Leylah Fernandez latest Hong Kong Open withdrawal as ‘brutal’ calendar takes toll

Jay Rooney LIVE WIRE - R8 (9) Tough second on a hot speed last start and has drawn perfectly here   Owen Goulding PRESTIGE RICKY - R4 (12) Worked well since latest close second and draws the inside barrier once again   Paul Lally STORMING DRAGON - R6 (1) Downgraded and looks well placed with a senior rider taking over   Phillip Woo STORMING DRAGON - R6 (1) Improved with each run this term and possesses solid Class Four form   Trackwork Spy LIVE WIRE - R8 (9) Kept on gamely despite searing pace...

Zeynep Sonmez said she was “grateful” and “inspired” by her tennis friends such as Alexandra Eala and Eva Lys as she kicked off her Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open with a straight sets victory over Dayana Yastremska. The 24-year-old took the lion’s share of the support from the crowd as she edged through a tight opening set 6-4, before turning that momentum into a dominant 6-2 showing in the second to wrap up the match. “Hong Kong has been wonderful; the environment is great and I’m very happy...

In the words of tennis great Jannik Sinner: “Mamma mia, Kimi!” Italy woke up on Monday rejoicing at the nation’s first Formula 1 world champion in 73 years, since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Kimi Antonelli became the youngest champion in history on Sunday, when the Mercedes driver finished third in the Mexico City Grand Prix to clinch the title with four races to spare. Almost all of Italy’s newspapers had a photo of Antonelli on the front page. Some used the picture of him on the shoulders of...

After moving back to Ukraine last year, Oleksandra Oliynykova has struggled with the dichotomy of living a “glamorous life” on the global tennis tour while her homeland remains under deadly attack from Russian forces. Oliynykova did not talk much about her sport after she was beaten by Talia Gibson in the first round of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Tuesday. Instead, the conversation focused on the pride she feels in her partner and father for their courage in fighting the war as part...

Live Wire lost no admirers in his brave second last start and trainer Douglas Whyte has high hopes for the progressive sprinter going one better at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Chasing a third straight win after a pair of Class Four victories, the Tassort four-year-old drew high praise from Whyte once again when keeping on gamely for second behind The Heir in his Class Three debut. Live Wire tracked a manic speed set by Honest Witness and was entitled to fade, but he showed great courage to...

A year after stepping away from competition, Olympic shot put champion Gong Lijiao has lost more than 30kg (66lbs) after refusing to “lie flat” during her retirement. The 36-year-old submitted her official retirement paperwork after the National Games in November last year. She said then she aimed to lose 25kg before pursuing marriage. “I also want to become beautiful. You will surely see a different version of me,” Gong said. Speaking to Chinese media in an interview published on Monday, the...

The Asian Cup, initially scheduled to ⁠take place in Saudi ⁠Arabia in early 2027, has ⁠been postponed until December next year following recent attacks on the kingdom, the Asian Football Confederation said on Tuesday. A strike on Riyadh’s international airport last month killed at least 12 people and ‌wounded more than 300, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claiming responsibility for the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. The attacks had raised questions over...

Football’s world governing body will grant its ⁠council members access to ⁠key documents concerning the defunct Fifa ⁠Forward Enterprise proposal, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. Fifa scrapped the US$20 billion World Cup sell-off plan earlier this summer only days after making it public, amid a backlash that imperilled president Gianni ‌Infantino’s leadership. Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent a letter to Fifa council members on Monday inviting them to...

The answer to the question of just how far a group of athletes and coaches could go relying almost entirely on passion was perhaps found out there on the court at the Ma On Shan Sports Centre on Sunday. It was the fourth and final stage of the Chinese Men’s Handball Super League. On the final day, Hong Kong, taking part as an invited team, narrowly beat Anhui 29-28 in the play-off for third place to secure a podium finish on their national league debut. Head coach Hui Man-pong heaped praise on...

Venus Williams has left the door open to quitting tennis after the American great slumped to a 17th consecutive singles loss on Monday, going down in straight sets to compatriot Mary Stoiana in the opening round of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. A shadow of the player who claimed 23 grand slam titles in her pomp, Williams dropped her serve four times and did not create one break point in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat by world No 113 Stoiana that ended her 2026 singles campaign. “I haven’t made any...

After 28 years, British adventurer Karl Bushby arrived back home on Monday after a 50,000km (31,000-mile) trek from Chile across four continents without using any transport to progress. Bushby, who set off on his odyssey from South America in 1998, had two golden rules for his journey: avoid all forms of transport to advance and not return until he completed his challenge. He was met on Monday in the centre of Hull, northeast England, by a crowd of up to 1,000 cheering people, and thanked...

Cristiano Ronaldo has been rested for Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League trip to Uzbekistan, a week after the club’s previous game in the competition was postponed, and amid concern that the security situation in Saudi Arabia would continue to affect Asia’s top football tournaments. Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick in a 5–3 win over Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League last week to reach 985 career goals, was left off the roster by coach Ange Postecoglou for Monday’s match against Pakhtakor in...