MELBOURNE: The lines on Day 1 at the Australian Open were noticeably thinner than usual, and the lawn chairs set up in front of the giant television screen in Garden Square were far emptier.
On the outer courts, there was none of the usual jostling or standing on tiptoes to catch a glimpse of a tight match. No waiting in long lines to get a seat, either.
Attendance for this year’s first Grand Slam tournament is capped at 30,000 per day. On Day 1 last year, 64,387 fans crammed onto the grounds at Melbourne Park.
Still, there were actual fans at a Grand Slam again.
“I am not complaining,” Venus Williams said after her match in front of a sparser-than-normal crowd at Margaret Court Arena. She has contested the tournament 21 times. “I think every single person there was probably in awe to be sitting at a sporting event, as much as I was to have them there.”
Tennis went into shutdown last year after the COVID-19 outbreak became a global pandemic. The tours resumed in August but mostly without crowds. No fans were allowed at the US Open and only small crowds were allowed at the French Open.
Watching from a grassy hill overlooking the outer courts, where giant white circles had been painted on the grass to maintain social-distancing, Jason Cameron of Melbourne said he didn’t think fear of the coronavirus was keeping people away this year.
“I think it’s a combination of it being a modified set-up this year ... and it’s February when everyone is back at school and not having the tourists in town,” he said. “It’s going to be a low-key version of the Australian Open this year.”
His friend, Lee Elliott, who flew from Adelaide to catch a bit of the tennis, did think some may have felt nervous to be in a sizable crowd again.
“Once people actually see it on television and that people are going ... maybe, as the week goes on, crowds will improve.”
Not everywhere was subdued on Monday, though. On Court 3, a rollicking crowd chanted and cheered for Australian John Millman as he stretched Corentin Moutet of France to five sets before losing in three hours, 45 minutes. The crowd even managed to get a socially-distanced “wave” around the court. Twice.
“I just made a decision I wanted to support (the tournament) and to step forward and start doing things again,” said Cathie Coughlan, who drove two hours from Bendigo in central Victoria. “There was a bit of trepidation, but then it was a conscious decision to do it.”
Former Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber tried to stay positive about having to endure 14 days in hard lockdown after arriving in Australia last month.
But after her 6-0, 6-4 loss in the first round at Melbourne Park to American Bernarda Pera, Kerber admitted her timing was just off.
The 2016 champion had seven double-faults and just seven winners in the match. The first set lasted all of 18 minutes.
“Of course, you feel it,” she said of the strict lockdown, during which she and 71 other players were confined to their hotel rooms without any chance to practice because they were classified as close contacts of passengers on their charter flights who tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Australia. “I was feeling this at the beginning ... I was not feeling the rhythm that I was before.”
Kerber didn’t waste any time after her enforced isolation, hitting the practice courts five minutes after being released from quarantine at midnight a little over a week ago. Despite the obstacles, she tried to stay motivated for the Australian Open, one of her favorite tournaments.
Now, however, she’s slightly unsure if it was all worth it.
“Maybe if I knew that before to stay really two weeks in the hard quarantine without hitting a ball, maybe I would think twice about (coming).”
Australian Open: Fans are in, but crowd numbers are thin
https://arab.news/9u5ud
Australian Open: Fans are in, but crowd numbers are thin
- There was none of the usual jostling or standing on tiptoes to catch a glimpse of a tight match
- Attendance for this year’s first Grand Slam tournament is capped at 30,000 per day
Al-Huda club shines at Kingdom Under-15 Fencing Championship
- Noor Al-Miskin takes gold medal in epee category
- Mohammed Dawood claims top spot with saber
RIYADH: The Kingdom Fencing Championship for male fencers under the age of 15, known as the Diamond Round, came to an end on May 4. A total of 142 fencers from 20 clubs participated in the championship at the Fencing Hall in Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City in Dammam..
Mohammed Bou Ali, the vice president of the Saudi Fencing Federation, presented the winners with their medals.
Noor Al-Miskin from Al-Huda club clinched the gold medal in the epee category, with Abdulaziz Al-Fida from Al-Nasser club taking silver and Salem Al-Muhri from Al-Baha club securing bronze.
In the saber competition, Mohammed Dawood of Al-Huda club took the gold medal, while his teammate Ali Al-Omani claimed silver, and Abdullah Al-Ubeed from Al-Adala club received bronze.
In the foil competition, Yassin Diaa Al-Haq from Al-Ahli club won the gold medal. Mohammed Al-Hajji from Al-Khaleej club earned the silver, and Rakan Al-Ghanam from Al-Nasser club finished in third place.
Ipswich promoted to Premier League for first time in 22 years
- Leeds needed an Ipswich defeat coupled with victory over Southampton to leap into the top two
- Ipswich’s most famous fan Ed Sheeran, who sponsors the club’s shirts, was not in attendance
LONDON: Ipswich returned to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after beating Huddersfield 2-0 to secure promotion from the Championship on Saturday.
Goals from Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson ensured the Tractor Boys became just the fourth side in the Premier League era to go from the third to the top tier via consecutive promotions.
Leeds needed an Ipswich defeat coupled with victory over Southampton to leap into the top two.
But Daniel Farke’s men lost 2-1 to Saints at Elland Road, meaning he will come up against old club Norwich in the playoff semifinals.
Ipswich’s most famous fan Ed Sheeran, who sponsors the club’s shirts, was not in attendance for wild scenes of celebration at Portman Road as fans poured on to the pitch and lit blue flares at full-time.
The Suffolk club, which was sold to American investors for just £40 million ($50 million), will now pocket at least £200 million in television revenue in the coming years.
Huddersfield had already been realistically relegated prior to Saturday due to their vastly inferior goal difference compared to their rivals at the bottom.
Burns settled any nerves among the home support when he fired low into the bottom corner on 27 minutes.
On-loan Chelsea winger Hutchinson has been one of the stars of Ipswich’s season and made sure Kieran McKenna’s men could relax by smashing home a second just three minutes into the second half.
Ipswich could face a fight just to hold on to the highly-rated McKenna, a former first team coach at Manchester United.
The 37-year-old Northern Irishman has been linked with a move to Brighton should Roberto De Zerbi leave the Seagulls.
West Brom beat Preston 3-0 to secure their playoff place and will face Southampton.
There was also drama at the bottom of the table as Birmingham were relegated in their first season with NFL legend Tom Brady as a minority owner of the club.
A 1-0 win over Norwich was not enough to save the Blues.
Blackburn spoiled Leicester’s title party with a 2-0 win at the King Power to survive and deny the Foxes amassing 100 points.
Plymouth ended Hull’s playoff hopes with a 1-0 win to hold off Birmingham by a point.
Saudi taekwondo athlete Donia Abu Taleb wins Best Arab Achievement Award
- Taleb, the first Saudi athlete to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, receives honor from Egyptian sports minister
- Saudi Taekwondo Federation named Best Arab Federation in recognition of its achievements both locally and internationally
RIYADH: Saudi taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb has been honored with the Best Arab Achievement Award at a ceremony in Cairo celebrating the achievements of Arab athletes.
About 40 athletes from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, Qatar and Morocco were honored, along with businessmen from various Arab countries.
Egypt’s Minister of Youths and Sports, Ashraf Subhi, handed the recognition to Taleb, the first Saudi athlete to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Saudi Taekwondo Federation was also awarded the Best Arab Federation in recognition of its achievements both locally and internationally, particularly Taleb’s qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Mohammed Al-Shehri, executive director of the federation, accepted the award on behalf of the sports group.
Japan beats Uzbekistan in stoppage time in U23 Asian Cup final
- Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar: Japan left it late to win its second Under-23 Asian Cup after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 in the final on Friday.
Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Japan goalkeeper Leo Kokubo saved a penalty to preserve the lead.
Uzbekistan, the 2018 champion, almost took an incredible lead just before halftime. Ruslanbek Jiyanov, just inside the Japanese half, tried to send a long cross into the area but, instead, the flight of the ball deceived Kokubo and bounced off the crossbar.
For the goal, Ryotaro Araki backheeled the ball to Yamada just outside the area, and he fired low into the left corner.
Just five minutes later, Uzbekistan was awarded a penalty after a VAR review when Hiroki Sekine handled in the area. Kokubo made a diving save to his right to push out Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s powerful shot.
Both finalists and third-placed Iran also qualified for Paris Olympics men’s football. Fourth-placed Indonesia has one more chance to make it to a first Olympics since 1956 with a playoff against Guinea next Thursday.
Munoz leads LIV Golf Singapore, Fireballs and Smash share team lead
- Colombian’s 6-under 65 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course gives him a 1-shot advantage over a group of 6 players
SINGAPORE: After suffering a “little low point” a week ago in Australia, Torque GC’s Sebastian Munoz produced his best round of the 2024 season on Friday to take the first-round lead at LIV Golf Singapore.
Munoz’s 6-under 65 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course gives him a one-shot advantage over a group of six players: Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka, Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer, Iron Heads GC captain Kevin Na, RangeGoats GC’s Thomas Pieters, HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale and Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer.
Another eight players are two shots back, including Munoz’s captain Joaquin Niemann, the current Individual points leader.
The team leaderboard is just as crowded. Fireballs and Smash share the lead at 11 under, with three teams just one shot back: Cleeks, RangeGoats and Stinger GC.
For Munoz, Friday’s round was a welcome relief after his struggles in the first round in Adelaide. He suffered five bogeys, including three straight, in his final 10 holes to shoot a one-over 72. It was his fourth over-par score in five rounds to that point.
“(It) kind of hit me hard,” Munoz recalled. But his Torque teammates gathered together after the round to offer support. “We kind of had a deep talk,” he said. “Just having good, solid teammates can help you a lot.”
Munoz bounced back with two solid rounds to finish up in Adelaide, then fed off that momentum on Friday in Singapore, setting the tone with birdies on two of his first three holes.
Munoz added: “(I’m) really happy where the game is right now and kind of trending.”
Koepka, who was celebrating his 34th birthday on Friday, found his putting stroke that had been mostly absent this season. He opened with five birdies in his first seven holes, and then saved par with a 12-footer after his birdie attempt had rolled off the green. A three-putt on the par-4 16th was his only blemish.
“I thought I putted OK,” Koepka said. “Speed was off, but the ones that I needed to make, I felt like I made.”
Pieters has found his form recently with a tie for ninth in Miami and a tie for 14th in Adelaide. His bogey-free 66, including an eagle at the par-5 18th, was his sixth consecutive sub-par round.
He said: “I’ve been putting a lot of work into it over the last few months. I just had a rough time last year personally, and I finally found the time and the focus to kind of refocus on my game. I’ve been working on every aspect, and it’s kind of showing now.”
Ancer also continued his hot stretch that included his first LIV Golf individual win two months ago in Hong Kong. He suffered an early bogey, but then found his rhythm the rest of the way, including a stretch of three consecutive birdies to finish up his first nine holes.
After finishing 47th out of 48 players in Singapore last year, Ancer was happy with the strong start to this week.
He said: “I was not in the same spot with my swing last year. (I was) not playing confident at the time. I feel a lot better today. Big difference.”
Kaymer was coming off his best LIV round, an 8-under 64 on Sunday in Adelaide, and continued to show positive signs with his 66. Na, like Munoz, played well in the last two rounds in Adelaide after a tough start and was bogey-free for his first 15 holes on Friday.
Standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
T1. FIREBALLS GC -11 (Ancer 66, Chacarra 67, Garcia 69)
T1. SMASH GC -11 (Koepka 66, Gooch 68, McDowell 68)
T3. RANGEGOATS GC -10 (Pieters 66, Wolff 68, Uihlein 69)
T3. CLEEKS GC -10 (Kaymer 66, Meronk 67, Bland 70)
T3. STINGER GC -10 (Burmester 67, Oosthuizen 67, Grace 69)
6. TORQUE GC -9 (Muñoz 65, Niemann 67, Ortiz 72)
T7. RIPPER GC -8 (Herbert 67, Leishman 67, Smith 71)
T7. LEGION XIII -8 (Hatton 68, Vincent 68, Rahm 69)
9. HYFLYERS GC -7 (Tringale 66, Steele 68, Mickelson 72)
10. IRON HEADS GC -5 (Na 66, Vincent 70, Lee 72)
11. 4ACES GC -4 (Johnson 67, Reed 71, Varner III 71)
T12. CRUSHERS GC -1 (Casey 69, Lahiri 70, DeChambeau 73)
T12. MAJESTICKS GC -1 (Poulter 70, Horsfield 71, Westwood 71)
