Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 2 April 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start off with tennis: Jannik Sinner can dethrone Novak Djokovic of Serbia as world number one if he continues his good form into the clay-court season. The Italian replaced Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in second place after winning the Miami Open. Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who lost to Sinner in Sunday’s final, improved three places to ninth. Daniil Medvedev of Russia is still fourth, followed by German Alexander Zverev, Russian Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune of Denmark and Casper Ruud of Norway. Hubert Hurkacz of Poland completes the top ten.

More tennis news: American qualifier, Katie Volynets, came out the winner in the longest women’s match of the year so far in the first round of the Charleston Open. The 22-year-old defeated Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, in three hours and 43 minutes. Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark thrashed McCartney Kessler of the US 6-love, 6-1. American Amanda Anisimova, who has not played since the Australian Open, beat Alize Cornet of France 6-3, 6-love. Anisimova says she is happy to be playing again:

# Motorsport: Formula One owner Liberty Media has agreed to buy the motorbike series MotoGP in a deal valued at about 68-billion-rand. The American company will acquire an approximately 86-percent stake from Spain-based owners Dorna Sports, which has owned MotoGP since 1992. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of this year, subject to clearances and approvals by law authorities. Liberty Media president and CEO, Greg Maffei, says they intend to grow MotoGP even further.

# Swimming: Singapore’s only Olympic gold medallist, Joseph Schooling, has announced his retirement, eight years after his success at the Rio Olympics. The 28-year-old won gold in the 100-meter butterfly in 2016 against a field studded with talent including American legend Michael Phelps. Schooling says he is filled with gratitude for every experience that swimming has brought into his life. He says the victories were exhilarating, the defeats humbling, and together, they have forged a resilience in him that he will carry forward into his next chapter.

# And finally, soccer: Adidas has banned fans from buying the German national shirt customised with the number 44, over concerns it resembles the Nazi SS symbol. The Schutzstaffel was responsible for numerous crimes against humanity under Adolf Hitler’s regime. Adidas has denied the kit’s resemblance to the Nazi symbols was intentional, saying as a company they are committed to opposing xenophobia, antisemitism, violence, and hatred. The new kits were launched last month ahead of the European Championship in Germany, kicking off on the 14th of June.

Stay tuned for more news………….