Jannik Sinner won the 21st title of his career by thrashing American teenager Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2 in the China Open final on Wednesday.
The Italian lifted the trophy for the second time on Beijing’s hard courts, having done so on his tournament debut in 2023, and is eyeing a return to world number one.
The 24-year-old’s only loss on Beijing’s centre Diamond Court has been to great rival and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s final in three gripping sets.
“A very, very special place for me,” said the victorious Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion and top seed this week.
Alcaraz was not defending his title in the Chinese capital and on Tuesday won the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Sinner broke immediately in the first set on the way to outclassing the 19-year-old Tien, who was in his first ATP final.
“Congrats to Jannik on a great week, another title, an honour to share the court with you today,” he told the world number two afterwards.
The world no. 52 got a rare chance to break in the second game of the second set but Sinner quickly retook control, ending a one-sided match with 10 aces over the 1h 12min final.
Tien would have been Beijing’s lowest-ranked champion in tournament history.
At 19 years and 9 months old, Tien would also have been the second-youngest American Tour champion since Andy Roddick in 2002.
As it was, he was never really in it, despite some flashes of his rich potential.
“You are showing throughout the whole season what a talent you are,” Sinner said in the aftermath.
Sinner’s emphatic win was his third title this season, after victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Sinner may now have a chance to snatch back the top ranking before the season ends after Alcaraz pulled out of the Shanghai Masters injured on Tuesday.
The Spaniard took the world number one ranking from Sinner when he defeated the Italian in the U.S. Open final.
Sinner will be the top seed in Shanghai, which began this week. (JapanToday)
Title-holders Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 with a last-minute goal in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Manchester City had to settle for a draw in Monaco despite Erling Haaland’s double.
Elsewhere there were comfortable wins for Arsenal and Newcastle United, as Napoli and Borussia Dortmund were among the other teams to claim victories on the second matchday of the league phase.
The meeting at Montjuic of the Spanish champions and the reigning French and European champions was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the opening stages of this season’s competition.
It lived up to its billing, despite Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele missing out injured for an understrength PSG, with Lamine Yamal showing flashes of his brilliance for the hosts.
Barcelona went ahead in the 19th minute as a well-worked move ended with Marcus Rashford setting up Ferran Torres to score.
Senny Mayulu equalised late in the first half for PSG, and Achraf Hakimi set up substitute Goncalo Ramos to net a 90th-minute winner as PSG made it two victories from two outings in this season’s Champions League.
“It was a great game between two really good sides,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus. “It shows the strength and mentality of our side that whoever is on the field we play like a real team.”
Haaland scored twice in the first half to move to 52 career Champions League goals from 50 appearances, but 2023 tournament winners City were held 2-2 in Monaco.
Jordan Teze’s stunning hit in between Haaland’s strikes kept Monaco in the game until they won a late penalty as Nico Gonzalez was penalised following a VAR review for a high boot on Eric Dier.
Dier got up to convert from the spot and give Monaco their first point in the competition, denying City a second win from as many outings.
“I don’t know if it was a penalty but it was given. So that’s that,” City coach Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports. “It is what it is. We have a point and we will take it.”
Arsenal maintained their 100 percent record with a 2-0 defeat of Olympiakos in London, with Gabriel Martinelli following in to score a 12th-minute opener after a Viktor Gyokeres attempt hit the post.
The Gunners sealed the points in stoppage time as substitute Bukayo Saka scored with a shot that squirmed under Greek goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis.
“Winning in the Champions League is always very complicated. It is yet another clean sheet for the boys in the competition, which is remarkable,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Earlier, Newcastle got their campaign up and running by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels.
Nick Woltemade diverted a Sandro Tonali shot into the net for the opener, his third goal in four starts for the club.
Anthony Gordon then scored two penalties, either side of half-time, before substitute Harvey Barnes wrapped up the success late on.
Dortmund were also impressive winners, as the beaten 2024 finalists tore into Athletic Bilbao, winning 4-1.
Daniel Svensson put them ahead in the first half and Carney Chukwuemeka made it two soon after the interval.
Gorka Guruzeta got one back for Athletic, but Serhou Guirassy and Julian Brandt sealed a fine win for the German club.
In southern Italy, Rasmus Hojlund bagged a brace as Napoli claimed their maiden European victory this season, beating Sporting 2-1. Luis Suarez had equalised for the Portuguese champions at one point in the second half with a penalty.
Juventus, who drew 4-4 with Dortmund in a thriller in their opening game, played out a 2-2 stalemate with Villarreal in Spain.
Georges Mikautadze gave the hosts the lead, only for Federico Gatti to equalise with an overhead kick before Chico Conceicao gave the Italians the advantage.
But Renato Veiga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus from Chelsea, headed in to earn Villarreal a draw.
Bayer Leverkusen and PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 in Germany, with Christian Kofane giving the hosts the lead only for Ismael Saibari to equalise for the Dutch side.
Qarabag are the sensation of the competition so far, the club from Azerbaijan following a win over Benfica two weeks ago by beating FC Copenhagen 2-0 in Baku.Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai got their goals and Qarabag are one of six teams on six points, along with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, Inter Milan and Arsenal. (JapanToday)
A Victor Osimhen penalty gave Galatasaray victory over Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Chelsea edged out Jose Mourinho’s Benfica and Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick for Real Madrid in Kazakhstan.
Elsewhere in the second round of matches in the league phase of Europe’s elite club competition, Tottenham battled back to draw with Bodo/Glimt as Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Marseille and Inter Milan recorded big wins.
In Istanbul, Osimhen beat Alisson Becker from the spot in the 16th minute, giving Galatasaray a 1-0 win and condemning Liverpool to a second straight loss after their defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
The English champions thought they had a chance to equalise late on when Ibrahima Konate went down and a penalty was given, but the referee overturned his decision on review.
Liverpool, who finished first in the league phase last season, also saw Alisson go off injured in the second half before the introductions off the bench of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak failed to have the desired impact.
“The margins were very small last season but then we were a lot of times on the right side of the score,” coach Arne Slot said.
“Today again the margins were really small, but for the second time in a row on the wrong side.”
Liverpool will now hope to bounce back on Saturday away to Chelsea, who themselves got back to winning ways with a 1-0 success against Benfica as the Portuguese giants’ new coach Mourinho came back to Stamford Bridge.
Richard Rios turned an Alejandro Garnacho cross into his own net for the only goal of the game in the 18th minute, with Benfica unable to recover as Mourinho returned to face the club he coached over two separate spells.
Chelsea had substitute Joao Pedro sent off in stoppage time but Enzo Maresca’s side were delighted to get the win after losing their opening European game of the campaign at Bayern.
“A defeat is always a defeat but this one can be a start for us. It was a stable performance,” Mourinho said of his team.
Spurs escaped Norway with a point in a 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt in a game played north of the Arctic Circle.
Kasper Hogh missed a penalty for the hosts before a brilliant second-half brace from Jens Petter Hauge had them two goals in front.
However, Micky van de Ven pulled one back on 68 minutes for last season’s Europa League winners, and Spurs then got a lucky 89th-minute equalizer when a Nikita Haikin save smashed into the stomach of Jostein Gundersen from close range and trickled over the line.
Record 15-time European champions Real made the long trip east to face Kairat Almaty and ran out 5-0 winners.
Mbappe opened the scoring from a first-half penalty and made it 2-0 soon after the break before firing in from the edge of the area to complete his hat-trick on 73 minutes, making it 60 career Champions League goals.
The Frenchman has now scored 13 goals in nine games in all competitions this season for Real, who also saw Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz net towards the end.
Bayern also scored five, with Harry Kane netting twice in the first half in a 5-1 win away to Pafos in Cyprus. The England star now has 17 goals in nine games in all competitions this season for his club.
Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Michael Olise also found the net for Bayern, while Mislav Orsic scored for the hosts.
“I’m going into games with confidence, knowing I’ll get my chances. Scored a couple more goals today, I’m happy with that,” Kane said.
Atletico followed a 5-2 win over Real in the Madrid derby last weekend by thumping Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1.
Giacomo Raspadori, Robin Le Normand, Antoine Griezmann and Giuliano Simeone netted for Atletico before Julian Alvarez scored a late penalty. Griezmann’s goal was his 200th for the club. Jonathan Burkardt pulled one back for Eintracht.
Igor Paixao netted twice in the opening 12 minutes as Marseille hammered Ajax 4-0. Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also on target.
Lautaro Martinez got a brace either side of a Denzel Dumfries goal as last season’s runners-up Inter eased to a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague at San Siro.
Mario Pasalic scored a late winner as Atalanta beat Club Brugge 2-1, after a Lazar Samardzic penalty had cancelled out a Christos Tzolis opener for the Belgians. (JapanToday)
A Ryder Cup emcee has stepped down after heckling and cursing were aimed at golf players during the championship game over the weekend, the PGA of America said on Sunday.
Actress and comedian Heather McMahan, who hosted the first tee at Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island, N.Y., was heard on videos posted to social media chanting expletives against golfer Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.
“F*** you, Rory,” McMahan could be heard saying into the microphone, before some in the crowd recited the jeer.
McMahan has apologized to Mcllroy and the Ryder Cup Europe team, according to PGA of America. NPR reached out to representatives for McMahan for comment on Sunday.
Some of the golf at this year’s Ryder Cup has been overshadowed by interventions from passionate and unruly fans, as Americans tee off against Europeans in one of the sport’s biggest events.
McIlroy has faced the brunt of the insults from spectators, who also jeered and yelled at his wife throughout the weekend. At one point, McIlroy was seen pushing back against jeering by telling unruly spectators to “shut the f*** up” in videos posted on social media and live television. He later also refused to putt until the jeering stopped.
“I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is,” McIlroy said on Saturday, according to BBC Sport. “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing. You know, look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just give us the respect to let us hit shots. Give us the same chance that the Americans have.”
Two spectators were ejected from the Ryder Cup on Saturday after a verbal altercation, according to Beau Duffy, a spokesperson for New York State Police, in a statement to NPR on Sunday.
“Yesterday, additional State Troopers were placed along the course for player and public safety. Additional adjustments will be made today as needed,” Duffy also said.
A Westbury, N.Y., man was also charged with two misdemeanors for stealing a golf cart used for the event — unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminal possession of stolen property, according to Duffy.
Luke Donald, captain of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, said behavior by some fans had “crossed the line,” during a press conference on Saturday.
“It was loud. It was raucous, you know. What I consider crossing line is personal insults and you know making sounds, you know, when they’re trying to hit on their back swings or you know, very close to when they’re trying to go into their routines,” Donald said. “That did happen a little bit. It’s happened to other Ryder Cups, too … something we prepared for and I can see, you know, I think how well they’ve dealt with it.”
Keegan Bradley, captain of Team USA, defended fans during the press conference.
“I thought the fans were passionate. I mean, their home team is getting beat bad,” Bradley said. “The fans of New York have — all I’ve seen, have been pretty good. You’re always going to have a few people that cross the line and that’s unfortunate. I really was happy to see our players trying to quiet down some people that were like that. But, you know, part of it is our fault. You know, we’re not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they’re angry, and they should be.”
On Sunday, jeers and screaming continued to be hurled against McIlroy, even as he putted the ball in a match against Scottie Scheffler.
Europe defeated the U.S. in the Ryder Cup 15-13 Sunday evening. (NPR)
An emotional Marc Marquez clinched his seventh MotoGP world championship and his first since 2019 on Sunday after finishing second at the Japan grand prix, with Francesco Bagnaia winning the race.
The Spanish Ducati rider has been in brilliant form all year and he underlined his dominance by wrapping up the title with five events of the season remaining.
He knew that placing first or second would clinch the title regardless of where his brother and closest championship rival Alex finished.
After crossing the line, Marquez raised both arms aloft before sobbing and yelling as his achievement began to sink in.
It marked a triumphant return from an injury nightmare that began when he broke his right arm in 2020, almost convincing him to hang up his helmet.
“It’s impossible even to speak,” said the 32-year-old as he choked back tears. “I just want to enjoy the moment. It’s true that it was difficult, super difficult. Now I’m impressed with myself how it’s part of me.”
Marquez clinched the world championship in Japan for the fourth time in his career, following 2014, 2016 and 2018 and now draws level with Italian motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi on seven titles.
Marquez’s fellow Ducati rider Bagnaia claimed only his second grand prix win of what has been a frustrating season for the two-time world champion.
The Italian also won the Saturday sprint and looked back to his best all weekend.
“I don’t want to take the spotlight from Marc, he deserves the spotlight today,” said Bagnaia.
“It’s just a little shame that it arrived now, but in any case, happy for the weekend, happy for the performance and from now on I hope I will continue in this way because like this I can fight.”
Bagnaia kept his lead from pole going into the first turn, with Marquez maintaining his position in third.
He overtook Pedro Acosta to move into second just before the halfway mark and from there it was a procession to the title.
Bagnaia had a scare when smoke started coming out of his Ducati with around nine laps remaining but he held on to win the Japanese grand prix for the second year running.
Honda’s Joan Mir finished third, followed by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. Alex Marquez was sixth.
Outgoing world champion Jorge Martin was ruled out of the grand prix after fracturing his collarbone in a crash with team-mate Bezzecchi in Saturday’s sprint.
Trackhouse’s Japanese rider Ai Ogura was denied a first MotoGP appearance at his home grand prix after withdrawing from the race with a hand injury. (JapanToday)
European soccer body UEFA is moving toward a vote to suspend its member federation Israel over the war in Gaza, people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
A majority of UEFA’s 20-member executive committee is expected to support any vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international play, two sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Such a step would prevent Israeli national and club teams from playing in international competitions including next year’s World Cup. Israel’s men’s team is set to resume its World Cup qualifying campaign in two weeks with away games against Norway and Italy.
It is unclear whether world soccer body FIFA will support excluding Israel given the close relations between FIFA’s leader, Gianni Infantino, and President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration’s support to secure the World Cup, and process visas for players, officials and potentially hundreds of thousands of visiting fans, is seen as key to FIFA delivering a successful tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year.
A State Department spokesperson said it will work to stop any efforts that tried to ban Israel’s team from the World Cup.
FIFA’s ruling council is scheduled to meet in Zurich next week. The 37-member council includes eight from UEFA.
FIFA declined to comment on Thursday. Infantino is based this week at FIFA’s satellite office in Trump Tower in Manhattan while attending events on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly.
Calls to exclude Israel from soccer and other sports have increased in recent weeks amid an outcry over the humanitarian toll of its military campaign in Gaza. Last week Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Israel should be banned from international sports events just like Russia, which was sidelined after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier this week seven independent experts working with the U.N. Human Rights Council urged FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from international competitions.
UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin signaled a tougher view on Israel last month when banners saying “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” were placed on the field in front of the Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham teams ahead of the Super Cup game in Udine, Italy.
The discussion about whether to ban Israel from international sports comes as Israel faces increasing criticism and isolation over its military campaign, launched in response to the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Last week, Israel was accused of committing genocide in Gaza by an inquiry commission commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Israel’s sports and culture minister, Miki Zohar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s soccer federation, Moshe Zuares, have been working “intensively behind the scenes” to block efforts to oust Israel from UEFA, Zohar’s office said Thursday. “The right step now is to act responsibly with the professionals and not to make statements, and this is how all the parties involved in the efforts are acting. We will address this later.”
The decision to ban Russia in 2022 was partly driven by a swath of UEFA member federations refusing to play scheduled games against Russian opponents. No national or club team in Europe has so far refused to play an Israeli opponent, though soccer leaders in Norway and Italy have publicly expressed their unease in recent weeks.
The Norwegian soccer federation also pledged to give its profits from ticket sales for the Oct. 11 game in Oslo to humanitarian work in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders.
Both Italy’s Gabriele Gravina and Lise Klaveness of Norway are elected members of the UEFA executive committee which could vote on suspending Israel. Zuares, the Israeli soccer federation president, is also on the panel as is Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, a member of the Qatari government who is president of European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Israel enraged Qatar, an influential U.S. ally that has been a key mediator throughout the war, with a Sept. 9 airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital.
At the Champions League final in May, PSG fans displayed a banner saying “Stop Genocide in Gaza” in French. UEFA did not open a disciplinary case despite having rules against political messaging inside stadiums.
On Wednesday evening in Greece, Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv played PAOK in the UEFA-organized Europa League. There were pro-Palestinian protests outside the stadium in Thessaloniki and a “Stop Genocide” banner displayed inside. (JapanToday)
Arsenal staged a late comeback to beat Newcastle 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time header from Gabriel Magalhães at St James’ Park, on Sunday.
The game looked to be slipping away from the visitors after Nick Woltemade scored one for Newcastle in the 34th minute.
Arsenal had dominated the opening half but failed to find the net despite good chances from Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard.
The London club were left frustrated when a penalty awarded for a foul on Viktor Gyökeres was overturned following a VAR review.
Newcastle had weathered the storm with the help of goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Mikel Merino rose to nod home from close range in the 84th minute to level, setting up a frantic finish.
Arsenal pushed with everything they had and were ultimately rewarded deep in stoppage time when Martin Ødegaard’s corner found Gabriel, who rose highest to head the winner in the sixth minute of added time.
Arsenal’s late victory will feel like a statement of character for Mikel Arteta’s side, who move on with a precious away win after dominating long spells of the match but having to fight until the final whistle to secure the three points.
Newcastle will take encouragement from a dogged defensive display.
Arsenal now have four wins, one draw, and one loss in six Premier League games. They sit in the second position on the table, while Newcastle is in 15th. (Punch)
Carlos Alcaraz admitted his ankle injury had worried him and was on his mind as he beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 at the Japan Open on Saturday.
The world number one hurt himself two days earlier in his opening match in Tokyo, crumpling to the ground before playing on with his ankle heavily strapped.
The Spaniard was left sweating on his fitness but he showed no evidence of discomfort as he returned to the court to beat world number 45 Bergs in front of an adoring Japanese crowd.
Alcaraz got the job done in an hour and 20 minutes and will face American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
“I was a bit worried before the match so I just wanted to warm up and let’s see how it’s going to feel,” Alcaraz said.
“I didn’t feel anything in the ankle, so after the warm-up I decided I can go and I can play.”
Alcaraz took to the court with white strapping visible underneath the sock on his left ankle.
He did not appear to be restricted in his movement but he limped briefly after chasing a shot that won Bergs a break early in the first set.
“In some movements I’m scared about going crazy so most of the time I take it a little easy,” he said.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit the ankle, which I would say is normal.”
Alcaraz is playing in Japan for the first time and delighted the crowd with a series of leaping forehand winners, claiming the first set despite having his service broken twice.
His service was broken three times overall and he blamed his injury for his lack of accuracy.
“I think because my thoughts were on the ankle, I forgot about doing a smooth movement, smooth serve,” he said.
Alcaraz raced into an early lead in the second set but Bergs made him work hard for the victory with a gritty performance.
Alcaraz sealed the deal with a thumping forehand at the net that Bergs could not return into play.
Alcaraz will look to book his place in the semi-final when he faces world number 33 Nakashima, who beat Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-3.
“I’m still taking care of the ankle and I will try to feel as good as today or even better,” said Alcaraz.
“Tomorrow is going be a great challenge that I’m really excited about, and I’m ready for that.”
Denmark’s number three seed Holger Rune also advanced, beating American qualifier Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2. (JapanToday)
There was a flurry of stoppage-time goals in the Premier League on Saturday — and one of them ended Liverpool’s 100% start to its title defense.
Eddie Nketiah’s strike in the seventh minute of added-on time secured Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory over the champions and extended the London team’s unbeaten run to 18 games stretching back to April.
Liverpool, which won its first five games of the campaign, saw its lead trimmed to three points — with second-place Palace now its unlikely closest challenger.
The Reds have made a habit of scoring late goals themselves this season and Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute effort looked like securing a draw at Selhurst Park — or even giving them a chance of grabbing a sixth straight win.
Chelsea played almost the whole second half with 10 men against Brighton and paid the price, conceding two goals in stoppage time to lose 3-1 for a second straight defeat.
Erling Haaland scored in the 90th minute and again in injury time to wrap up Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Burnley.
Tottenham scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time through Joao Palhinha to draw 1-1 with Wolverhampton, which collected its first point of the campaign.
And Manchester United’s latest loss was sealed by a stoppage-time goal for Brentford, which won 3-1. It could have been so different had Bruno Fernandes’ penalty not been saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 76th minute, denying United an equalizer for 2-2.
Bournemouth also scored in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at Leeds and Sunderland won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, whose recently hired manager Ange Postecoglou has yet to win a game in five matches at his new club.
Liverpool had not been entirely convincing in gaining a maximum 15 points and Arne Slot’s team was undone again by Palace, which beat the Reds in a penalty shootout to win the Community Shield before the English season began.
Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through Ismaila Sarr and wasted a string of chances to move further ahead — with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta the biggest culprit.
Nketiah’s goal was scrappy but maintained Palace’s long undefeated run under Oliver Glasner, who has kept the team playing well despite losing star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal late in the transfer window.
“If one team deserved to win today it was Palace,” Slot said. (JapanToday)
Chelsea will travel to Molineux Stadium to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup fourth round, following Wednesday’s draw.
The Blues booked their place in the next stage after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lincoln City at the LNER Stadium.
An excellent 20-yard strike from Tyrique George and a first Chelsea goal for Facundo Buonanotte sealed the win for Enzo Maresca’s side, despite a spirited challenge from the hosts.
There are no replays in the Carabao Cup, and extra time is not used until the semi-final stage. If a game is level after 90 minutes, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout.
Fourth-round ties are scheduled to be played in the week commencing October 27. (Punch)
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