World Sports News in Brief

Svitolina starts WTA title defence with win as Halep sees off Andreescu

Elina Svitolina made a winning start to her WTA Finals defence in Shenzhen on Monday when the Ukrainian defeated Karolina Pliskova in straight sets while Wimbledon champion Simona Halep saved a match point to beat Bianca Andreescu.

Tennis - WTA Tour Finals - Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre - Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China - October 28, 2019 - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in action during her match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova. (Photo: Reuters)
Tennis - WTA Tour Finals - Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre - Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China - October 28, 2019 - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in action during her match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova. (Photo: Reuters)

Halep showed all her fighting qualities to come back from a set down to claim a 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3 win over US Open champion Andreescu, saving a match point in the process.

* Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic booked their spots in the Paris Masters second round on Monday, while Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with next month’s ATP Finals on the horizon. Cilic eased past Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 7-6(5) 6-4 to set up a second round meeting with three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

* Fiorentina's veteran forward Franck Ribery has been suspended for three matches by Serie A's disciplinary tribunal for pushing a linesman following his side's 2-1 home defeat by Lazio on Sunday.

* Dutch-born Ajax Amsterdam full back Sergino Dest has chosen to play for the United States ahead of the Netherlands. The teenager, born in Almere, has an American father and already played two friendly internationals for the US but sat out the CONCACAF Nations League games against Cuba and Canada earlier this month to take time over his decision.

* Bayern Munich defender Javi Martinez will miss the club's German Cup second round tie at VfL Bochum on Tuesday after failing to recover from a muscle injury, coach Niko Kovac said. Martinez also missed Bayern's 2-1 win over Union Berlin on Saturday after being injured in their Champions League win at Olympiakos in Greece last week.

* Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is unlikely to play again until December due to an ankle injury, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said. France international Pogba last featured for United in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal on Sept. 30.

* Southampton's players and coaching staff have pledged to donate their wages from Friday's humiliating 9-0 defeat by Leicester City to the club's charitable foundation in an attempt to put things right with their supporters. Leicester recorded the biggest English top-flight away win by thrashing 10-man Southampton at St Mary's, with hat-tricks from Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy helping to inflict Saints' worst home defeat in their 133-year history.

* Jaap Stam has resigned as coach of Feyenoord on Monday after only four months at the helm of the Dutch soccer club. Stam stepped down following a series of bad results including Sunday's 4-0 loss to Ajax which made the club drop to the 12th place in the Eredivisie with only 14 points after 11 matches.

* Paraguay will meet Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia in friendlies next month as the South American team finalizes preparations for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The Guaranies will confront Bulgaria in Sofia on November 14 and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh five days later, the Paraguayan Football Association said in a statement on Monday.

* Two-time world champions Argentina will meet South American rivals Brazil and Uruguay in international friendlies next month, the Argentine Football Association said on Monday. The Albiceleste will face Brazil in Saudi Arabia on November 15 and Uruguay in Israel four days later.

Reuters, Xinhua