World Sports News in Brief

Bencic bounds into first-ever Grand Slam semi-final

Belinda Bencic reached her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday, fending off Donna Vekic to win 7-6(5) 6-3 in their US Open last-eight clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sep 4, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Belinda Bencic of Switzerland hits a forehand against Donna Vekic of Croatia (not pictured) in a quarterfinal match on day ten of the 2019 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. (Credit: USA TODAY Sports)
Sep 4, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Belinda Bencic of Switzerland hits a forehand against Donna Vekic of Croatia (not pictured) in a quarterfinal match on day ten of the 2019 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. (Credit: USA TODAY Sports)

Bencic next plays either Canada’s Bianca Andreescu or Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who face off under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium later on Wednesday.

* Big-serving Italian Matteo Berrettini took another step in his breakthrough season as he beat Frenchman Gael Monfils 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 7-6(5) at the US Open on Wednesday to reach his first career Grand Slam semi-final. Up next for Berrettini, who lost here in the first round last year, will be the winner of the evening match between Spanish second seed Rafa Nadal and Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

* The coach of the Costa Rican national side resigned on Wednesday after less than a year in the job. An Argentine national who played for Uruguay, Matosas was in charge for just eight games but will stay on for Friday's friendly against Uruguay in the Costa Rican capital.

* Liberia needed two penalties and a calamitous defensive error to beat Sierra Leone 3-1 on the first day of 2022 World Cup qualifying in Africa as the continent’s smaller teams enjoyed a rare moment in the global spotlight. Together with the tiny Red Sea state of Djibouti, Liberia were the only home winners in eight first-round first-leg ties.

* Spanish rider Mikel Iturria won stage 11 of the Vuelta a Espana on home soil in the Basque Country on Wednesday with a hugely impressive solo attack, while Primoz Roglic maintained his overall lead. Stage 12 is another hilly ride around northern Spain, a 171.4 km route from Circuito de Navarra to Bilbao, with the race returning to the mountains on Friday.

* Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has had knee surgery after damaging his cartilage and lateral meniscus in their 4-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, the Premier League champions said on Wednesday. The 25-year-old, who had been called up by France for their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Albania and Andorra, was carried off on a stretcher after upending Brighton's Adam Webster and coming off worse.

* Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini has been ruled out for around six months after undergoing surgery on a torn knee ligament, the Italian Seria A champions have said. Centre back Chiellini, 35, sustained the injury during a training session last Friday, with new signing Matthijs de Ligt replacing him in the Juventus lineup in their 4-3 win over Napoli last weekend.

* Mexico will meet Trinidad and Tobago in an international friendly next month as the team finalizes preparations for the CONCACAF Nations League, the Mexican football federation (Femexfut) said on Wednesday. The fixture will be played on October 2 at the Nemesio Diez stadium in the central Mexican city of Toluca, according to a Femexfut statement.

* Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria shocked five-time champion Roger Federer of Switzerland 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance into his first semifinal of the US Open on Tuesday.

Reuters, Xinhua