World Sports News in Brief

Tennis: Berrettini eases past Struff in Stuttgart, to face Auger-Aliassime in final

Italian Matteo Berrettini reached his first grasscourt final with a 6-4 7-5 victory over home favourite Jan-Lennard Struff at the Stuttgart Open on Saturday.

Italy's Matteo Berrettini serves during the match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas - Australian Open - First Round - Court 3, Melbourne, Australia, January 14, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)
Italy's Matteo Berrettini serves during the match against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas - Australian Open - First Round - Court 3, Melbourne, Australia, January 14, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)

World number 30 Berrettini produced a clinical display as he won all but four of his first-serve points, breaking Struff’s serve once in each set to reach his third ATP final of the season. Berrettini will face Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s title decider after former Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic pulled out of their semi-final due to a back injury.

* Dutch top seed Kiki Bertens set her sights on her third WTA title of the season after she eased past Kazakh qualifier Elena Rybakina 6-4 6-4 in the Rosmalen grasscourt semi-finals on Saturday. The 27-year-old world number four got an early break of serve to clinch the opening set and put pressure on the 19-year-old Rybakina, who entered the match without having dropped a set this week. Rybakina mounted a late charge in the second set but Bertens hung on to set up Sunday's title clash against American Alison Riske.

* French rider Fabio Quartararo denied MotoGP champion Marc Marquez a home pole position in qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix on Saturday. The 20-year-old Petronas Yamaha rookie, who had surgery to his right arm 11 days ago and also crashed in final practice, lapped the Circuit de Catalunya with a fastest time of one minute 39.484 seconds. His lap was a mere 0.015 quicker than Honda's championship leader.

* Croatian Donna Vekic reached the final of the weather-hit Nottingham Open grasscourt event on Saturday as she came from a set down to win 12 consecutive games against Tatjana Maria. Vekic, champion on the Nottingham grass in 2017, will face either French top seed Caroline Garcia or American Jennifer Brady in Sunday's final.

* Eintracht Frankfurt have signed Dejan Joveljic from Red Star Belgrade with immediate effect, the Bundesliga outfit confirmed on Saturday. The "Eagles" have found a replacement for Luka Jovic who joined Real Madrid as 19-year-old striker Dejan Joveljic has penned a contract until June 2024.

* Tiger Woods frittered away his chance of winning the U.S. Open with a poor start to the third round on Saturday, even if he battled back well to shoot an eventful five birdie, five bogey, even-par 71 at Pebble Beach. Woods posted an even-par 213 total that was likely to leave him too far back with one round left at the scene of the most brilliant of his 15 major victories, a 15-shot triumph in 2000.

* Ukraine are FIFA U-20 World Cup champions for the first time after coming from behind to defeat Korea Republic 3-1 in the Poland 2019 final at Lodz Stadium.

Reuters, Xinhua