Digest

TABLE TENNIS

Ma suffers shock exit at WTT Champions

Top seed Ma Long crashed out of the WTT Champions in Budapest on Wednesday in the tournament's biggest upset so far.

Ma lost 3-2 to Germany's Patrick Franziska, who advanced to a quarterfinal with Slovenia's Darko Jorgic.

"It's definitely the biggest win of my career," said Franziska. "Ma Long is probably the best player to ever play the sport, and my whole body is shaking after beating him today. I can't believe it."

China's Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan both made it safely through, notching 3-0 wins over Sweden's Kristian Karlsson and Germany's Timo Boll respectively.

Four Chinese players made the women's singles quarterfinals. Top seed Chen Meng defeated Ukraine's Margaryta Pesotska 3-1, Wang Manyu beat Austria's Sofia Polcanova 3-1, Wang Yidi overcame teammate Chen Xingtong 3-1, and Sun Yingsha swept Portugal's Fu Yu 3-0.

TENNIS

Osaka splits with coach after three years

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is in need of a new coach.

Wim Fissette, who began working with Osaka shortly before the start of the 2020 season, wrote on Instagram on Wednesday that he and Osaka are ending their partnership.

"It has been a privilege to coach Naomi since 2019 and see her grow into the Champion she has become," Fissette said.

"She has inspired a whole new generation to fall in love with the game& to speak up for what they believe in and it's been incredible to play a part in that journey."

Belgian Fissette coached Osaka to two of her major titles－at the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open. He has also worked with Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber－all players who have won majors and spent time at No 1 in the rankings.

Williams, Djokovic on US Open entry list

Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were on the official US Open entry lists released on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean they will necessarily play in the tournament.

In Djokovic's case, he cannot enter the US because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. The US requires non-citizens to be fully vaccinated against the virus to enter.

The singles entry lists are a formality, and they include all players who are eligible based purely on this week's WTA and ATP rankings.

Williams is on there by virtue of a special ranking granted to her because she missed so much time due to injury; her first match in a year came last month at Wimbledon, where she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan.

Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country over his vaccine status and has said since that he will not get COVID-19 shots to be able to participate in tournaments.

SOCCER

Juve signs defender Bremer from Torino

Juventus signed Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer from city rival Torino for 41 million euros ($41.7 million) on Wednesday.

Bremer, who was named Serie A defender of the year last season, signed a five-year contract through June 2027.

As well as being an exceptional man marker, the 25-year-old Bremer has a keen eye for goal and has netted 13 times in his three full seasons in Italy, including 11 in Serie A－a record for a central defender over that period.

Juventus said the fee is payable over three years and that it will also pay Torino up to 8 million euros in bonuses.

The news comes a day after center back Matthijs de Ligt completed his move from Juve to Bayern Munich for 67 million euros.

Juventus ended last season without a trophy for the first time in 11 years. It won nine straight league titles until 2020.

The Bianconeri have already brought back Paul Pogba and signed Angel Di Maria, both as free agents.

GOLF

Stenson axed as Ryder captain over LIV switch

The Ryder Cup captaincy of Henrik Stenson lasted just four months.

Ryder Cup Europe removed Stenson as captain for the 2023 matches－still 14 months away from being played in Italy－when the Swede decided to choose the guaranteed money of the Saudi-funded rival league over the Ryder Cup.

The DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and PGA Tour have suspended players who signed up for LIV Golf, which is handing out massive signing bonuses to go along with its $25 million prize fund in eight tournaments that feature 54 holes and no cut.

The third LIV Golf event is next week at Trump National in New Jersey. Sky Sports was among the first to report Stenson is leaving the DP World Tour for the rival league, a move he confirmed on Wednesday.

That meant giving up a captaincy that he accepted four months ago when he said, "I'm fully committed to my role as a captain and working hard toward the result we want in Rome."

Agencies