Wozniacki advances to WTA Finals semis
Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Singapore by beating top-ranked Simona Halep 6-0, 6-2 yesterday.
The former No.1 from Denmark, who made only seven unforced errors in the match, improved her career record over Halep to 4-2. Wozniacki is now 2-0 at the season-ending tournament, while Halep is 1-1.
There was a much tougher match for eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France, who outlasted Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-7 (7) 6-3, 7-5 in a grueling encounter. Svitolina served for the match at 5-3 in the final set, but lost the last four games.
Garcia and Halep stand at 1-1, while Svitolina is 0-2 in the round-robin. All three remain in contention for the second semifinal spot in the Red Group . ...
Two-time Swiss Indoors champion Juan Martin del Porto beat Joao Sousa 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to advance to the second round of the tournament in Basel, Switzerland.
In a second round match, fifth-seeded Jack Sock won 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 against Robin Haase to be the only American victor.
Colleges: Golden pair of winners
UConn senior defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi and Stonehill sophomore running back Brian Kearns Jr. are this week’s Gold Helmet Award winners, given by the New England Football Writers Association.
Fatukasi recorded nine total tackles and a pair of sacks in the Huskies’ 20-14 victory over Tulsa, while Kearns rushed for a career-high 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Skyhawks’ come-from-behind 41-35 overtime triumph over Bentley . ...
Tennessee running back John Kelly, the Volunteers’ leading rusher and one of their top overall players, and linebacker Will Ignont have been suspended from Saturday’s game with Kentucky after they were cited on misdemeanor drug-related charges this week . ...
Stanford running back Bryce Love, one of the leading Heisman Trophy candidates, is a game-time decision for the No.20 Cardinal tonight at Oregon State due to an injured ankle he suffered against Oregon on Oct.14.
Love is the nation’s top running back, averaging 198.1 yards per game. He has 1,387 total yards this season and averages 10.27 yards per carry, both national bests.
Misc.: Bubba gets Petty’s No.43
Darrell Wallace Jr. will drive Richard Petty’s iconic No.43 full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.
The 24-year-old Wallace, more commonly referred to by his nickname “Bubba,” became the first AfricanAmerican driver to race at NASCAR’s top level since 2006 when he replaced an injured Aric Almirola earlier this year . ...
Chip Ganassi Racing hired Ed Jones to join its twocar IndyCar lineup next season, and will be teamed with four-time series champion Scott Dixon . . . .
A former judge who led Guatemala’s soccer federation became the first person sentenced in the U.S. in the FIFA world soccer corruption scandal when a judge ordered him to serve eight months in prison, saying his $175,000 in bribe money could have been used to build soccer fields for poor children.
Hector Trujillo, 63, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn by Judge Pamela K. Chen. He had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in June. Besides the prison term, the judge also ordered him to pay $415,000 in restitution.