The Japan Times - Sports (English)

Kolisi watches on as Racing claim Parisian derby spoils

South Africa's two-time Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi watched from the stands as his new club Racing 92 beat Stade Francais 13-9 on Saturday in the French Top 14 but their local rivals remained in the number one spot.

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Djokovic eyes ATP Finals record after last-four demolition of Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic closed in on a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Saturday after sweeping past Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in a dominating semi-final display he hailed as his best of the tournament.

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Aberg leads Cole by one heading into final round at PGA RSM Classic

Sweden's Ludvig Aberg fired an eagle and seven birdies in a nine-under par 61 on Saturday to maintain a one-shot lead over Eric Cole heading into the final day of the PGA Tour RSM Classic.

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France smash records in 14-0 win, Dutch, Swiss and Romania qualify for Euro 2024

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in France's record-breaking 14-0 thrashing of 10-man Gibraltar as the Netherlands, Switzerland and Romania booked their places at Euro 2024 on Saturday.

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Djokovic sweeps past Alcaraz to continue record ATP Finals bid

Novak Djokovic continued his bid for a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Saturday after sweeping past Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in a dominating semi-final display.

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Sari spot kick sends Turkey past Germany in Berlin

A late Yusuf Sari penalty took Turkey to a 3-2 win over Germany in Berlin on Saturday, giving home manager Julian Nagelsmann plenty to ponder seven months from hosting Euro 2024.

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Vegas gets ready to rumble but Verstappen in no mood for a party

The Las Vegas Grand Prix has promised to "light up the sports and entertainment capital of the world", claiming the "stakes have never been higher" than for the first street race in the casino dominated city on Saturday night.

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Croatia close in as Wales' Euro 2024 hopes are hit by draw with Armenia

Croatia beat Latvia on Saturday to leave Wales' hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2024 hanging by a thread after they drew in Armenia.

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Woods set for golf return at Hero World Challenge

Golf superstar Tiger Woods will play the Hero World Challenge he hosts in the Bahamas, his first competitive golf start since the Masters.

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Sinner perfecting his tennis recipe with ATP Finals glory in sight

Jannik Sinner says he has all the right ingredients for ATP Finals glory after reaching the final with Saturday's convincing 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 win over Daniil Medvedev.

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Martin wins Qatar MotoGP sprint to trim Bagnaia's lead

Jorge Martin barged past title rival Francesco Bagnaia early on in the MotoGP sprint at Lusail on Saturday, before he swept on to win the race.

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Liverpool fly in Diaz's freed parents for Christmas

Liverpool have flown the parents of Colombian star Luis Diaz over to spend Christmas in England as they recover from the ordeal of being kidnapped in their homeland.

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Haaland to sit out Scotland clash due to foot injury

Scotland will not face the firepower of Erling Haaland in Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier after the Manchester City striker was ruled out with a foot injury.

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Kolisi watches on as Racing take Top 14 summit with Stade Francais win

South Africa's two-time Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi watched in the stands as his new club Racing 92 beat local rivals Stade Francais 13-9 on Saturday to move to the summit of the French Top 14.

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Sinner sees off Medvedev to reach final of ATP Finals

Jannik Sinner reached the final of the ATP Finals on Saturday, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 in front of passionate home support in Turin.

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Wales Euro 2024 hopes hit by Armenia draw

Wales' hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2024 are hanging by a thread after a 1-1 draw away to Armenia on Saturday.

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No looking back for India 'team man' Shami

India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday praised senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami for a spectacular renaissance at the World Cup after being ignored for the first four matches.

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Bagnaia and Martin together on MotoGP grid for Qatar

The two riders duelling for the MotoGP title, leader Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, qualified fourth and fifth on Saturday for the Qatar Grand Prix, setting the tone for a white-knuckle ride on Sunday.

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Feller tops Austrian sweep as men's World Cup gets underway

Home skier Manuel Feller led an Austrian podium sweep after two descents of the Kirchenkar slalom for a combined time of 1min 47.23sec in the Alpine skiing World Cup's opening men's race on Saturday.

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Rohit says India 'calm and composed' amid World Cup final hype

Captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday said his players understand the pressure of being Indian cricketers and remain "calm and composed" for the World Cup final against five-time champions Australia.

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Verstappen stands with Sainz over 'very harsh' Las Vegas penalty

World champion Max Verstappen has given his support to rival Carlos Sainz after the Ferrari driver was hit with a ten-place grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

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Injured Murray out of Davis Cup clash with Djokovic

Former world number one and three-time major winner Andy Murray pulled out of the Davis Cup finals on Saturday, depriving the tournament of a likely heavyweight clash against Novak Djokovic.

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Feller fastest as men's ski World Cup gets underway

Home skier Manuel Feller of Austria was fastest on the first run of the Kirchenkar slalom in the Alpine skiing World Cup opening men's race on Saturday.

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Unlikely captain Cummins on brink of World Cup triumph

Pat Cummins may be an unusual captain, but he heads into Sunday's World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad on the verge of leading Australia to their second global title this year.

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Ferrari's Leclerc takes pole position for Las Vegas Grand Prix

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix after posting the fastest time in Friday qualifying.

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India's prayers ahead of Cricket World Cup final

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the final match of the Cricket World Cup on Sunday, as fans across the cricket-mad country held prayers for a win.

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Leclerc takes pole position for Las Vegas Grand Prix

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix after posting the fastest time in Friday qualifying.

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'Hitman' Rohit eyes crowning glory in World Cup final

Rohit Sharma will carry a billion hopes when he leads India out for the World Cup final on Sunday, the pinnacle of a journey which began in poverty but which has led to a personal fortune of around $25 million and the high-pressure captaincy of the national cricket team.

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Australia 'ready for anything India throw at us' in final

Australia are adamant they will be "ready for anything" India throw at them in the Cricket World Cup final after controversy hit the tournament in a 'pitch switch' row.

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India eyes fairytale finish in World Cup final against Australia

Rohit Sharma's undefeated India will look to end a 10-year global title drought in front of 130,000 fans in the World Cup final against five-time champions Australia on Sunday.

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Wembanyama shines but Spurs lose 7th straight, James fuels Lakers win

Victor Wembanyama put on a show but his San Antonio Spurs slumped to a seventh straight defeat on Friday as group play continued in the NBA's new in-season tournament.

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Cummins urges Australia to 'embrace' India crowd challenge in World Cup final

Australia captain Pat Cummins has urged his side to "embrace" the challenge of facing a hostile crowd when they play in-form hosts India in Sunday's World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

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