Sports

AMMAN — Jordan has continued its magnificent form at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Moscow with a silver medal on Sunday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. Saleh El Sharabaty followed up Juliana Al Sadeq’s historic bronze medal on Saturday by storming his way through to the final of the -80kg weight.

Despite a brave performance, he came up short against European champion and top seed, Maksim Khramtcov, of Russia, who took the gold with a 29-11 win. Sharabaty, who was seeded 23, started his campaign with a win over Britain’s Damon Sansum before three more excellent victories earned him the shot at gold.

The silver medal gives him vital ranking points as he steps up his bid to qualify to the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in two years. Twenty-four hours earlier, teammate Sadeq made history by becoming the first Jordanian woman to win a medal at a World Grand Prix event when she picked up a bronze in the -67kg category.

HUDDERSFIELD, England — Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed away wins on the opening on Saturday of the Premier League season while promoted Fulham and Cardiff City were given quick reminders of the tough task they face on their returns to the top flight.

Goals from N’Golo Kante, Jorginho (penalty) and Pedro gave Chelsea an impressive 3-0 win at Huddersfield Town as their new Italian coach Maurizio Sarri watched his team respond well after enduring early pressure from David Wagner’s side.

Chelsea gave a debut to the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, who joined from Athletic Bilbao for £72 million ($92 million) last week, but the Spaniard had little work to do.

Sarri, who took over from Antonio Conte in July, said that he now had a month to try to shape his new side before midweek Europa League games were added to the mix.

“We are lucky now because for three to four weeks we can work with only one match a week, so we have to improve in this month,” he said. 

“Then it will be difficult with three matches in a week, with the suspension for the national teams. I hope in this month to improve the team,” he said.

Spurs fans’ concerns about their club’s lack of transfer business may have eased after Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli scored as Mauricio Pochettino’s team began the campaign with an entertaining 2-1 victory at Newcastle United.

All three goals came in a frantic opening 20 minutes on Tyneside, with two headed goals for the north London team coming either side of Joselu’s equaliser for Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle.

Like several clubs who had players competing at the World Cup, Spurs have had to cope without several key performers during preseason and Pochettino was delighted with the approach his players had taken.

“I feel very proud. The players showed great character and commitment,” he said. “We fought hard and they deserve full credit because the mentality was amazing.”

“It wasn’t easy to connect everything in a few days — a massive challenge — but we kept going and made a massive effort in our performance.”

Well-taken goals by Jeffrey Schlupp and Wilfried Zaha fired confident-looking Crystal Palace to a 2-0 win over promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic said his team needed to adjust quickly to the new level of quality they will face.

“The Premier League is more power, more speed and more quality and we must adapt,” he said.

“We have to trust ourselves and work hard and we know we can play better than today.”

Cardiff City also tasted defeat on their return to the elite — midfielder Ryan Fraser’s first-half goal and forward Callum Wilson’s late strike securing the three points for Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Promoted Wolves needed an 80th-minute equaliser from Mexican forward Raul Jimenez to secure a 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Everton at Molineux.

Everton’s new Brazilian signing Richarlison scored twice on his Premier League debut for the club but Marco Silva’s side, who had Phil Jagielka sent off in the 40th minute, had to settle for a point.

Richarlison slotted home from close range in the 17th minute but five minutes after Jagielka’s red card, Wolves drew level thanks to a superbly executed free-kick from Ruben Neves.

But Everton held firm and Richarlison struck again in the 67th minute with a delightful finish that looked to have won the game until Jimenez’s header from a Neves cross 10 minutes from the end.

Argentine Roberto Pereyra scored twice — the first a superb volley — as Watford enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Champions Manchester City begin their title defence at the Emirates against Arsenal on Sunday while Liverpool, tipped by many to challenge Pep Guardiola’s side this season, host West Ham United.

Manchester United kicked off the season on Friday with a 2-1 win over Leicester City at Old Trafford. 

AMMAN — Juliana Al Sadeq has made history by becoming the first female taekwondo fighter from Jordan to medal at a World Grand Prix event.

Al Sadeq was in the form of her life as she made it through to the semifinal of the -67kg event in Moscow where she lost by a solitary point, 11-10, to Lauren Williams, of Wales, who went on to lose the final.

Earlier she beat Ukraine’s Daria Yakuvelvia, 10-4, and then the USA’s Paige McPherson — the world’s fourth seed and Olympic bronze medallist.

The victory makes Sadeq only the second Jordanian to win a medal at a World Grand Prix event, following in the footsteps of Olympic gold medallist Ahmad Abu Ghaush who missed the event through injury. He won a gold and a bronze last year.

Meanwhile, teammate Hamzeh Qattan went out in the quarter-final of +80kg weight after losing to Gabon’s Antoni Obami.

Qattan launched his campaign with wins over Poland’s Peter Hatuski and World No. 1 and European champion, Vladislav Larin, of Russia, before losing in the last eight. 

AMMAN — Jordan’s reputation in the world of fencing is growing fast and there was more continental glory at the weekend. The Kingdom is hosting a round of the U-17 Asian Fencing League at Princess Sumayah Hall and it has reaped rewards with a gold and bronze.

Rising star Shahed Kloub took gold in the Epee weapon after beating Chinese Taipei’s Mai Yu in the final. That was followed up by an impressive bronze for teammate Rua Haboob.

The event has welcomed fencers from nine countries including Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Palestine, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan.

AMMAN — It is tight at the top of the Jordan Basketball League following round three action, with three teams sharing top spot, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. Jazeera stunned Ahli, 97-69, while Wehdat joined them at the top with an 81-69 win over Riyadi, who complete the three-way tie at the top. Kuferyouba picked up their first win of the season over Orthodox Club, 74-73. The fourth round matches get under way on Sunday when Wehdat meet Kuferyouba and Riyadi will take on Ahli.

MELBOURNE — Usain Bolt will be granted all the time he needs to prove himself worthy of a contract at the Central Coast Mariners, but the retired athletics superstar will have to prove himself like any other player, officials at the struggling Australian football club have said.

The Mariners confirmed on Tuesday the Olympic sprint champion would train “indefinitely” with the club, which finished bottom of the 10-team A-League last season and operates in one of the country’s smallest football markets.

The open-ended arrangement has proved polarising in Australia, with critics dismissing it as a publicity stunt to boost the profile of a team that has failed to make the play-offs for the last four seasons.

The Mariners, however, defended the move on Wednesday, saying it had the potential to reap huge long-term benefits should Bolt make the grade.

“This may take three weeks, this may take three months, this may take six months. It may take longer, who knows?” club CEO Shaun Mielekamp told reporters at their home base in Gosford.

“Only time will tell but it’s exciting to see what this will do for our region.”

Jamaican Bolt, who won eight Olympic golds before retiring at the world championships in London last year, has trained with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and Norway’s Stromsgodset.

Scepticism abounds as to whether 31-year-old can make it Down Under.

‘Deadly serious’

Mariners coach Mike Mulvey admitted he had not seen footage of Bolt’s stints at other clubs but expected him to give “a good account of himself”.

The sprinter would not be treated any differently to any other player trying out, however.

“It just happens to be that this is Usain Bolt,” Mulvey told Australian Associated Press.

“I’ve spoken to him once. His attitude towards this was deadly serious.

“If it was up to him he’d be coming in without any hoopla but that’s impossible for a person of his stature.”

The Central Coast, a magnet for domestic holidaymakers and retirees in Australia’s eastern state of New South Wales, seems an unlikely destination for a global athletics icon to reboot his sporting career, but Bolt had already agreed to reside in the sleepy region north of Sydney during the trial, said Mielekamp.

“It’s a big part of our club and we spoke to him very early doors about living and residing here in the Central Coast and he’s agreed to that which is great.

“We’ve spoken to him about our club, what our beliefs are, we spoke to him about going down to the local school and doing school appearances and those sort of things and he’s bought right into that which has been fantastic.”

National governing body Football Federation Australia had also endorsed the “commercial arrangement” with Bolt and would back the player’s A-League adventure if he won a contract, added Mielekamp.

Apart from boosting match-day crowds, which averaged about 8,000 last season, Bolt’s presence could put the Central Coast on the map for other global talents.

“We’ve been inundated with sponsors’ calls this morning which has been exciting,” said Mielekamp.

“And for us that long-term effect is something we’ve got to be mindful of. How can we use this moment to improve the club for the long term?

“But it’s still very early days.”

TORONTO — Novak Djokovic did not let a late switch in opponent throw him off his stride in his quest for a fifth Rogers Cup title, as he subdued Bosnian lucky loser Mirza Basic 6-3, 7-6(3) in first-round action on Tuesday.

Djokovic, the ninth seed, was originally scheduled to play Australian Open semifinalist Chung Hyeon but the 22-year-old South Korean withdrew with a back injury about an hour before the match was due to start.

The Serb, competing in singles for the first time since his Wimbledon triumph last month, was never in real danger during the first-round clash, but he still needed some time to figure out Basic before wrapping up the match in 90 minutes.

“I’ve never played Basic. I’ve known him, I’ve practiced with him, but I’ve never played an official match so definitely not easy to find a rhythm from the beginning of the match,” said Djokovic. “There were frustrations at times but that means I care.”

The Serbian World No. 10 was not as sharp as he will need to be if he hopes to triumph here for the first time since 2016, but it was enough on a day when Basic was misfiring on both his forehand and serve.

Djokovic broke Basic in the sixth game of the first set to go ahead 4-2 and then wrapped up the opener three games later when he fired an ace down the middle.

The former World No. 1 was up a break in the second set and cruising along until Basic broke back in the eighth game to draw level 4-4, leaving Djokovic yelling at himself in frustration while swatting a ball out of the court.

Basic did well to hold serve and pull ahead, but the more experienced Djokovic kept calm and booked his place in the second round, where he will face Canadian Peter Polansky.

In other first-round action, Swiss wild card Stan Wawrinka upset 16th-seeded Australian Nick Kyrgios 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 while Dutchman Robin Haase beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-1.

Canadian Milos Raonic made good use of his booming serves to oust 10th seeded Belgian David Goffin in the first round of the Rogers Cup on Monday.

Playing in front of fellow Canadians in Toronto, Raonic topped Goffin 6-3, 6-4, winning all 27 of the points scored while he was on first serve.

“I think I can still serve much better,” Raonic told reporters after needing only 73 minutes to advance. “The way I was aggressive from the baseline, I hit my forehand well. It’s something we spent these last two weeks working on.”

The unseeded Raonic, who is coming off a run to the quarter-final at Wimbledon, will next face the winner of Tuesday’s match between American Frances Tiafoe and Italian Marco Cecchinato.

Thirteenth seed American Jack Sock suffered a defeat to Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Medvedev will play the winner of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and France’s Lucas Pouille in the second round.

Eleventh-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina and 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta were also first-round winners.

Spain’s Rafa Nadal is the top-seeded player in the tournament, while Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who won the Citi Open championship on Sunday in Washington, is the second seed.

Venus survives scare

Venus Williams avoided an upset at the hands of fellow American Caroline Dolehide, holding off the 19-year-old 7-5, 6-1 to claim her first round match at the Rogers Cup on Monday.

Williams, coming off a disappointing quarter-final loss at the Silicon Valley Classic last week, fell down a break early but recovered to turn back her dangerous opponent.

“I think she had a really great second serve,” Williams told reporters, of Dolehide. “I think I got a better feel for it in the second set. In the first set, I was still figuring it out.”

Dolehide displayed her full potential in March when she nearly took down World No. 1 Simona Halep at Indian Wells. Against Williams, the young player lost momentum late as Williams claimed 12 of the final 14 games of the match.

The only two other seeds in action during the opening day were ninth seed Karolina Pliskova and 10th seed Julia Goerges who both won.

Pliskova beat Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-4 while Goerges overcame Timea Babos 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

Among those yet to play are top-ranked Halep and No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The top eight seeds all received first-round byes.

SAN JOSE  — Mihaela Buzarnescu cruised to her first WTA title by dominating first-time finalist Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-0 at the Silicon Valley Classic on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Romanian lost 19 points and needed just 73 minutes to wrap up the final.

“I was able to take all the emotions away and keep focused, and try to take it as a normal match, not as a final,” Buzarnescu told reporters.

“Even after the first set, I thought she could come back, so it was really not easy. After leading 3-0, I thought I could really win the match.”

Greek Sakkari, 23, had proven capable of dramatic comebacks after stunning Venus Williams and Danielle Collins en route to the final, but there would be no magical turnaround yesterday.

Buzarnescu won the first five games in less than 20 minutes before Sakkari got on the board.

“It was not easy. I woke up and I was still tired from yesterday, but she was very good today,” said Sakkari, who incurred 34 unforced errors.

“I wasn’t moving great, and it’s one of my weapons, so it wasn’t easy after two long matches and very intense days. I gained confidence and experience and it was a great week for me.”

Buzarnescu, who just a year ago was No. 142 in the world, will rise to 20th when the updated rankings are released today.

“Maybe people will look differently at me now, but I don’t want to change anything — just think of the good moments, and play,” said Buzarnescu, who lost in two finals this year.

Buzarnescu continued her remarkable rise by breaking into the WTA top 20 for the first time on Monday after winning her maiden Tour title in San Jose.

The 30-year-old left-hander was ranked outside the world’s top 500 at the last start of last season, but beat Greek Maria Sakkari on Sunday after losing her first two WTA Tour finals earlier this year in Hobart and Prague.

Her compatriot and French Open champion Simona Halep maintained her healthy lead as World No. 1, while 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams stayed 26th after her embarrassing 6-1, 6-0 thrashing by Johanna Konta in the San Jose first round.