(Reuters): Frenchman Benoit Paire said on Wednesday that he was allowed to play in the Hamburg Open despite testing positive for COVID-19 because the "rules are different" in Germany. Paire, who caused a storm at the U.S. Open last month when he was forced to pull out of the Grand Slam after testing positive for COVID-19, said he returned a positive test again on his arrival in Germany but was told he was no longer contagious. Paire played Norwegian Casper Ruud in

(Reuters): Simona Halep is heavily favoured to add a second French Open title to her Grand Slam cabinet, brimming with confidence on the back of a 14-match winning streak and fighting fit having skipped the U.S. hardcourt season due to COVID-19. The Romanian world number two won in Dubai before the professional season was suspended in early March, and added claycourt titles in Prague and Rome ahead of the Paris Grand Slam, which starts on Sunday having been rescheduled from May

(Reuters): Kevin De Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer have been short-listed for the UEFA men's Player of the Year award, European football's governing body said on Wednesday. Lewandowski guided Bayern Munich to their sixth Champions League title, finishing as the competition's top scorer with 15 goals. The Polish striker netted 55 goals in 47 games in all competitions as Bayern won the treble. Neuer, also part of Bayern's treble-winning squad, k

(Reuters): Few players have been thrown as many curve balls in their career as former world number one Victoria Azarenka but the Belarussian fighter is back and hunting Grand Slam titles again. When she reached the 2013 U.S. Open final it was her fourth Grand Slam final appearance in the last eight she had contested, including winning back-to-back Australian Opens, but it was to be her last for seven long years. First a persistent foot injury in 2014, then a year-long matern

(Reuters): Sunrisers Hyderabad's Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament with an ankle injury and will be replaced by West Indies' Jason Holder, the franchise said on Wednesday. Marsh twisted his right ankle on his follow-through in the Sunrisers' first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday and could not finish bowling his first over as a result. The 28-year-old was then forc

New Delhi, September 23 (IANS): World number seven Bianca Andreescu has pulled out of the upcoming French Open Grand Slam and will take the rest of the season off to focus on her health and training. "I have come to the difficult decision to skip the clay court swing this year and will be taking the remainder of the season off to focus on my health and training," the Canadian said in a statement on Tuesday. Andreescu, who did not defend her 2019 US Open title in New Yor

London, September 23 (IANS): Premier League club West Ham United have confirmed that head coach David Moyes and two players - Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have tested positive for Covid-19. "West Ham United can confirm that David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have returned positive tests for Covid-19," the club said in a statement on Tuesday. The club's medical team was informed of the test results as the team was at the London Stadium preparing for Carabao Cup thir

New Delhi, September 23 (IANS): Indian men's hockey team analytical coach Chris Ciriello has resigned from his post, a Sports Authority of India (SAI) source said on Wednesday. SAI, with which the Australian has signed the contract, is yet to accept the resignation. "Ciriello has sent in his resignation and it is under process for further course of action," the source confirmed to IANS. The Australian has resigned due to health reasons, it is gathered. He has appare

Paris, September 23 (IANS): India's Ankita Raina earned a hard-fought win against Jovana Jovic of Serbia to progress to the second round of the French Open qualifiers. On Tuesday, Ankita defeated Jovana 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in match that lasted two hours and 47 minutes. The 27-year-old will next take on Japan's Kurumi Nara, seeded 22nd. Ankita, who is India's top-ranked woman tennis player, has not gone beyond the second round at the Grand Slam qualifiers and she would

Sharjah, September 23 (IANS): A total of 33 sixes were hit during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 clash between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals which the Steve Smith-led side won at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This was the same number of sixes hit during an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018. On Tuesday, Sanju Samson led the sixes chart with nine maximums, followed by Steve Smith (4), Jofra Archer (4), Shane Watson (4), Fa

Dusseldorf, September 23 (IANS): The FIH Hockey Pro League made a return after six months with Germany women and Belgium men registering victories in double headers between the neighbouring nations. The first Pro League match since March on Tuesday went the way of Germany women, who shook off any rustiness caused by the lengthy lay-off and recorded a 2-0 victory over Belgium's Red Panthers. Despite a strong start from the visiting Belgians, Germany dominated possession, circl

AMSTERDAM, September 23 (Reuters): Frank de Boer has emerged as the most likely candidate to be named coach of the Netherlands after weeks of speculation over who would succeed Ronald Koeman. A contract up to the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar is expected to be signed in time for De Boer to take charge of the team's three internationals next month, Dutch media reported on Wednesday. He would replace Koeman who left last month to become Barcelona coach. "Together

MARSEILLE, France, September 23 (Reuters): French police have released two people who were being questioned as part of an investigation into suspected doping by the Arkea-Samsic team at this year's Tour de France, the Marseille prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. During a raid on the team's hotel in Meribel after the competition's 17th stage, investigators found health products, including substances and items that could be linked to doping. Investigators h

(Reuters): Vissel Kobe's Asian Champions League hopes have suffered a blow after Thorsten Fink stepped down as manager, with the German saying he had decided to return to his family. Fink took charge of the J-League side in June last year and guided them to their first Emperor's Cup title. Kobe also won the Japanese Super Cup, defeating reigning J-League champions Yokohama F Marinos in the final. However, Kobe, who are captained by former Barcelona midfielder Andres

(Reuters): West Ham United assistant manager Alan Irvine has praised his side for staying focused to beat Hull City 5-1 in the League Cup on Tuesday after news that manager David Moyes and players Issa Diop and Josh Cullen had tested positive for COVID-19. News of the positive tests came shortly before kick-off, with all three leaving the London Stadium to return home. Diop and Cullen were replaced by Harrison Ashby and Jack Wilshere in the starting lineup and the third-roun

(Reuters): The National Football League (NFL) handed a handful of coaches and teams hefty fines for failing to wear masks properly during Week 2 games. The league fined the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks $250,000 each, while the head coach of each team received an additional $100,000 fine for mask noncompliance, a source confirmed to Reuters. The league began the 2020 campaign earlier this month, after eliminat

Sharjah, September 23 (IANS): Sanju Samson's blistering 74, late theatrics from speedster Jofra Archer with the bat -- he carted four consecutive sixes -- and Rahul Tewatia's three-wicket burst propelled Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a comfortable 16-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday. RR posted a mammoth 216 for seven wickets in 20 overs and three-time champions CSK finished with 200 for six wickets in 20 overs, despite

Mokokchung, September 22 (MExN): The 15th edition of the Imchaba Master Memorial Nagaland Open Volleyball Tournament has been postponed for this year, the organiser informed today.  The Mokokchung District Volleyball Association (MDVA), which annually organises the premier volleyball of the state, said that it was postponed due to restrictions associated with ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  

Rome, September 22 (IANS): World number one Novak Djokovic won the men's singles title at the Italian Open after defeating Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in straight sets, three weeks after completing his second Career Golden Masters at the Western & Southern Open. On Monday evening, Djokovic defeated Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 to clinch a record-breaking 36th Masters 1000 crown, one more than Rafael Nadal. Entering the summit clash, Schwartzman, 28, was attempting to join 2016

(Reuters): The 'Original 9' group, whose efforts ultimately led to the creation of the WTA, headlined the list of nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 'Original 9', who took a stand against a disparity in prize money and playing opportunities for women in professional tennis, were nominated in the Contributor Category, the Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall of Fame said on Monday. Former players Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos F