Ronaldo denies rape claim
Cristiano Ronaldo “firmly” denied the accusations of rape against him, saying yesterday that he had a “clear conscience” as he awaits the conclusions of an investigation.
The 33-year-old soccer superstar, who now play for Juventus in Italy, has been accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, who says he raped her in Las Vegas in 2009.
Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in Nevada last week seeking monetary damages from Ronaldo, according to lawyer Larissa Drohobyczer.
The civil lawsuit filed in state court in Las Vegas alleges Ronaldo raped Mayorga, who was then 24, in his hotel penthouse suite and hired a team of what the document called “fixers” to shape a monetary settlement, obstruct a police criminal investigation and trick Mayorga into taking $375,000 to keep quiet.
The lawsuit said Mayorga also went to a hospital, where a sexual assault medical examination was conducted. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages of at least $200,000 . ...
On the field in Champions League play yesterday, Lorenzo Insigne scored in the 90th minute to give Napoli a 1-0 win over a surprisingly listless Liverpool in Naples, Italy . . . . Lionel Messi added two more goals to his record CL coffers to lead Barcelona to a 4-2 win over Tottenham in London . . . . Neymar notched a hat trick as host Paris-St. Germain rolled Red Star Belgrade, 6-1 . . . . And Antoine Griezmann scored twice as host Atletico Madird beat Club Brugge, 3-1.
Koepka’s rough weekend
Brooks Koepka said he is heartbroken to hear a woman struck by his tee shot at the Ryder Cup might lose vision in her right eye.
Koepka’s wild tee shot on the sixth hole at Le Golf National hit Corine Remande in the head last Friday. According to French media reports, doctors say she has lost sight and she is considering legal action.
Koepka said his stomach sank when he learned of her condition upon arriving at the Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland, and said he is trying to reach out to the woman.
Koepka also denied he and Dustin Johnson had an argument or a fight during a party after the Ryder Cup, adding the two have never raised their voices at each other.
Big win for del Potro
Juan Martin del Potro qualified for the ATP Finals for the fifth time by beating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (4) at the China Open in Beijing.
Del Potro, who reached the U.S. Open final this year, last qualified for the season-ending tournament for the top eight players in the world in 2013.
Del Potro will next meet Filip Krajinovic in the quarterfinals, after Krajinovic defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5), 6-3. Also, third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov was beaten by Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
In women’s play, Karolina Pliskova advanced to the third round for the third consecutive year by beating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4. Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki earned the final spot in the third round with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Petra Martic . . . .
Second-seeded Kevin Anderson advanced to the second round of the Japan Open in Tokyo by beating Matthew Ebden 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2. Anderson hit 22 aces and saved five of six break points. He will next face American Frances Tiafore.
Also, third-seeded Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Benoit Paire. Denis Shapovalov also reached the quarterfinals when he defeated three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Nick Kyrgios saved two set points in the second set before beating Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 7-6 (3) to reach the second round. Kyrgios will next face Richard Gasquet, who has defeated Kyrgios in five of their seven previous matches.