Wednesday August 7, 2019 23SPORTS
u Kerber falls to Kasatkina in Toronto tournament
Kontaveit downs Sharapova
Ex-England captain Rooney in talks over Derby player-coach role: reports
Anett Kontaveit spoiled Maria
Sharapova’s return from injury Mon-
day, rallying to beat the five-time
Grand Slam champion 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
at the WTA tournament in Toronto.
Sharapova, competing for the
first time since retiring from her
first-round match at Wimbledon,
appeared to be on course for just a
fourth match win since January when
she went up a set and an early break
on the 16th seed from Estonia.
Having forced the third set, Kon-
taveit gave herself a chance to serve
for the match with a break of serve
in an epic ninth game. Sharapova
hung on through nine deuces before
Kontaveit converted her third break
chance in a game that lasted more
than 15 minutes.
While Kontaveit readies herself
for a second round match against ei-
ther Venus Williams or Carla Suarez
Navarro – who open play on Center
Court on Tuesday – Sharapova will
set her sights on next week’s tourna-
ment in Cincinnati, where she has
received a wild card just as she did in
Toronto.
“I don’t think this is the time to
take a break,” she said.
The 32-year-old has slipped to
82nd in the world rankings after an-
other season marred by injury. She
had missed more than four months
in the wake of right shoulder surgery
when she returned for the grass court
season this year.
She was forced out of Wimbledon
by a left forearm injury.
Sharapova said Monday’s physical
battle showed she’d made progress
since Wimbledon.
“I put a lot of work in to get to
this stage, so I think to finish off this
match is good,” she said. “Definitely
not the result I would have liked, but
overall feeling pretty good about it.
“I’m still building the confidence
and my form and that’s something
that’s just going to come with time
and with match play,” she added.
“Unfortunately, I just haven’t had that
yet, so will just hopefully try to build
on it.”
The top eight seeds in the key US
Open tuneup receive first-round byes- a group led by world No.1 Ash Barty
of Australia which also includes No.2
Naomi Osaka of Japan, fourth-seeded
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep
and eighth-seeded Serena Williams.
German 12th seed Angelique Ker-
ber was unable to make to the sec-
ond round, however, the three-time
Grand Slam champion beaten 0-6,
6-2, 6-4 by Russian Daria Kasatkina.
Two former champions made it
safely into the second round, Caro-
line Wozniacki and Belinda Bencic
both posting straight-set wins.
Denmark’s Wozniacki, seeded
15th, shook off an early break of ser-
vice, rallying from 2-4 down in the
opening set to win in 90 minutes.
The Dane, who lifted the WTA’s
Canadian Premier-level title in 2010
when the tournament was in Montre-
al, hasn’t always thrived in the years
in which Toronto hosted, although
she did make it to the final in 2017.
Switzerland’s Bencic, seeded 11th,
advanced with ease, dispatching Rus-
sian qualifier Anastasia Potapova 6-2,
6-1. Despite the lopsided scoreline,
Bencic needed four match points to
close it out.
Bencic won the second WTA title
of her career in Toronto in 2015, beat-
ing four of the top-six players in the
world, including Serena Williams.
But she hasn’t played in Toronto
since as her precocious WTA rise was
stalled by a string of injuries.AFPuSOCCER
Former England captain Wayne Rooney
is in advanced talks with Derby County
about joining the Championship (sec-
ond tier) club as player-coach, Sky Sports
News reported Monday.
Derby’s new Dutch manager Phil-
lip Cocu declined to comment on the
reports but Sky said England’s record
goalscorer was due to fly to the Midlands
to discuss the details of the deal.
The 33-year-old ex-Manchester United
and Everton striker, who has two years
left on his contract with MLS club DC
United, has previously spoken of his de-
sire to go into management.
The BBC reported that Derby owner
Mel Morris believes Rooney could help
to get the club back into the Premier
League.
“At the moment I can’t say anything,”
Cocu told Sky Sports after Derby beat
Huddersfield Town 2-1 in their opening
fixture of the new Championship cam-
paign.
“Like I said before the game we are
working on completing the team. It
isn’t complete yet. I cannot say anything
about names before things are done.
“We have a lot of players we think
could be an asset for the team. You al-
ways try to get the best you can with the
resources at the club. A few more days
then hopefully I can say something
more.”
Derby appointed Rooney’s former
England teammate Frank Lampard as
manager last season and he took them
to the playoff final but has since joined
his former club Chelsea.
Sky Sports said Rooney sees Derby as
an ideal opportunity to learn the ropes
while also prolonging his playing career.
Rooney was a big fan of Dutch man-
ager Louis van Gaal’s coaching methods
when he was at Manchester United andhas been convinced that Derby boss
Cocu has a similar approach.
Rooney sees the role as a chance to
get coaching experience and return
home to be nearer his relatives.
If negotiations go well, he could be
confirmed as a Derby player and coachwithin days, Sky reported.ReutersOrganizers cancel Stage
4 after Lambrecht death
uCYCLINGOrganizers of the Tour of Poland have canceled
Tuesday’s scheduled fourth stage following the
death of Belgian rider Bjorg Lambrecht.
The 22-year-old died after colliding with a
concrete structure around 30 kilometers into the
third stage on Monday following rain.
He was resuscitated on the spot, then taken in
a critical condition to a hospital in the southern
city of Rybnik, where he died on the operating
table.
Lambrecht won the Under 23 Liege-Bastogne-
Liege and finished second in the Tour de l’Avenir
in 2017 behind this year’s Tour de France winner
Egan Bernal before turning professional last year
with Lotto Soudal. This year he placed 12th at the
Criterium du Dauphine, winning the best young
rider category, fourth in La Fleche Wallonne and
sixth at the Amstel Gold.
Lambrecht’s death brought a flurry of tributes
across social media from all corners of the cycling
world.
“Such an incredibly sad day here in Poland
and across the cycling world,” tweeted Mark Cav-
endish who finished sixth in Monday’s stage.
“Rest In Peace Bjorg. May your star continue
to shine as brightly as it did in cycling.”
Alejandro Valverde, the world road race cham-
pion in 2018, echoed Cavendish’s comments.
“Deeply sorry for the loss of Bjorg Lambrecht,
a cyclist who had demonstrated a lot in a few
years,” the Spaniard tweeted.AFPPage Editor:
[email protected]DC United forward Wayne Rooney takes a free
kick against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday in
Washington, DC. Photo: VCG