UNCASVILLE, Connecticut: With the season on the line, Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris helped Connecticut force a decisive Game 5.
Thomas had 18 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to help the Sun stave off elimination and beat the Minnesota Lynx 92-82 on Sunday in their semifinal series. The victory set up a winner-take-all fifth game Tuesday night in Minnesota.
“Both of these, franchises have been here, right? We have a lot of players on our roster that have been here that understand certainly what it takes and tonight’s effort is not going to be good enough,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said.
“We expect them to make adjustments. We’ll make some tweaks and adjustments as well. ... It’s about players making plays. It’s about the extra efforts, the hustle plays. It’s about not being denied and finding something deep inside of you that just allows you to come out on top.”
The winner will face the Liberty in the WNBA Finals that start Thursday in New York. The Lynx and the Liberty already met for a championship this season with Minnesota beating New York for the Commissioner’s Cup title.
Harris was inserted back into the starting lineup for the first time since injuring her ankle in Game 1 in the opening round series against Indiana. She responded with 20 points to lead the Sun, who now will try to return to the Finals for the third time in six seasons. The Sun still are looking for the franchise’s first WNBA championship.
White said she let Harris know at shootaround in the morning. She only played about seven minutes in Games 2 and 3, but was able to play 30 on Sunday and was a difference maker.
“Stay composed, be poised and be ready when your number is called,” said Harris, who was scoreless in her limited minutes in Games 2 and 3.
Napheesa Collier did what she could to try to get Minnesota the win, finishing with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
“We’re not happy with, you know, how we came out the last two games. Our offense was able to lift us up last game, but if that’s not working, we have to rely on our defense,” Collier said. “It’s not been good last two games. So we have to go home and defend our home court. We’re both playing for our lives, so we have to play at that level of intensity.”
Minnesota is trying to get back to the Finals for the first time since the 2017 season. That year, the Lynx won their fourth championship in a span of seven years.
The Sun rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit behind Thomas and Harris. The game was tied at 61 before the Sun scored seven of the final nine points of the third quarter to go up 68-63 heading into the fourth.
Harris’ 3-pointer with 5:48 left made it a 10-point game and quashed any hopes the Lynx had of finishing off the series Sunday. Minnesota was only able to get within eight the rest of the way.
“Typical AT, she’s a stat stuffer, steps up in big moments,” White said. “Put the ball in her hands a lot. made plays for herself and others. We ask her to do a lot for us on both ends of the floor. We got a lot from her and continue to need to get a lot from everybody moving forward.”
Collier helped the Lynx build a seven-point lead after one quarter and Minnesota was up 47-41 when DiJonai Carrington stole the ball from Natisha Hiedeman and took it in for a layup. Hiedeman answered by hitting a 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt right before the buzzer to give the Lynx a 50-43 lead at the break. Collier finished the first half with 14 points and Hiedeman had 12 against her former team.
Alyssa Thomas helps the Connecticut Sun force Game 5 with 92-82 win over the Minnesota Lynx
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Alyssa Thomas helps the Connecticut Sun force Game 5 with 92-82 win over the Minnesota Lynx
- Thomas had 18 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to help the Sun stave off elimination and beat the Minnesota Lynx 92-82 on Sunday in their semifinal series
Vinicius and Bonmati named FIFA Best players of the year
- The award comes two months after 24-year-old Vinicius was second in the Ballon d’Or, with Real electing to snub the ceremony when they found out beforehand that Manchester City midfielder Rodri was set to win the trophy
- The 26-year-old Spaniard Bonmati picked up the Best women’s player award for the second year running, adding to the two Ballon d’Or trophies she already boasts
DOHA: Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior won the FIFA Best men’s player of the year award at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati picked up the women’s prize for the second time.
The award comes two months after 24-year-old Vinicius was second in the Ballon d’Or, with Real electing to snub the ceremony when they found out beforehand that Manchester City midfielder Rodri was set to win the trophy.
But the Brazilian was this time on hand to collect the prize in person as he is in Qatar with his club ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final clash with Mexico’s Pachuca on Wednesday.
“Thank you very much. I don’t know where to start. It was impossible to think of getting here. I grew up in a world of poverty, of organized crime. It’s for all the children who grow up in that world. I thank everyone who voted for me,” Vinicius said on stage.
“(Thank you) To my family, to the club, to my teammates, to Carletto (Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti), who always helps me.
“To everyone who helped make my dream come true. I hope to be at Madrid for many years, because it is the best club in the world. To Flamengo (his first club in Brazil). To my teammates in my national team. And to my country, which always supports me in my work.”
Vinicius succeeds Lionel Messi as the FIFA Best men’s player after the Argentinian scooped up the last two editions of the award.
The live wire forward scored 24 goals and laid on 11 assists in 39 matches across all competitions as he led Real to a La Liga and Champions League double last season.
Having already wrapped up his third La Liga title in May, Vinicius secured the second Champions League trophy of his career as Real beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on June 1.
Vinicius was on the scoresheet at Wembley with a pinpoint finish inside the final 10 minutes to make the game safe for his team.
If Vinicius at times played second fiddle to clubmate Jude Bellingham in La Liga, he was undoubtedly the main man for Madrid in Europe once the going got serious.
He was the top scorer for the Champions League winners with six goals in the competition, including the strike in the final and a brace in Madrid’s 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
He also scored a hat trick in a 4-1 victory in the final of the Supercopa against arch-rivals Barcelona in January.
But it was not all plain sailing last season for Vinicius as he endured a disappointing Copa America with the Brazilian national team over the summer.
He scored two goals in a group-stage win against Paraguay, but his side ultimately crashed out on penalties to Uruguay in the quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old Spaniard Bonmati picked up the Best women’s player award for the second year running, adding to the two Ballon d’Or trophies she already boasts.
“I’m grateful, I’m proud to receive this award,” Bonmati said via video link from Barcelona’s Olympic stadium.
Last term, Bonmati led Barcelona to a historic continental quadruple of titles and claimed the Nations League with her national team.
She won every trophy available to her in club football in 2023/24 — the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de Espana and a second successive Women’s Champions League.
Bonmati scored a goal and put in a player-of-the-match performance as Barcelona beat Lyon 2-0 in the final of the Champions League to claim their third title in four seasons.
Manchester United’s Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho won the Puskas award for the best goal of the year for his spectacular bicycle kick against Everton in the Premier League.
Koopmeiners stunner sends Juventus into Italian Cup quarterfinals
- Juve join Lazio, Empoli, Bologna and AC Milan in the next stage of the cup
- Serie A leaders Atalanta are in action on Wednesday against Cesena, while Roma take on Sampdoria
MILAN: Holders Juventus progressed to the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup with a 4-0 win at home to Cagliari on Tuesday.
Dusan Vlahovic slotted home a first half opener, before Teun Koopmeiners wrapped up the last-16 tie for the 15-time winners with a sensational free kick from distance.
Francisco Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez netted late to underline an emphatic performance by the Old Lady.
“It was a good performance,” Juve coach Thiago Motta told Canale 5.
“These lads are going through a tough situation in the right way, giving their all in every training session,” he added of his players who have endured a stop-start domestic campaign as they sit sixth in the league table.
Juve join Lazio, Empoli, Bologna and AC Milan in the next stage of the cup.
Serie A leaders Atalanta are in action on Wednesday against Cesena, while Roma take on Sampdoria.
Reigning Scudetto champions Inter Milan complete the round of 16 when they host Udinese on Thursday.
In Turin, Vlahovic put the home side in front one minute before half-time when he swivelled smartly on a pass to feet from Kenan Yildiz and rolled the ball into the far corner.
Summer signing Koopmeiners then notched up his second goal for Juve with an unstoppable left-footed free-kick from 25 meters out in the 53rd minute.
Vlahovic had the ball in the net twice more for Juve as they pressed forward in search of a third, but was on both occasions denied by the assistant’s flag for offside.
Conceicao eventually made it three on 80 minutes with a whipped finish after cutting in from the right flank and Gonzalez chipped home a fourth with one minute remaining.
Chelsea, Lyon top Women’s Champions League groups with perfect records
- The wins meant Chelsea and Lyon became the third and fourth sides in the history of the competition to register a perfect set of results in the group stage
MADRID: Catarina Macario scored two penalties in the space of five second-half minutes to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 comeback over Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League on Tuesday and confirm their status as group winners.
Eight-time winners Lyon edged Wolfsburg 1-0 thanks to a late Danielle van de Donk goal to complete their perfect record in Group A.
The wins meant Chelsea and Lyon became the third and fourth sides in the history of the competition to register a perfect set of results in the group stage.
Introduced at half-time in Madrid with her side trailing to Caroline Weir’s early opener for the hosts, 25-year-old Macario showed composure to convert twice from 12 yards and send Chelsea six points clear of their opponents on the last matchday of Group B.
“We were not very happy with our performance in the first half,” said Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor.
“We all sat down together at half-time and told ourselves that we had nothing to lose. We have a strong mentality, and that’s important to win games.”
Weir’s dinked finish in the seventh minute had Real going through to the quarter-finals as group winners on overall goal difference.
But Macario flipped the pool on its head by levelling six minutes after coming onto the pitch and then completing the comeback on 56 minutes.
“Macario is a world-class player, she changed the game. She showed a lot of confidence by scoring those two penalties,” said Bompastor.
Real captain Olga Carmona — the scorer of the winning goal in the 2023 World Cup final for Spain against England — was the player who offered the English champions their way back into the tie.
She felled Macario to concede the first spot-kick, before later being penalized for a handball in the box.
The result means Chelsea have now won their last nine group games in the Champions League, going back to last season.
In the pool’s other match, Dutch side Twente condemned Celtic to a sixth defeat in six outings as they won 3-0 in Enschede.
Lyon were already assured of top spot in their group but still laid down a statement before the quarter-finals by beating Wolfsburg to ensure they finished nine points ahead of the second-placed Germans.
Dutch midfielder Van de Donk made it a perfect tournament so far for the French side with a flicked finish nine minutes from the full-time whistle.
Roma finished level on points with Wolfsburg by beating Galatasaray 3-0 in the Italian capital, but were already eliminated before kick-off due to their worse head-to-head record.
Green Falcons defeat Trinidad and Tobago ahead of Gulf Cup
- Falcons eased to a 3-1 win over the islanders
- Saleh Al-Shehri, Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Nasser Al-Dosari on target
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia defeated Trinidad and Tobago by 3-1 in a match held behind closed doors at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh.
The match was part of the Green Falcons’ preparations for their participation in the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, which will take place in Kuwait.
Saleh Al-Shehri scored the first Saudi goal from a penalty kick, Abdullah Al-Hamdan doubled the lead, and Nasser Al-Dosari completed the scoring for the Falcons.
Head coach Herve Renard gave all the squad a run by playing two different lineups in each half.
Next Gen players to use Jeddah as launching pad for top ATP careers
- Second staging of the 20-and-under event in Jeddah features the best eight players of that age group on the ATP circuit
- Daniel Vallverdu: My honest, true opinion, is that this field is one of the best the Next Gen has ever had
Tennis fans in Saudi Arabia will get an early “sneak peek” at the future stars of the men’s game when the Next Gen ATP Finals event kicks off in Jeddah on Wednesday, says co-tournament director Daniel Vallverdu.
The second staging of the 20-and-under event in Jeddah features the best eight players of that age group on the ATP circuit, headlined by top seed and last year’s runner-up Arthur Fils.
Since its establishment in 2017, the Next Gen ATP Finals has highlighted the very best up-and-coming tennis talent, with the majority of participants using the tournament as a launching pad on their way to the upper echelons of the sport.
Of the current top 20 tennis players in the world rankings, 17 have qualified for previous Next Gen editions and 16 have opted to take part.
“It’s an incredible stat,” Vallverdu told Arab News on the eve of the start of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals.
“And, obviously, you have previous winners like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. So, you have current world No.1s that have competed and won the event as well.
“I think it’s a true testament that the players that are playing here in Jeddah, today and this week — if you look at the trends and what’s happening over the last six, seven years — will be the next few top players in the world.”
Vallverdu, who also serves as a strategic adviser to the Saudi Tennis Federation and is the co-coach of world No.10 Grigor Dimitrov, sees great potential in the Next Gen class of 2024, which includes — alongside Fils — Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik, Shang Juncheng, Learner Tien, Luca van Assche, Nishesh Basavareddy and Joao Fonseca.
“Me personally, obviously, being close to the performance side and the player side, my honest, true opinion, is that this field is one of the best the Next Gen has ever had,” Vallverdu added.
“It’s a very special and particular group that’s here in Jeddah. I think they all have a very high potential and a very high ceiling to grow and become the top players in the world.
“I think if you look at that stat that 16 out of the current top 20 were part of this event, I think that’s a true testament to what the fans are able to experience this week. They will get a sneak peek before anyone else, before these young players become the next future stars on tour.”
Fils, who is joined by world No.48 Mensik, Tien and Fonseca in a tough Blue Group in Jeddah this week, fell to Hamad Medjedovic in last year’s final and will be looking to go one better this time around.
He is familiar with Saudi Arabia and has enjoyed the time he has spent in the Kingdom so far.
“I love this country. I’ve been here one month ago with my friends for some holidays. I really love the country,” the Frenchman said on Monday.
“This event is also mandatory, so I’m here because I need to be here, but it’s a practice week as well. We’re in the preseason, so we’re spending a lot of time on court and I’m here to have some matches, have some fun, but also to work a lot during this week and let’s see.”
Chinese world No.50 Shang is making his Next Gen ATP Finals debut and will commence his campaign on Wednesday against French No.6 seed Van Assche.
He is intrigued by the latest developments in sport in Saudi Arabia and says he will have a chat with his compatriot, Zheng Qinwen, who competed in the WTA Finals in Riyadh last month, about her experience in the Kingdom.
“Speaking of tennis, maybe in Saudi Arabia it doesn’t happen too often, but I’m glad having the Next Gen event coming here to visit the country, to see how everyone is, how the culture is as well,” said the 19-year-old.
“Obviously, the WTA Finals is in Riyadh, which was quite fun. Actually, when I meet Qinwen I’m going to ask her about it as well, how the city is over there. Hopefully I’ll get some good results in, but, most importantly, enjoy the week.
“I think there’s always a key moment that one country or one individual has to push a sport forward. And I’m glad Saudi is doing it. Not many tournaments were held here in the past, so I’m glad that this is happening and hopefully in the future there will be more to come.”
Through his work with the STF, Vallverdu has witnessed firsthand the rapid rise of engagement and participation numbers surrounding tennis in Saudi Arabia.
With two sanctioned tour events currently enjoying a multi-year stay in the Kingdom — the WTA Finals from 2024 to 2026 in Riyadh and the Next Gen ATP Finals from 2023 to 2027 in Jeddah — the STF and Ministry of Sport now have a platform around which they have been building several community programs.
“It’s been incredible. There have been some amazing numbers regarding participation and also clubs coming into play, new clubs becoming part of the ecosystem,” said Vallverdu.
“Having 21,000 fans being part of the WTA Finals, engaging with 33,000 students during the event and pre-event. So, numbers are growing, the interest is growing, which is crucial, and it’s one of the main components and it’s why the federation and the ministry are hosting these events.
“29,000 children participating in the Tennis for All program in 2023 and I’m sure we’ll get much bigger numbers for 2024 and that will keep rising.
“The split between boys and girls is a healthy one; it was 52 percent boys, 48 percent girls, which is amazing. The impact the WTA Finals had and will have in the next few years, in terms of female participation, will be exponential.”
He added: “Hosting these events is great, but it goes way beyond the event itself and it goes well beyond for the federation, where you want any program that’s running alongside the event to become its own post the events, maybe going somewhere else.
“So, that’s been a huge focus for the federation over the last 12 months, to make sure whatever was being done pre-Next Gen in 2023 and during Next Gen in 2023, was not only being carried on for the next 12 months, but was even growing at the same time.”
The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City from Dec. 18–22, with a tournament-record US $2.05 million prize money on offer.
Wednesday, Dec. 18 Order of Play
Afternoon session
Starts at 2:00 p.m. local time
[4] Shang Juncheng (CHN) vs [6] Luca Van Assche (FRA)
Not Before 3:00 p.m.
[2] Alex Michelsen (USA) vs [7] Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)
Evening session
Not Before 7:00 p.m.
[3] Jakub Mensik (CZE) vs [5] Learner Tien (USA)
[1] Arthur Fils (FRA) vs [8] Joao Fonseca (BRA)
