterday, which contradicted the stand of the Federal government of Nigeria, which recognised Amaju Pinnick the president of the NFF. On Monday, the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo issued a release, which authenticated the Amaju lead board in a bid to avoid suspension by the world soccer governing body, FIFA that had threatened to suspend Nigeria by Monday 20 August.But Dalung said the crisis cannot be wished away with a wave of a finger as it dated back…
Thursday, 16 August 2018 06:36
Victor Moses quits international soccer
Victor Moses has announced his immediate retirement from international football to concentrate fully on his club career. The 27-year-old Chelsea wingback made the shock announcement on Twitter on Wednesday, dealing a major blow to Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr’s plans for the Cameroon 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.Nigeria were beaten 2-0 by South Africa in their first group qualifying match in Uyo last year, and the three-time African champions need a convincing win over Seychelles next month to keep qualification hopes alive.In his statement, Moses said he informed Rohr that he had decided to call time on his six-year international…
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Tuesday, 14 August 2018 04:56
France 2018: Falconets break Chinese hearts, face Spain in quarter-finals
The Super Falconets on Monday advanced to the quarter-finals of the France 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup in dramatic fashion, after grabbing a last-gasp equaliser against China in Dinan-Lehon. The Nigerians needed a draw to advance in second place alongside Group D leaders Germany and were lucky to progress after a stoppage time own-goal by the Chinese themselves cancelled out Linyan Zhang’s 41st minute strike to break the Asians hearts.Two-time finalists Falconets have reached the quarter-finals of every edition of the competition but it looked like this enviable record would be broken at the Stade du Clos Gastel when Zhang…
Friday, 10 August 2018 04:53
Falconets beat Haiti 1-0 to keep quarterfinal hope alive
Rasheedat Ajibade’s first-half penalty kick on Thursday afternoon was enough to see Nigeria’s Falconets edge Haiti 1-0 in Group D at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018 to secure a crucial three points, keeping their knockout round qualification hopes alive.The Falconets needed a win badly to keep their hopes of a qualification to the knockout stage alive after losing their opening game 1-0 to Germany.But stand-in Captain, Ajibade, netted from the penalty spot after Anam Imo was fouled in the box in the 36th minute of the encounter to give Nigeria any hope of progressing to the quarter…
Thursday, 09 August 2018 04:26
Chelsea confirm €35m Courtois sale to Real Madrid as Kovacic moves to London
Chelsea have confirmed the sale of Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid, with Mateo Kovacic coming to Stamford Bridge as part of the deal. Courtois has been at the west London club since 2011, and wrested the No. 1 jersey from club favourite Petr Cech after shining during a loan spell with Atletico Madrid as a youngster. In recent months, however, the Belgian has become increasingly unsettled, going so far as to skip training, while he has long been linked with a return to the Spanish capital where he spent three sparkling seasons. And he will now line up at the…
Tuesday, 07 August 2018 03:28
Tanzania appoints Amuneke Head Coach
Former Super Eagles winger, Emmanuel Amuneke, has been appointed as the new head coach of Tanzania senior national team.Amuneke who signed a two-year deal with the Tanzanian FA was until recently coach of Sudan’s Premier League side, Al Khartoum SC.“I am happy to start this new job and work hard so that we can achieve a lot together,” Amuneke told local media in Tanzania after signing the contract.His first competitive game in charge of the senior Taifa Stars will be their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uganda in September.Amuneke, 47, replaces local coach Salum Mayanga who had been…