DUBAI: Brittney Griner will be back in the WNBA this season, once again playing with the Phoenix Mercury.
Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the team Tuesday.
The 32-year-old Griner had said she would return to Phoenix in a social media post in December, after she returned home from her 10-month detainment in Russia. Griner had been arrested at an airport just outside of Moscow on drug possession charges a year ago and was brought home in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange in December.
“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury GM Jim Pitman said. “We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”
The 6-foot-9 center last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals. She averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds that season.
Griner, who was drafted No. 1 in 2013 by the Mercury, was listed Saturday on Phoenix’s roster on the WNBA website.
Since returning home from Russia, Griner has been out of the public spotlight, with the exception of appearances at the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix, where she lives.
“I do not think any of us will forget where we were on Dec. 8 when we heard BG was coming home or on Dec. 15 when she announced she intended not only to play basketball in 2023 but that it would be for the Mercury,” Mercury President of Business Operations Vince Kozar said. “And I know none of us will ever forget what it will feel like to welcome her back onto her home floor on May 21. To know BG is to love and appreciate BG, and we can’t wait to show her that in person with thousands and thousands of her biggest supporters exactly three months from today at our Welcome Home Opener.”
She skipped a USA Basketball training camp earlier this month, but the organization made it clear she could take all the time she needed to decide if she wanted to play for the US again.
The WNBA has said it will address getting Griner special travel accommodations, such as charter flights, after she signed.
“We are very cognizant of BG’s unique situation,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the AP earlier this month. “We’ve been planning and we’ve been thinking it through with security experts, BG’s side, our side. We’ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.”
Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury
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Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury
- The 32-year-old Griner had said she would return to Phoenix in a social media post in December
- The 6-foot-9 center last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals
Naomi Osaka advances at the Australian Open, returning to the third round
- Fifth-seeded Zheng lost last year’s final to Aryna Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals in a breakout season
- Two-time defending champion Sabalenka won the last five games to overcome Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
“I just told myself ... if she beats me 6-1, 6-1, then she’s the greatest player ever,” Osaka recalled after her 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 second-round win at the Australian Open over No. 20 Karolina Muchova. “Yeah, I just tried to tell myself to fight.”
That she did, the four-time major winner matching the power that last year’s US Open semifinalist brought to their contest on Kia Arena and finding ways to beat her.
“The score in the first set was very dramatic, but there was key points that I could have maybe won a game here or there. So I kept trying to tell myself that,” Osaka said. “Yeah, just try not to live in the past.”
Reflecting on the past doesn’t always hurt, though. It was a second-round loss to Muchova at the US Open last year served as motivation.
“She crushed me in the US Open when I had my best outfit ever,” Osaka joked in a post-match interview. “I was so disappointed. I was so mad. This was my little revenge.”
Osaka lost in the first round at Melbourne Park last year to Caroline Garcia in Osaka’s comeback from maternity leave, but she avenged that with a first-round victory over Garcia earlier this week.
The two-time Australian Open champion next faces Belinda Bencic, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist who is playing in her first major since the birth of her daughter, Bella, last year.
Both of last year’s women’s finalists were playing at the same time Wednesday afternoon.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, extended her run to 16 wins at Melbourne Park by winning the last five games to beat No. 54-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.
No. 5 Zheng Qinwen, distracted by a time penalty and unable to counteract No. 97-ranked Laura Siegemund’s aggressive approach, lost 7-6 (3), 6-3 on John Cain Arena. Zheng lost the 2024 decider at Melbourne Park to Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals in a breakout season.
But her first tournament of the year ended much earlier against 36-year-old Siegemund, who attacked from the first point and put Zheng off her game.
Zheng needed a change of shoes early in the second set, got a time warning on her serve from the chair umpire — she said she couldn’t clearly see the clock — and was worried about some minor issues which sidelined her before the Australian Open.
“I feel maybe today is not my day. There’s a lot of details in the important points. I didn’t do the right choice,” Zheng said.
Of a weak serve that bounced before the net, Zheng said the time warning from the umpire “obviously that one really distracted me from the match.”
“This is my fourth year in the tour, and never happen that to me.”
Also advancing were No. 7 Jessica Pegula, who had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Elize Mertens, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the No. 14 seed who beat Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8), and No. 30 Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist.
Siegemund has never been past the third round in Australia, but is taking confidence from her big upset.
“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said. “I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free.” Novak Djokovic, seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, added yet another record to his list with his 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Jaime Faria on Wednesday afternoon.
It was his 430th Grand Slam singles match, the most in tennis history, breaking a tie with Roger Federer.
“It’s been over 20 years that I’ve been competing in the Grand Slam at the highest level,” he told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “Whether I win or lose, one thing is for sure: I always leave my heart out on the court.”
Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, aiming to add the Australian Open title to complete a set of all four major crowns, advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka.
Sam Curran and Sherfane Rutherford shine as Desert Vipers record second-consecutive ILT20 win
- Curran was unbeaten on 42 and Rutherford added 40 off 18 balls as the Vipers reached their target of 120 in 17.4 overs to defeat Gulf Giants
- Bowlers set the tone for the Vipers early, with captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Amir dismantling the Giants’ batting order
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers cruised to a six-wicket victory over Gulf Giants in a low-scoring contest at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
It was a second-consecutive win for the Vipers in the DP World International League T20, with an unbeaten 42-run knock from all-rounder Sam Curran anchoring their chase. Sherfane Rutherford added some fireworks with 40 runs off only 18 balls, helping his side reach their target of 120 in 17.4 overs.
The bowlers set the tone for the Vipers early, as captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Amir dismantled the Giants’ batting order.
Ferguson claimed three wickets, Amir two, as the Giants were restricted to 119/9 in 20 overs. Skipper James Vince fought valiantly, scoring an unbeaten 76 off 62 balls, but lacked support as the wickets fell at regular intervals.
His side struggled after losing wickets early on. Amir trapped Adam Lyth LBW in the first over, and Lockie Ferguson removed Rehan Khan and Shimron Hetmyer soon after. By the sixth over, the Giants were reeling at just 32/3.
Wanindu Hasaranga then bowled Ollie Robinson for a duck and as Amir and Ferguson continued to dominate, the Giants limped to 50/6.
Vince provided a measure of stability, however, rotating the strike and finding late boundaries. Aayan Afzal Khan briefly offered some support, contributing 15 runs off 18 balls in a 36-run stand.
But Khan’s dismissal by Luke Wood in the 15th over dashed hopes of a competitive total. Nevertheless, Vince reached his half-century off 47 balls and added crucial runs in the final overs to give his side at least a fighting chance.
Chasing 120, the Vipers faced early setbacks when Mark Adair dismissed Fakhar Zaman and Dan Lawrence in the second over. Curran and Alex Hales then managed to steady the ship, adding 49 runs for the third wicket, before Curran let loose in the seventh over, smashing a six and a four off Daniel Worrall. Hales fell for 20 runs off 30 balls and then Azam Khan departed for just seven, leaving the Vipers on 66/4 in 12.2 overs.
But then Curran and Rutherford took control, with the latter hitting two sixes and a four in the 18th over to seal the victory. The former remained unbeaten on 42 from 43 balls, including four fours and a six.
“It is nice to be here for the start of the tournament and it is nice to win on a tricky pitch,” said Curran, who was named player of the match.
“It was almost a bit of a test match out there, trying to trust your defense. I knew they were going to go for their best seam bowlers at the top, so I had to adjust accordingly.”
Reflecting on the defeat, Vince said: “It was a tough gig batting first; there seemed to be a bit more moisture in the wicket than the last game. One-hundred-and-twenty is always going to be tough to defend. We needed a bit of luck going our way on a wicket like that. If we had held onto our chances, it could have been a bit tricky for them.”
Man City and Chelsea both draw in Premier League after late goals
- City conceded in the 82nd minute and again two minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 draw
MANCHESTER: Manchester City showed more fallibility in squandering a two-goal lead to draw at Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday as Chelsea's slump deepened despite a last-gasp equalizer.
City conceded in the 82nd minute and again two minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 draw after Phil Foden scored twice for the struggling champions, who are battling to simply qualify for the Champions League this season.
Chelsea salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth thanks to Reece James' free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time but saw their winless run in the league extend to five games.
West Ham beat Fulham 3-2 for a first win under new manager Graham Potter.
First-place Liverpool were playing third-place Nottingham Forest in the late game.
Pressure builds on Dortmund boss Sahin after loss at Kiel
- Dortmund were heavily favored against their promoted opponents
- Kiel have now won two of their last three to boost their chances of avoiding a direct relegation
KIEL, Germany: Borussia Dortmund’s struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund were heavily favored against their promoted opponents, who sit second-last in the table, but were overrun as Kiel scored three goals in 22 first-half minutes.
Shuto Machino, Phil Harres and Alexander Bernhardsson found the net to have Kiel up by three at half-time.
Dortmund’s Gio Reyna and Jamie Gittens scored in the second half but the visitors could not pull off an unlikely comeback, with Jann-Fiete Arp scoring Kiel’s fourth in stoppage time.
Kiel have now won two of their last three to boost their chances of avoiding a direct relegation.
With half the season played, Dortmund sit eighth, 14 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
Questions will continue to be asked of coach Sahin, who replaced Edin Terzic in the summer, despite the latter taking Dortmund to the Champions League final in June.
With want-away forward Donyell Malen joining Aston Villa just an hour before kick-off, Sahin handed teenage forward Julien Duranville a starting XI debut.
In cold, foggy conditions on Germany’s northern coast, Dortmund dominated possession for much of the first half-hour, but were unable to break through the dogged hosts.
With 27 minutes gone, Kiel forced Julian Brandt into an error near his own penalty box, Bernhardsson then found Machino who blasted in the opener.
Harres, a fourth-division player this time last season, doubled Kiel’s lead with a clever header on the counter shortly afterwards.
Kiel hit a third just before half-time, Bernhardsson tapping in a Harres cross to have Dortmund reeling.
Sahin made four attacking changes in the opening 15 minutes of the second half as Dortmund pursued an unlikely comeback.
But despite goals by Reyna and Gittens, the visitors were unable to find a third, with local boy Arp scoring in the dying moments to seal a famous Kiel win.
Later on Tuesday, champions Bayer Leverkusen can close the gap on league leaders Bayern Munich with a victory at home against fifth-placed Mainz.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus to undergo surgery for ACL injury
- “Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery,” Arsenal said
- He is expected to miss the rest of the season
LONDON: Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will undergo surgery for an ACL injury sustained in the team’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
The Premier League club on Tuesday confirmed the Brazil international’s injury after completing scans of his left knee.
“Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation program,” Arsenal said in a team statement.
He is expected to miss the rest of the season, though no timetable was specified.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had earlier warned that the forward’s injury was “not looking good at all.”
Second-place Arsenal, which host Tottenham on Wednesday, are already without Bukayo Saka due to a hamstring injury.
The team are “actively looking in the market to improve the squad” during the January transfer window, Arteta added.
“It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances,” he said.
“So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.”
