Digest

SOCCER

Oscar inspires SIPG to victory over Guo'an

Brazilian Oscar was the star of the show as Shanghai SIPG edged Chinese Super League (CSL) title rival Beijing Guo'an 2-1 in Suzhou on Saturday.

The match was played with about 2,000 spectators in the stands as the CSL gradually reopens to fans after playing the first five rounds of games behind closed doors. Games in the league's other hub city, Dalian, are still closed to the public due to the recent outbreak in that city.

Beijing opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Cedric Bakambu smashed home a volley from a Wang Gang cross.

SIPG equalized 14 minutes later when Wang Shenchao surged forward and met an Oscar freekick with a towering header. Shanghai sealed the victory in the 75th minute when Marko Arnautovic flicked on to Oscar, who coolly tapped home.

The victory fired SIPG to the top of the Group B standings ahead of Guo'an by a point. Defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande leads Group A by two points ahead of Shandong Luneng.

Colombian Quintero set for Shenzhen move

Colombia international midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero began saying goodbye to his River Plate colleagues on Saturday as he prepares to leave the Argentinian club for Shenzhen FC.

After weeks of negotiations, River accepted the Chinese Super League club's offer of 7.5 million euros ($9 million) for the 27-year-old, according to widespread media reports in Argentina.

Quintero was seen bidding farewell to teammates and staff during a training session at River's Ezeiza sports complex, on the southwestern outskirts of Buenos Aires.

River massage therapist Marcelo Sapienza posted a photo on Instagram with a message that paid tribute to Quintero, who scored the decisive goal in the club's victory over Boca Juniors in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final.

"My eternal thanks, my dear friend, for everything on and off the pitch," Sapienza wrote. "I'm lucky to have met you and to witness the great person that you are. I'm going to miss you."

River is reportedly waiting for formalities to be completed before announcing Quintero's departure.

Newly promoted Shenzhen currently has one other Colombian in its squad, forward Harold Preciado.

TENNIS

Murray makes winning return in US tuneup

Andy Murray wore a coronavirus-conscious mask on his way to the unusual, no-spectators setting and avoided handshakes when he left. In between, the three-time Grand Slam champion offered his usual mix of hustling and muttering.

Murray's first match in nine months as he resumes his climb back from two hip operations came at the first ATP tournament for anyone in five months, a 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-1 victory over Frances Tiafoe at the Western& Southern Open in New York on Saturday.

"Physically, I thought I did pretty well," said Murray, who will face Alexander Zverev in the next round. "I moved maybe better than what I expected to."

The men's tennis tour had been suspended since March because of the pandemic; the resumption came at a hard-court event moved from its home in Ohio to the site of the US Open, which begins Aug 31.

BOXING

Povetkin pulverizes Whyte's title hopes

Dillian Whyte's hopes of a world heavyweight title fight suffered a major setback when former Olympic champion Alexander Povetkin twice came back off the canvas to knock out the British fighter.

Whyte, 32, had been the WBC's No 1 contender for over two years and was hoping victory behind closed doors on Saturday would pave the way for a world-title shot at either defending champion Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder.

Whyte twice put Russian 40-year-old Povetkin down in the fourth round but was then knocked out in the fifth by the ex-WBA world champ.

"I didn't feel I would finish the fight like this. I was confident in the fourth round even after going down twice," Povetkin told Sky Sports after winning the bout courtesy of a devastating left hook.

Promoter Eddie Hearn added: "When the punch landed, I thought it was a dream. I can't believe it. Two heavy knockdowns from Whyte－people felt it was over. This is the drama of heavyweight boxing. One punch completely changed the fight."

BASKETBALL

Raptors' Nurse named NBA Coach of the Year

Nick Nurse was voted NBA Coach of the Year on Saturday after leading the defending champion Toronto Raptors to another 50-win season, this time without Kawhi Leonard.

Nurse, who has the Raptors on the verge of the second round of the playoffs, was a runaway winner, receiving 90 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. He finished with 470 points.

Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer was second after leading the Bucks to the best record in the suspended season, earning 147 points. Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan (134) was third.

Nurse led Toronto to its first title last year in his rookie season, becoming the only coach to win an NBA championship and a G League championship. He won titles in 2011 and 2013 at the NBA's minor-league level.

Xinhua - Agencies