LSU, Florida agree to deal
SEC rivals will play makeup game next month in Baton Rouge
LSU and Florida will play Nov. 19 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, a game rescheduled because of Hurricane Matthew.
The Southeastern Conference made the announcement Thursday, ending a week of speculation about what would happen to the game originally scheduled for last Saturday in Gainesville.
The teams had to buy out nonconference opponents scheduled for that Saturday: South Alabama for LSU and Presbyterian for Florida.
The arrangement means the Tigers (3-2, 2-1 SEC) will avoid playing three consecutive road games over a 13-day span to end the regular season. The 18th-ranked Gators (4-1, 2-1) will lose two homes games — about $7.8 million in projected revenue from ticket sales alone — but likely will recoup some of that through insurance.
LSU also agreed to play in Gainesville in 2017 and 2018, which gets the Gators one game back. It also means Florida will host rivals Tennessee, LSU and Florida State next season.
Figure skating
U.S. silver medalist Polina Edmunds has withdrawn from the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow in early November as she continues her recovery from a right foot injury. San Jose’s Edmunds, a 2014 Olympian, has resumed full training while continuing rehab. She plans to compete at the NHK Trophy in Japan at the end of November.
“I can do all my jumps,” the Santa Clara University freshman told this newspaper last week. “The most important event for me this season is U.S. nationals.”
Tennis
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray each won in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters. The top-ranked Djokovic was broken once in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Vasek Pospisil, improving his record at the tournament to 26-3. Murray was even better: He won 21 of 22 points on his first serve and made only 10 errors in a 6-1, 6-3 win over 13th-seeded Lucas Pouille.
U.S. Open champion Stan Wawrinka, the thirdseeded player in the tournament, had 43 unforced errors in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Gilles Simon. Sixth-seeded Gael Monfils was knocked out of the tournament, too. He fell to David Goffin 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In other matches, Jack Sock notched another breakthrough in what’s been his best season on tour, rebounding to beat Milos Raonic 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) and reach his first Masterslevel quarterfinal.
Mischa Zverev, ranked No. 110, beat Marcel Granollers 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1 to become the first qualifier to reach a Masters quarterfinal this year. Playing simultaneously on the stadium court, younger brother Alexander lost to ninthseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-5.
Mischa Zverev next plays Djokovic. Murray will face Goffin.
MLS
Adam Jahn scored twice for Columbus, but Chicago held on for a 2-2 draw to eliminate the Crew from playoff contention.
Steven Gerrard will miss the L.A. Galaxy’s match Saturday at Hous- ton after traveling home to Liverpool for treatment on his frequently injured hamstring.
Golf
Lee Westwood returned to form with a 4-under 67 in the first round at the British Masters, leaving the Englishman a shot out of the lead in Watford, England. Finland’s Mikko Ilonen, Scotland’s Marc Warren, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and South Africa’s Richard Sterne shared the lead at 66.
Ian Poulter shot a 7under 64 in his return from a four-month layoff because of a foot ailment for a share of the Macau Open lead. Spain’s Carlos Pigem also shot 64.
Olympics
Former Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill announced her retirement from track and field, ending the career of one of Britain’s most successful sportswomen. The 30-year-old Ennis-Hill won the heptathlon gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, won a second world championship gold a year after giving birth to her first child, and won silver at the this year’s Rio Olympics.
The International Weightlifting Federation says Romanian Gabriel Sincraian, who won a bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro Game will lose his medal after he tested positive for excess testosterone. Sincraian returned last year from a two-year doping ban for the banned steroid stanozolol. He could face a life ban for a second offense.