Digest

SOCCER

China stuns Saudis in Under-20 Asian Cup

China beat defending champion Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the group stage of the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Monday.

Mutellip Iminqari put China ahead in the 64th minute when he converted Afrden Asqer's cross from the left, before Xu Bin doubled the lead eight minutes later from the same position.

China did not manage an attempt on goal until the 44th minute and had less than 30 percent possession throughout the first half, with Saudi Arabia missing several chances to break the deadlock.

The Saudis' frustrations were compounded by two superb saves by China goalkeeper Li Hao in the 50th minute. After Li's heroics, China began to gain a foothold in the game, greatly boosted by substitute Mutellip, who also assisted Xu's goal.

China is now second in Group D behind Japan and will face Kyrgyzstan on Thursday.

Rashford urges reeling United to 'trust process'

Marcus Rashford said Monday that Manchester United must not let its 7-0 Premier League thrashing by Liverpool define its season and urged his teammates to "stick together".

A week after winning the League Cup to end a six-year wait for silverware, United headed to Merseyside on Sunday full of confidence with talk of a potential quadruple.

But the Red Devils' faint Premier League title hopes vanished in the Anfield obliteration, which matched their heaviest ever defeat.

Rashford, United's top scorer this season, tweeted: "I wish we could play a game today to try and put things right.

"The result is the result, and we can't see past that! We must not let it define our season. We have to trust the process and stick together."

United defender Luke Shaw described the Anfield performance as "unacceptable" and "embarrassing" and apologized to the club's fans.

Goalkeeper David de Gea described the result as "disastrous", urging the players to look forward, with a Europa League game against Real Betis looming on Thursday.

TENNIS

Djokovic extends record stay as No 1

Novak Djokovic extended his record of weeks as world No 1 to 379 in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday, although Carlos Alcaraz remains in hot pursuit.

The 35-year-old winner of 22 Grand Slam titles edged ahead of Steffi Graf's all-time record last week despite losing in the Dubai semifinals to Daniil Medvedev.

The Russian ended Djokovic's 20-match win streak and perfect start to 2023 before claiming his third title in as many weeks with defeat of compatriot Andrey Rublev in Dubai. He moved up a place to sixth.

Second-ranked Alcaraz will take over at the ATP summit if he wins the Indian Wells Masters. With Djokovic forced to withdraw from the event starting on Sunday, Medvedev looks to be top-seeded Alcaraz's biggest rival for the title in California.

Serbian Djokovic is unable to enter the United States because he is unvaccinated against COVID-19.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Niners star Purdy finally set for surgery

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will have elbow surgery on Friday, NBC Sports Bay Area reported on Monday.

Purdy was originally scheduled to undergo surgery Feb 22 to repair a torn ligament in his right arm. However, surgery was postponed due to swelling and stiffness in the elbow.

Purdy is expected to have an internal brace inserted during the procedure. Recovery time is six months, which would be right at the start of the 2023 season (Sept 7).

The 49ers reportedly are waiting on that decision before plotting a course of action on adding a veteran quarterback to back up Trey Lance.

Purdy, 23, made a stunning rise from being the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to leading the 49ers into the NFC Championship Game.

Agencies