SPORTS
CHINA DAILY Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | 23Scoreboard
BASEBALL
Results of the Major League Baseball games on
Monday (home team in CAPS):
NY Yankees 9 BALTIMORE 6
Chicago White Sox 7 DETROIT 4
BOSTON 7 Kansas City 5
CINCINNATI 7 LA Angels 4
Texas 1 CLEVELAND 0
Toronto 2 TAMPA BAY 0
NY METS 6 Miami 2, 1st game
Milwaukee 9 PITTSBURGH 7
NY METS 5 Miami 4, 2nd game
MINNESOTA 5 Atlanta 3
CHICAGO CUBS 6 Oakland 5
Philadelphia 7 ARIZONA 3
Washington 4 SAN FRANCISCO 0
LA DODGERS 8 St. Louis 0
GOLF
World rankings
As of Monday, Aug 5
- Brooks Koepka (USA) 12.83
- Dustin Johnson (USA) 9.47
- Rory McIlroy (NIR) 8.54
- Justin Rose (ENG) 8.09
- Tiger Woods (USA) 6.83
- Francesco Molinari (ITA) 6.47
- Jon Rahm (ESP) 6.44
- Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 6.26
- Justin Thomas (USA) 6.07
- Patrick Cantlay (USA) 6.01
- Xander Schauffele (USA) 5.85
- Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 5.50
- Webb Simpson (USA) 5.44
- Tony Finau (USA) 5.39
- Rickie Fowler (USA) 5.20
- Gary Woodland (USA) 5.20
- Matt Kuchar (USA) 5.14
- Shane Lowry (IRL) 4.89
- Paul Casey (ENG) 4.81
- Adam Scott (AUS) 4.72
Jason Day (AUS) 4.20
22. Marc Leishman (AUS) 4.04
23. Bubba Watson (USA) 3.95
24. Patrick Reed (USA) 3.82
25. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 3.79
26. Matt Wallace (ENG) 3.69
27. Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 3.49
28. Chez Reavie (USA) 3.45
29. Kevin Kisner (USA) 3.35
30. Phil Mickelson (USA) 3.11
46. Li Haotong (CHN) 2.63
2019 Presidents Cup standings
At Royal Melbourne Golf Club
Melbourne, Australia
Dec. 12-15, 2019
Through Aug. 4
Top 10 automatically qualify
United States
- Brooks Koepka 8,179
- Dustin Johnson 6,555
- Justin Thomas 5,726
- Xander Schauffele 5,656
- Matt Kuchar 5,506
- Webb Simpson 5,349
- Bryson DeChambeau 5,246
- Patrick Cantlay 5,146
- Gary Woodland 4,898
- Tony Finau 4,820
- Rickie Fowler 4,547
- Tiger Woods 3,868
- Chez Reavie 3,762
- Phil Mickelson 3,548
- Charles Howell III 3,492
International - Marc Leishman (AUS) 188.22
- Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 163.58
- Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 155.16
- Adam Scott (AUS) 151.62
5. Li Haotong (CHN) 128.63 - Cameron Smith (AUS) 122.97
- Jason Day (AUS) 119.06
- C.T. Pan (TPE) 118.90
9. Jazz Janewatananond (THA) 111.54
10. Abraham Ancer (MEX) 111.45
11. Justin Harding (RSA) 107.15
12. Sungjae Im (KOR) 101.39
13. Shugo Imahira (JPN) 100.47
14. Sung Kang (KOR) 94.05
15. Si Woo Kim (KOR) 91.51
TENNIS
ATP Montreal
Results on Monday (x-denotes seedings):
1st rd
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) bt Mikhail Kukushkin
(KAZ) 6-4, 6-4; Tommy Paul (USA) bt Brayden
Schnur (CAN) 6-1, 6-2; Ilya Ivashka (BLR) bt Kwon
Soon-woo (KOR) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; Gael Monfils (FRA
x16) bt Peter Polansky (CAN) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3;
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x10) bt Bernard Tomic
(AUS) 6-3, 6-2; Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Benoit
Paire (FRA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4; Stan Wawrinka (SUI) bt
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 6-4, 6-4; Milos Raonic (CAN
x17) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-4, 6-4; Nikoloz Basi-
lashvili (GEO x13) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 3-6, 6-4,
6-4; Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga (FRA) 6-2, 6-2; Cameron Norrie (GBR) bt
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3; Cristian Gar-
in (CHI) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4); Denis
Shapovalov (CAN) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert
(FRA) 6-3, 7-5.WTA Toronto
Results on Monday:
1st rd
Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-4, 6-3;
Dayana Yastremska (UKR) bt Johanna Konta
(GBR x13) 6-3, 6-2; Belinda Bencic (SUI x11) bt
Anastasia Potapova (RUS) 6-2, 6-1; Julia Goerges
(GER) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7/5);
Anett Kontaveit (EST x16) bt Maria Sharapova
(RUS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) bt
Petra Martic (CRO) 6-4, 7-5; Marie Bouzkova (CZE)
bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-0, 6-1; Jelena Osta-
penko (LAT) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-3, 6-3;
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Wang Xiyu (CHN)
6-2, 6-4; Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Kristina Mlade-
novic (FRA) 6-1, 6-2; Elise Mertens (BEL) bt Aliak-
sandra Sasnovich (BLR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Caroline
Wozniacki (DEN x15) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
6-4, 6-2; Daria Kasatkina (RUS) bt Angelique
Kerber (GER x12) 0-6, 6-2, 6-4.
ATP Tour singles rankings
As of Monday, Aug 5- Novak Djokovic (SRB) 12,415 pts
- Rafael Nadal (ESP) 7,945
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 7,460
4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4,755
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,045 (+1)
6. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,040 (+1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 4,005 (-2)
8. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 2,890
9. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 2,745 (+1)
10. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 2,500 (+1)
11. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,420 (-2)
12. Juan Mart Del Potro (ARG) 2,230
13. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,215
14. Borna Coric (CRO) 2,195
15. John Isner (USA) 2,085
16. Marin Cilic (CRO) 2,030 (+1)
17. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 1,975 (-1)
18. David Goffin (BEL) 1,815
19. Milos Raonic (CAN) 1,810 (+1)
20. Gael Monfils (FRA) 1,770 (-1)
WTA Tour singles rankings
As of Monday, Aug 5- Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 6,605 pts
- Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6,228
- Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6,055
- Simona Halep (ROU) 5,933
- Kiki Bertens (NED) 5,130
- Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,785
- Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,737
- Sloane Stephens (USA) 3,773
- Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,565 (+1)
- Serena Williams (USA) 3,410 (-1)
- Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 3,356
- Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2,963
- Angelique Kerber (GER) 2,875
- Johanna Konta (GBR) 2,745
- Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 2,652
16. Wang Qiang (CHN) 2,647 - Madison Keys (USA) 2,556
- Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 2,478
- Anett Kontaveit (EST) 2,335
- Elise Mertens (BEL) 2,180
...
35. Zhang Shuai (CHN) 1,535
38. Zheng Saisai (CHN) 1,360
51. Wang Yafan (CHN) 1,068
is expected to be a 14-man roster this
season.
Carter entered the league in 1998
— the same year Young was born —
as the fifth overall pick out of North
Carolina.
He sparked a wave of “Vinsanity”
in Toronto, where his high-flying
style made him one of the league’s
top players. With the Raptors, Cart-
er began a run of 10 straight seasons
in which he appeared in the All-Star
Game, averaging more than 20
points a game.ATLANTA — Vince Carter is put-
ting off retirement for at least one
more season in order to claim the
longest career in NBA history all to
himself.
A source familiar with the situa-
tion on Monday confirmed Carter
has agreed to a one-year contract to
return to the Atlanta Hawks for his
record 22nd season.
The source spoke to Associated
Press on condition of anonymity
because the deal has not been offi-
cially announced.
The 42-year-old Carter is tied with
Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Kevin
Willis and recently retired Dirk
Nowitzki — all of whom played for
21 seasons — for the longest careers
in NBA history.
“Just waiting for the right oppor-
tunity,” he said on a recent confer-
ence call to discuss the upcoming Jr.
Carter was dealt to New Jersey in
a blockbuster trade early in the
2004-05 and spent nearly five sea-
sons with the Nets.
Since then, he bounced around to
Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis
and Sacramento before landing in
Atlanta last season.
The only blemish on his resume is
the lack of an NBA title, which isn’t
likely to change in Atlanta, where
the Hawks are in the midst of a total
roster makeover focused on young
talent.
Atlanta went 29-53 last season
and is again pegged as a long shot to
make the playoffs in the Eastern
Conference.
After reporting for training camp
a year ago, Carter said he still feels
like a 20-something when a new
season rolls around.
“This is like I’m in my third,fourth, fifth year,” he said. “I’m excit-
ed about the opportunity. I’m excit-
ed about playing. I still love playing.
I still love competing. I still enjoy
the traveling, the ups and downs of
the league. That’s what it’s all about.
It’s hard to let go.”
Coach Lloyd Pierce, who is head-
ing into his second season with the
Hawks, loved having Carter around
to give players such as Young and
Collins an extra shoulder to lean on
during their transition to the NBA.
Pierce is only eight months older
than Carter.
“When we have our locker-room
and on-the-bus debates and conver-
sations, he’s on our side,” Pierce
joked. “He can relate a little closer to
the coaching staff than he can with
the players.”ASSOCIATED PRESSCarter poised to make history by returning for 22nd season
NBA Global Championship, when
questioned by a reporter for the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Nothing has changed as far as that
goal and that dream of mine.”
Essentially an extra coach during
his first season with the Hawks,
Carter served as a mentor to some of
the NBA’s most promising young tal-
ent, including point guard Trae
Young and forward John Collins.
This year, the Hawks have added
first-round picks D’Andre Hunter
and Cam Reddish, giving the teamtwo more players who will surely
benefit from Carter’s experience
and leadership.
Carter also showed last season
that he’s still got some hoop skills.
He was a valuable member of the
playing rotation on a rebuilding
team, playing in 76 games with nine
starts, averaging 17.5 minutes and
7.4 points per contest.
While Carter is likely to get less
playing time after the additions of
Hunter and Reddish, the Hawks
wanted him back and finish off what“I’m excited about the opportunity. I’m
excited about playing. I still love
playing. I still love competing.”
Vince Carter, on playing for the Atlanta Hawks at age 42LAS VEGAS — Gregg Popovich
walked into USA Basketball’s first
team meeting in advance of their
World Cup training camp, and it
seemed to some in the room that he
was having a little difficulty keeping
his emotions in check.
Popovich talked about tradition,
about what it means to play for your
country, about expectations, about
sacrifice, about playing the right
way, about respect for opponents.
The only downside was that when
he was done speaking, the first prac-
tice was still about 18 hours away.
“From the get-go, I think every-
body was ready to play a game or
run through a brick wall for him aft-
er that talk,” Brooklyn guard Joe
Harris said.
With that, Camp Pop had arrived.
Popovich’s first training camp
practice as coach of the US men’s
national team went into the books
on Monday, less than a month
before the Americans begin play at
the FIBA World Cup in China.
Team USA has won the last two
World Cup gold medals, both under
Mike Krzyzewski, and now it’s
Popovich’s turn to lead the red,
white and blue.
“It’s been on my mind every day,
what I want to do and what needs to
be done,” said Popovich, the long-
time San Antonio Spurs coach who
was picked as Krzyzewski’s succes-
sor nearly four years ago.
“It’s been like thinking about two
teams at the same time for that peri-
od. But Coach K did that for 12 years,
so I think I can probably try to do
the same.”
Popovich was all over the floor in
his first practice, pulling some guys
aside for one-on-one chats during a
scrimmage and other times gather-
ing the entire team around him to
discuss the nuance of proper box-
out technique.
“You can’t help but teach here and
there,” he said.
Popovich calls it “a huge responsi-
bility” to both represent his country
and continue the program’s long tra-
dition of winning. He and his assist-
ants have been meeting for weeks,
going over every possible detail.
“He is so passionate about this
project and he’s so well-prepared,”
said Golden State coach and USA
Basketball assistant Steve Kerr.
There is also some pressure, of
course.
When the Americans open theirtitle defense against the Czech
Republic in Shanghai on Sept 1, it
will be exactly 13 years since the
national team program lost a game
at the World Cup or in Olympic com-
petition.
On Sept 1, 2006, Team USA lost to
Greece in the world championships
semifinals. Since then, the Ameri-
cans are 76-0 — a run that started
with the bronze-medal game in the2006 worlds, followed by gold-med-
al runs in the 2007 FIBA Americas
tournament, the 2008 Olympics, the
2010 world championships, the
2012 Olympics, the 2014 World Cup
and finally the 2016 Olympics.
USA Basketball has lost at times
since 2006, including twice during
the 12-game World Cup qualifying
run. But none of those defeats came
against the full-fledged US varsity,the level that Popovich is now over-
seeing.
“He’s taken on the challenge of
leading the USA team and he’s tak-
ing on the challenge with serious-
ness,” said Atlanta coach Lloyd
Pierce, a Popovich assistant this
summer.
“The first conversation I had with
him, he said we would enjoy this
and we would have fun. But whenwe meet as coaches, you walk into
the room and there are tables full of
notes and easels full of notes
already.
“He’s definitely not taking this for
granted.”
There are some natural, and coin-
cidental, parallels with Popovich fol-
lowing Krzyzewski at the helm.
Both were military and service
academy men: Krzyzewski graduat-
ed from Army West Point in 1969,
Popovich from the US Air Force
Academy in 1970.
The Army put Krzyzewski into its
Hall of Fame; the Air Force Acade-
my did the same for Popovich.
Krzyzewski has five NCAA titles;
Popovich has five NBA titles.
In 2016, Krzyzewski called the
pending coaching change “succes-
sion” — another term heard often in
military circles when talking about
the transfer of leadership.
“I have the unit right now,”
Krzyzewski said in 2016. “He’s going
to take command of the unit.”
That day has arrived, and it was a
long time coming for Popovich.
He was announced as Krzyzew-
ski’s successor as national team
coach on Oct 23, 2015 — nearly a
year before the Rio Olympics ended
and nearly four years before the first
game he’ll actually coach for the red,
white and blue.
Popovich oversaw a two-day mini
camp in Las Vegas last summer, a
couple of light practices that
became a get-to-know-you session
for invitees and little else. But Mon-
day’s was the first practice of the
Popovich national-team era with an
actual game in sight, and came less
than two weeks before the World
Cup roster is finalized and planes
are boarded to Australia for final
pre-China preparations.
“This is beyond playing for an
NBA team,” Popovich said. “This is
for the country. It’s the highest level
you can be.”ASSOCIATED PRESSBASKETBALL
Popovich’s passionate opening gambit
After four years of waiting in the wings, Spurs coach starts Team USA’s World Cup preparations in rousing style
From left: Kyle Kuzma, Kemba Walker, head coach Gregg Popovich and Myles Turner talk during Monday’s practice at USA Basketball's
national team mini camp at the University of Las Vegas. Team USA opens the defense of its World Cup title on Sept 1 in Shanghai.AFPBrazil’s Ruy Leme Da Fonseca Filho, riding Ballypatrick SRS,
falls after a jump during the Pan American Games eventing
individual cross-country competition in Lima, Peru, on Mon-
day.REUTERSTakin’ a tumble