ZHENG DOWNCAST BY REALITY CHECK
China’s Zheng Qinwen said she was bitterly disappointed not to have shown her best tennis as she was blown off the Rod Laver Arena court by Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, playing her first Grand Slam final and hoping to emulate her childhood hero Li Na’s 2014 triumph at Melbourne Park, showed her best game only fleetingly as Sabalenka retained the title with a crushing 6-3 6-2 win.
“I didn’t play my tennis there,” the 12th seed told reporters.
“Yeah, I mean, she’s obviously aggressive, but I had to hold more of the ball off her, and at the same time be as aggressive as she was.
“And today’s match, I didn’t perform my best. That’s a real pity for me, because I really want to show better than that.”
After being broken in the second game of the match, Zheng had a chance to put the set back on serve immediately only for Sabalenka to rattle off five straight points, saving three break points and holding.
“When I got the chance to break her 40-Love up and I’m not able to make it, that little moment makes the match so different,” she recalled.
“Playing against Sabalenka at this level, if you don’t take these chances the match will get away from you really fast. She’s a really aggressive player. If you let a chance go, it will happen like it did today.”
Zheng was voted the WTA’s most improved player last year and had pundits purring over her serve and heavy forehand as she made her way through the soft top half of the draw.
She might take some comfort from the fact that Li, the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam, was not even playing tennis at the age of 21, having dropped out of the sport to go to university.
Zheng, who will enter the top 10 in the world when the next rankings are issued, said she felt a little positive that she had made the final in her ninth Grand Slam.
Overall, though, the margin of defeat was a chastening reality check at how much more work she needed to do on her game to compete with the best. — Reuters
XAVI has announced he will be stepping down as manager of Barcelona at the end of the season.
The Catalan giants are currently ten points off La Liga leaders Real Madrid and sit in third place.
The news comes after Barcelona were on the receiving end of a 5-3 loss at home to Villarreal.
Speaking after the game, Xavi said: “I will leave Barcelona in June.
“We have reached a point of no return. It’s time for change. As a Culé, I think that it’s time to leave. I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June”.
He went on to add: “I took this decision days ago. I already knew it. But it’s time to make it public.
“I think the players could not free themselves up. I don’t want to be a problem for the club, but the opposite.”
Barcelona have struggled for form all season and have lost three of their last five games in all competitions. Xavi’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season, but the announcement takes the potential of staying on any longer off the table.
However, it seems that the media criticism of being at the helm of a club like Barcelona may have been too much for Xavi anyway.
Speaking after the Villarreal defeat, he claimed he could never stay at the club for as long as Sir Alex Ferguson stayed with Manchester United — 26 years.
He said: “You asked me many times that if I’d be the Sir Alex Ferguson of Barça... the truth is that it will NEVER happen here. You guys won’t allow it — being Barça coach is so difficult. You see how they kill you, they criticise you, it affects you.” “It’s a cruel job, it wears you down.
“In Barcelona you always feel like you’re not valued, you’re mistreated - that’s how the club works. From a mental health level, it’s tough too. I’m a positive guy but the battery levels keep running out — and at some point, you realise there’s no point in staying.”
The Barca legend arrived at the club as head coach in 2021 after a spell managing in Qatar with Al-Sadd.
During his time as boss of the Spanish giants he guided the club to a league title and a Spanish Super Cup.
The 44-year-old has struggled in Europe with his side exiting the Champions League group stages twice under his management.
Although the Catalan club did progress to the last 16 this season, but struggled with losses to both Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp.
Barcelona have been going through a patch of financial turbulence while Xavi has been at the helm and the Spaniard has managed to steady the ship for a number of years.
However he has struggled to keep the team performing this season with a number of disappointing results.
Xavi was the second high profile manager to announce he will be stepping down at the end of the season last week.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp also revealed that he will take some time away from management and leave Liverpool in May. — The Sun.
2. Lionel
£106.4m
Messi, 36, also signed an interesting deal when he joined Inter Miami last year, with the superstar given shares in the club.
He will also earn around £35-£47million in basic salary, putting his earnings above the £100m mark.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — £204.9m
Ronaldo, 38, takes top spot thanks to Al-Nassr paying him around £164million a year. The former Real Madrid star also earns an additional £49million for his off-field ventures. — The Sun.
Messi —
MEGA Market Mountaineers’ perfect start to the 2023/24 Logan Cup campaign continued following their 355-run victory over Rhinos at Kwekwe Sports Club on Saturday.
Mountaineers remain the only unbeaten team in the season with three wins and one draw, while the other two matches were no result games. Mountaineers are sitting at the top of the standings with 97 points.
Batting first, Mountaineers were bowled out for a first innings score of 253 runs in 59 overs before restricting Rhinos to 219 runs in 62.1 overs and enjoyed a 34-run advantage going into the second innings.
It was in the second innings where Mountaineers came out guns blazing, scoring 431/6 (declared) with two tons in 113 overs. They then dismissed their opponents for just 110 runs in 41.5 overs.
Two Mountaineers batters scored half centuries in the first innings of the game for their 253 runs. It was youngster Brian Bennett and Peter Moor who fell for 60 and 51 runs respectively while Prince Masvaure took four wickets for 28 runs in 11 overs for Rhinos. Brandon Mavuta, who played the first innings only before he was suspended for four months by Zimbabwe Cricket, finished with figures of 3/90 in 20 overs.
In Rhinos’ response with the bat in the first innings, Ben Curran fell just a run shy of his century after making 99 runs off 184 balls while Antum Naqvi missed out on a half century, scoring 41 runs off 42 balls.
Wellington Masakadza starred with the ball in the first innings for Mountaineers, claiming four scalps for 38 runs in 15.1 overs while Salman Mirza took three wickets for 67 runs in 15 overs.
Going into the second innings with a lead of 34 runs, Mountaineers lost the early wicket of Joylord Gumbie for 10 runs off 16 balls leaving the team on 34/1 in 4.3 overs (lead of 68 runs) before Moor and Tony Munyonga notched up a century stand for the second wicket.
Moor top scored with a brilliant 130 runs off 145 balls, while Munyonga fell for a patient 118 runs from 253 balls. Bennett was not to be left out in the second innings, scoring his second half century of the match, finishing unbeaten on 52 in 100 balls.
Masvaure, once again led from the front with ball for Rhinos, finishing with figures of 3/79 in 29 overs while Victor Chirwa took two scalps for 165 runs in 46 overs. Tafara Chingwara took the other wicket.
Following his splendid performance in the first innings with the ball for Mountaineers, Masakadza would go on to make it a memorable outing with a fifer in the second innings. The left hander finished with match winning figures of 5/20 in 7.5 overs while Victor Nyauchi took two for 23 runs in 10 overs to guide their team to a memorable win. Curran top scored for Rhinos in the second innings with 29 runs off 62 balls.
Rhinos are second from the bottom in the standings with 60 points from one win and two draws. They have played five matches, and lost one while the other one was a no result.
In the other match on Saturday, Southern Rocks beat Eagles by seven wickets.
Eagles declared their first innings on 445/9 and Rocks responded well, scoring 468 runs before going on to bowl out Eagles in the second innings for 162 runs for a target of 140 runs which they chased down in 23.5 overs, finishing on 143/3.
The Logan Cup continues on Thursday with Eagles up against Rhinos in Harare, while Tuskers will be hosting Southern Rocks at Queens Sports Club.
NGEZI Platinum Stars defender Carlos Mavhurume knows the hefty task that lies ahead of his comeback from a nasty injury that kept him on the side lines for the better part of last season.
The former Herentals and CAPS United player suffered a career-threatening knee sprain in the initial stages of the 2023 term.
He never kicked a ball again as the Mhondoro team went on to claim the league title for the first time in its seven-year stay in the top-flight.
But the miners did not discard their man who needed surgery towards the end of last year.
He is now back on his feet and training once while the rest of the team trains twice a day ahead of the 2024 season.
And the 27-year-old is content with the gradual re-integration he is having as he targets to come back strongly.
“The injury I had last season was just too bad. At one point I thought that was the end of my playing career.
“But I would like to thank everyone at Ngezi Platinum Stars, especially the executive, for keeping me around and seeing to it that I got the best treatment possible,” said Mavhurume.
“I really appreciate their efforts. I feel loved and valued.
“I am almost up and running again as I can train well with the rest of the team.
“But I have had to train once on my coach’s (Takesure Chiragwi) recommendation.
“That has helped me a lot and I believe in the coming weeks or days I will be in a position to train twice with the rest of the team. I am feeling very well now.
“But I know I will have to play very well to be able to return to where I was before the injury.”
Before he was floored by the injury, Mavhurume had played six games as part of Chiragwi’s back three that had him, Gareth Madhake and
Kudzai Chigwida.
At times though, he was deployed as pivot in the five-man midfield which Chiragwi used to good effect last year.
“I need to work my way back to the top again. I need to put in the work and work really hard to be able to regain the form I was in
“My colleagues did a fantastic job in my absence and I know what I ought to do to be able to join them in the thick of things again.”
With things hotting up in the championship race last year and Mavhurume clearly still in pain, Chiragwi had to recall Ariel Makopa from Triangle where he was on loan.
But the latter would also suffer a season-ending ankle injury prompting him to rotate Polite Moyo and Leslie Kashitigu to partner Madhake and Chigwida in defence.
Ngezi Platinum Stars have added three players to their squad so far after signing Talent Chimboko, Never Tigere and Richard Hachiro.
They did not retain the services of Wayne Makuva who was on loan at Triangle last year.
The left-back, who is also good in an advanced position, has already joined CAPS United.
There are also reports from their camp that Tapiwa Sibanda has been told to look elsewhere after his return from a season-long loan spell at Triangle.
He still has one year remaining on his contract.
WARRIORS and Kaizer Chiefs legend, Willard Katsande, has expressed concern that Khama Billiat could be forced to retire from football if he does not secure a club this year.
Katsande believes that this is the Warriors’ best chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and Billiat can have a significant impact on their cause.
Billiat has been without a club since leaving Amakhosi in 2022 and was recently linked with a move to SuperSport United.
Katsande, who spent four seasons with Billiat, believes he should also come out of international retirement to help Zimbabwe’s chances in the World Cup qualifiers.
There were hopes Billiat would join SuperSport United after attending their training session last week but there have not been any updates since the publicised appearance.
Katsande has a genuine concern as he spent four seasons with Billiat in his lengthy stay in Mzansi.
They spent one season at Ajax Cape Town and were reunited at Kaizer Chiefs, where they played together for three seasons.
Katsande believes Billiat should also take inspiration from what Themba Zwane is doing for Bafana Bafana at the ongoing AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
Zwane, who is 34 years old, has provided the shield that has enabled Bafana Bafana to progress from the tournament’s second stage.
“I respect Billiat, and I will never question his decisions.
“But I fear that if he remains without a club for an extended period, it might lead him to make a decision that will shock many, and I’m not ready to wake up to the news of his retirement.
“We need him back as soon as possible. He is an inspiration to youngsters, not only in Zimbabwe and South Africa, but on this continent.
“He should also do me a favour and come out of retirement from international football because we need him. This is our golden opportunity to qualify for the 2026 World Cup,” said Katsande. He added:
“He should also feel challenged by what this group of Bafana Bafana players is doing.
“Everyone knows what he is capable of, and we need him to use his experience to lead the Warriors.”