Yedlin wants to be the Energizer Bunny
ORLANDO, FLA. » DeAndre Yedlin wants to be the U.S. soccer team’s Energizer Bunny.
His bursts from right back can stretch defenses. His pace helps him return to his defensive spot and disrupt opposing attackers.
“Everybody tells me they don’t know how I have so much energy, and I think people feed off that, which is great,” he said this weekend ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier at Trinidad and Tobago.
The Americans would clinch their eighth straight the World Cup berth with a win and almost certainly with a tie, due to a superior goal difference. A loss could result in a berth, elimination or a playoff next month against Australia or Syria — depending on the results of the Honduras-Mexico and PanamaCosta Rica games.
Yedlin missed last month’s home loss to Costa Rica and then a draw at Honduras that put qualification in peril. Having returned after recovering from a hamstring injury, he helped spark a 4-0 rout of Panama on Friday night that has the Americans on track to qualify.
“DeAndre did a very good job — and not necessarily in terms of his attacking prowess, marauding down that right-hand side,” said former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, now a Fox analyst. “Much more I think he’s learned to harness that energy and that speed that he has to use it to much greater effect when he’s defending.”
Yedlin left Akron during his sophomore year in January 2013 to sign with his hometown Seattle Sounders, the team for which he served as a ball boy.
Hatton retains Dunhill title, Fisher record 61 at Old Course
ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND » Tyrrell Hatton retained his title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday after a final round at St. Andrews in which Ross Fisher shot a courserecord 61 at the home of golf.
On a calm day on the storied Old Course, even a bogey-free round by Fisher containing 11 birdies could not reel in overnight leader Hatton, who shot 6-under 66 for a three-stroke victory over his fellow Englishman.
Hatton became the first player in the 17-year history of the Dunhill Links to successfully defend the title in a tournament played over three Scottish courses — the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. His aggregate score of 24-under 264 was a tournament record, after rounds of 6865-65-66.
Both of Hatton’s career titles have come at the Dunhill Links, having won with a score of 23 under par in 2016.
Fisher — the runner-up for a second straight year — had a putt for eagle from the Valley of Sin on No. 18, which would have sealed the first round of 59 in the history of the European Tour. It fell two feet short and he missed the birdie putt back, though still broke the course record — held jointly by six players — by a stroke.
Soon-to-be No. 1 Halep loses to Garcia in China Open final
Caroline Garcia of France won her second consecutive WTA title by defeating soon-to-be-No. 1 Simona Halep 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the China Open final in Beijing on Sunday.
The 15th-ranked Garcia, who lost to Halep the two previous times they played, will make her top-10 debut when the new rankings come out on Monday.
“She played amazing tennis,” Halep said of Garcia. “She deserved to win today. She was better.”
For Halep, the loss was particularly disappointing as she was unable to back up her guaranteed debut in the No. 1 ranking on Monday. She secured the top spot on Saturday with her semifinal victory over French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Halep’s best opportunity to rebound against Garcia ended when she failed to make good on any of the nine break points she had at 3-3 in the second set.
“For sure it definitely turned the second set,” Garcia said. “This game was definitely very important.”
In the second-set tiebreaker, the unseeded Garcia jumped out to 4-1, and on a first match point at 6-3 with Halep serving, the Romanian netted a forehand. Garcia fell to her knees in celebration.
She is enjoying an 11-match winning streak, having captured her first title of the season at Wuhan last week.