Tennis: Svetlana Kuznetsova dug deep into her reserves to overcome Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5 1-6 7-5 in their WTA Finals round robin opener yesterday, the late-arriving Russian upsetting the defending champion in a thrilling encounter. Kuznetsova only qualified for the elite eight-woman tournament on Saturday after winning the Kremlin Cup but she staved off exhaustion and a match point in the deciding set to emerge victorious over the world number three. “At some point I was ready to just let it go and lie on the court and let them take me out of here but I decided to hang in there,” the two-time grand slam champion said.
Golf: The PGA Tour will add a new tournament in South Korea, the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, to its schedule from 2017. The $9.25 million event will be played from October 19-22 as part of the 2017-18 season, with 78 players – including the top 60 from the FedEx Cup standings – competing at a venue yet to be confirmed. It will be the third official PGA Tour event based in Asia, joining this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and last week’s CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur.
Rugby Union: Australia flanker Dean Mumm has been handed a one-match ban for striking during the 37-10 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland and will miss the Wallabies’ next test against Wales on November 5. Mumm pleaded guilty to a charge of foul play after he was cited for elbowing Brodie Retallick in the head early in the second half at Eden Park when the All Blacks lock illegally held him back. Australia also play Scotland, France, Ireland and England on their European tour.
Figure Skating: Japanese teenager Shoma Uno landed three quadruple jumps in Sunday’s free skate to win the Skate America men’s title at Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The 18-year-old from Nagoya became the youngest Skate America winner in 14 years in capturing the opening event of the Grand Prix season. Uno, skating to a tango, won with 279.34 points despite a late fall in his routine while Americans Jason Brown and Adam Rippon placed second and third, respectively.
Cricket: Paceman Ben Stokes picked up the last two wickets in three balls to give England a thrilling 22-run victory over Bangladesh in the first test at Chittagong yesterday, as the tourists maintained their perfect record against the South Asian side. It was England’s ninth straight test win over Bangladesh but the hosts also had the chance to record a famous victory, requiring 33 runs when they resumed on 253 for eight on the final morning. “It was a really good test match, I didn’t think we will be here on day five looking at that wicket,” England captain Alastair Cook said.