Arrivals for Open post virus positives
Three coronavirus cases have been detected among charter flights carrying tennis players, coaches and officials to Melbourne for the Australian Open, forcing 47 players into strict hotel quarantine.
The players from the two affected flights — arriving from Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi — were in a strict 14-day quarantine, unable to leave their hotel rooms or practice, health authorities and tournament organizers said Saturday. The Australian Open starts on Feb. 8.
Health authorities said two positive COVID-19 cases emerged from a charter flight from Los Angeles. The third positive test was from a flight from Abu Dhabi in the past 24 hours, Tennis Australia said.
The coach of Canadian star Bianca Andreescu said he has tested positive after arriving from Abu Dhabi. Sylvain Bruneau said the “rest of my team is negative.” Andreescu will quarantine at her hotel, her agent, Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy, said in a text to The Canadian Press.
“All remaining 66 passengers on the flight have been determined to be close contacts,” Victoria state’s health department said in a statement about the Los Angeles flight. “Any players and support people will not be able to leave quarantine to attend training.”
Being unable to leave their room would mean the only workouts they’d be able to have would be on an exercise bike left in the rooms of all of the players.
NHL
COYOTES 5, SHARKS 3 » Phil Kessel scored two goals, Antti Raanta stopped 31 shots and the Arizona Coyotes bounced back from an opening loss to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3.
Arizona got off to a slow start before coming to life late in a shootout loss to San Jose on Thursday night. The Coyotes pressured the Sharks from the start Saturday, scoring four goals in the opening two periods.
Kessel, who struggled with injuries in his first season in the desert, scored the tying goal in the closing seconds of the opener and had goals in each of the first two periods Saturday.
Clayton Keller scored for the second straight game, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had three assists for Arizona. Jakob Chychrun and
Barrett Hayton also scored.
Timo Meier had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones allowed five goals on 24 shots for the Sharks. Ryan Donato and Tomas Hertl also scored.
Figure skating
FOUR-TIME CHAMP CHEN WINS SHORT PROGRAM WITH EASE » As he has done since his last loss at the Pyeonchang Olympics — yes, nearly three years ago — Nathan Chen was nearly perfect and rather playful in winning the short program at the U.S. Figure
Skating Championships.
Seeking a fifth straight national title, something no man has done since Dick Button from 1946-52 with seven, Chen put out the most difficult routine that any man anywhere attempts. He hit a quadruple lutz, triple axel and an excellent quad flip-triple toe loop combination in scoring 113.92 points.
Fellow 2018 Olympian Vincent Zhou put the pressure on by nailing a quad lutz-triple toe loop combination with his arms raised above his head, a solo quad salchow and a triple axel, all as smooth as freshly swept ice. Zhou looked calm, relaxed and at his peak in setting a career
best at 107.79 points.
Jason Brown, a 2014 Olympian and the 2015 U.S. champion, was third at 100.92.
Earlier, national champion Bradie Tennell and third-place finisher Karen Chen were selected by U.S. Figure Skating for the world championships team.
Golf
STEELE TAKES LEAD AFTER 61 »
Brendan Steele knows he can play well at the Sony Open whether it’s windy or calm, in sunshine or rain. Now he gets another chance to see if he can win.
One year after Steele lost a late lead at Waialae and lost in a playoff, he delivered the lowest score of his
career in ideal conditions with a 9-under 61 that gave him a two-shot lead going into the final round.
“You hope that you come back and you play well and erase whatever negative memories there are,” Steele said. “But all the memories are pretty positive. Playing great here last year was good, and I’m excited for the challenge tomorrow.”
If Saturday was any indication, it will be tough.
Joaquin Niemann, a runner-up last week at Kapalua, was outside the top 10 when he birdied the par-3 17th and then roasted a 7-wood that tumbled onto the green to 10 feet for eagle and a 63. Just like that, he was two shots behind.