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Tennis: Venus Williams (picture, right) salvaged a small bit of family pride when she fought back from a set down to see off Italy’s Roberto Vinci 5-7 6-2 7-6 and reach the final of the Wuhan Open yesterday. The 35-year-old American, winner of seven grand slam singles titles, will face Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza after the Spaniard knocked out Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-4 7-6. Vinci, who stunned Venus’s younger sister Serena in the semi-finals of the US Open last month, had fought back from 3-0 down to take a topsy-turvy first set featuring five breaks of serve. But she failed to hit the heights thereafter as Venus, who won her 700th match on tour earlier this week, took command.

Rugby World Cup: England’s Rugby World Cup showdown against Australia is expected to attract the most money ever gambled on a rugby match with more than 10 million pounds wagered, British bookmaker William Hill said yesterday. Tournament hosts England must beat the Wallabies at Twickenham tonight to keep their campaign alive and avoid the ignominy of departing a World Cup at the pool stage for the first time. Despite losing to Wales last weekend, 2003 champions England remain 4-5 favourites to win the match with the twice champion Australians 5-4 and the draw 18-1.

Golf: The US team’s preparations for next week’s Presidents Cup have suffered a setback with the news that Jim Furyk’s wrist injury is still causing concern. Furyk, a veteran of seven Presidents Cups, skipped the last two FedExCup Playoffs events due to a bone contusion in his wrist. The United States face Nick Price’s Internationals at Incheon’s Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea from October 8-11 as the biennial team competition comes to Asia for the first time. Jordan Spieth spearheads the United States’ bid for a sixth consecutive victory at the Presidents Cup, which pits the US team against a line-up of international players minus Europeans.

Swimming: The thick haze that has blanketed parts of Southeast Asia is threatening to disrupt this weekend’s World Cup swimming meet in Singapore, with officials considering cancelling the two-day event if the air quality worsens further. FINA, swimming’s world governing body, has already cancelled the longer distance events because of concerns for the health of competitors, and has contingency plans to call off the entire meet if the pollution levels deteriorate. FINA said the fate of the meet, which is the fifth leg of the annual global World Cup series, would depend on the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings.

Military games: Several Russian athletes gunning for gold at the Military World Games in South Korea have instead been deported without setting foot outside Incheon airport after getting drunk and causing a commotion on their flight from Moscow. An official from Incheon International Airport Police said: “Complaints were received from inside the plane before it landed that the Russians were shouting, drinking and making noise.” The official said police took them into custody as soon as they arrived in South Korea. The Games, organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), have been held every four years since 1995.