Motor Racing: Mercedes technical head Paddy Lowe is departing the Formula One world champions and has started on a period of ‘gardening leave’ before a likely move to rivals Williams. The British-based Mercedes team made the long-awaited announcement in a statement on Tuesday, wishing him well but without revealing any future plans. Lowe’s move to Mercedes-powered Williams is likely to be the first of several that will ultimately see Williams’s Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas travelling in the other direction to replace retired world champion Nico Rosberg.
Boxing: Welsh fighter Lee Selby will make the third defence of his IBF featherweight title on the undercard of Northern Irishman Carl Frampton’s highly-anticipated rematch with Leo Santa Cruz this month. Selby has been linked with a bout against the winner of the Frampton-Santa Cruz II showdown on January 28 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will fight earlier in the evening against Argentina’s Jonathan Victor Barros. It will be the first time Selby (23-1, 8KO wins) has fought in the famed American city and is looking to make an impression against mandatory challenger Barros, a former titlist at 126lbs.
Tennis: British qualifier Brydan Klein is through to the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland after beating Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis, yesterday. Australian-born Klein, ranked 324 in the world, looked to be on his way out as he trailed 5-2 in the third set after giving up four match points in the second, but hit back for a 6-1 6-7 7-6 victory against the world number 55. Elsewhere, fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was beaten 6-1 7-5 by Joao Sousa, while Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan battled back from a set down to triumph 4-6 7-6 7-6 against Russian youngster Karen Khachanov.
Rugby Union: Former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath is to quit rugby union to take up a job in the financial sector. Redpath, 45, will leave his role as head coach of Yorkshire Carnegie at the end of the Greene King IPA Championship season to work for AFEX, one of the world’s largest non-bank providers of global payment, foreign currency and risk management solutions. The former Melrose, Narbonne and Sale scrum-half won 60 caps for Scotland, captaining the team on 26 occasions, and appeared in three World Cups in 1995, 1999 and 2003.
Golf: China’s HNA Group has agreed a five-year deal to become title sponsor of the Open de France, which will also join the new Rolex Series with a prize fund of $7 million, the European Tour said. HNA’s backing marks the first time a China-based organisation has sponsored a European Tour event outside the country. The tournament at Le Golf National outside Paris celebrated its 100th edition last year and will host the Ryder Cup next year. The Rolex Series will now have eight tournaments with the addition of the June 29-July 2 Open de France, which will be the second event on the schedule after the BMW PGA at Wentworth at the end of May.
Tennis: Former tennis player Nick Lindahl has been banned for seven years and fined $35,000 for match-fixing in a 2013 tournament, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has said. Two other players, Brandon Walkin and Isaac Frost, were also disciplined by the TIU, which is responsible for policing tennis. “Although Mr Lindahl, 28, retired from the sport in 2013, today’s decision prevents him from resuming playing professional tennis for the seven years of the ban,” the TIU said. In April last year, Australian Lindahl avoided a jail term after pleading guilty to match-fixing charges relating to a game in 2013.