Sports

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Caroline Wozniacki ended not only her hex at the hands of Julia Goerges but also the German’s 12-match unbeaten run in New Zealand’s largest city on Friday to join good friend Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic. FILE PHOTO: Tennis – China Open – Women’s Singles – Semi-finals –

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – A Sapporo bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics will be better than the Japanese city’s failed attempt to win the 2026 Games, due to improved infrastructure, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) attends a news conference in

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – St Moritz prides itself as the birthplace of modern winter sports but the Swiss city has been hit by warm weather and had to wait until days before the Lausanne 2020 winter Youth Olympics to confirm its lake is iced up and ready for speed skating events. St Moritz hosted two

FILE PHOTO: Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Matt Rhule during the fourth quarter of the Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports Matt Rhule is expected to be named head coach of the Carolina Panthers. According to multiple reports

The Nashville Predators fired head coach Peter Laviolette after five-plus seasons behind the bench, the team announced Monday. FILE PHOTO: Jan 1, 2020; Dallas, TX, USA; Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette during the second period in the 2020 Winter Classic hockey game against the Dallas Stars at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas was clinical as he picked up his first win of the season at the ATP Cup in Brisbane on Sunday against a temperamental Alexander Zverev of Germany, who was almost reduced to tears due to problems over his serve. FILE PHOTO: Tennis – ATP Cup – Queensland Tennis Centre,

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – Copa America Brazil 2019 – Quarter Final – Venezuela v Argentina – Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – June 28, 2019 Venezuela coach Rafael Dudamel before the match REUTERS/Pilar Olivares RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Venezuelan Rafael Dudamel was given a two-year contract to coach Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro

NBA players and referees will wear a commemorative black band on their uniforms honoring former commissioner David Stern, who died Wednesday. FILE PHOTO: NBA Commissioner David Stern holds a news conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball playoff in Miami, Florida June 6, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity/File Photo The league said Friday the bands

(Reuters) – Veteran quarterbacks Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson will headline the NFL’s wild card weekend, while young upstarts such as the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson look to make their mark in the post-season. FILE PHOTO: Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

Dec 29, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett before the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports The Dallas Cowboys have decided not to bring back head coach Jason Garrett, ESPN reported Thursday night, five days after the team’s season ended at 8-8 and

ABUJA/LAGOS (Reuters) – A steady “thwack” rings out at the driving range just outside Nigeria’s capital Abuja. A girl clad in pink shoes, pink skirt and pink vest wields a club with a power that belies her slight frame, grimacing at poor shots and smiling happily at others. Iyene Essien’s golf medals already outnumber her

The Washington Redskins officially named Ron Rivera as head coach Wednesday, and Rivera hired Jack Del Rio as his defensive coordinator. FILE PHOTO: NFL Football – Carolina Panthers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NFL International Series – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain – October 13, 2019 Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera (L) after the

Chris Paul scored 17 points — including 13 in the final 4:31 — to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a come-from-behind, 106-101 home win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Dec 31, 2019; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (3) drives to the basket around Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian

FILE PHOTO: Aug 26, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Venus Williams of the United States hits a forehand against Saisai Zheng of China (not pictured) in the first round on day one of the 2019 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – Venus Williams has

Shabazz Napier scored eight of his season-high 24 points in overtime as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a nine-game home losing streak with a 122-115 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in Minneapolis. Dec 30, 2019; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Shabazz Napier (13) dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the

FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Mubadala World Tennis Championship – Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 19, 2019 Russia’s Maria Sharapova in action during her match against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah SYDNEY (Reuters) – Former world number one Maria Sharapova will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International