Chinese wild-card entry Zhang Shuai opened the WTA Elite Trophy tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 win over sixth-seeded Timea Bacsinzky yesterday. The tournament in Zhuhai features the leading players on the women’s tour who didn’t qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore last week. Carla Suarez Navarro withdrew from the tournament with a right wrist injury and was replaced by Hungarian alternate Timea Babos, who will play Bacsinszky today. Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina rallied after dropping serve three times in the opening set to beat No. 10-seeded Kiki Bertens 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Johanna Konta, who is the top-seeded player at the last event on the WTA calendar for 2016, will open against Sam Stosur today.
Cricket | Pakistan scores 32-0 after Brathwaite carries West Indies to 337
Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite hit a century and became the fifth West Indian to carry his bat yesterday as the tourists took a 56-run lead in the third and final test against Pakistan. Pakistan, which scored 281 in the first innings, brought the deficit down to 24 and progressed to 32-0 in the second innings at tea on the third day. Brathwaite remained unbeaten on 142 off 318 balls, hitting 11 fours, and batted for 8 hours, 20 minutes before the West Indies were dismissed for 337 after lunch. Resuming at overnight 244-6, Brathwaite led the West Indies resistance with a 60-run eighth-wicket stand with Devendra Bishoo (27) on a slow turning wicket.
Football | Klose ends playing career, will train as coach with Germany
The German soccer federation says striker Miroslav Klose, the top scorer in World Cup history, is ending his playing career and will train as a coach. The 38-year-old Klose retired from international soccer after winning the World Cup with Germany in 2014, scoring twice to bring his total goal tally from four tournaments to 16. With a career total of 71 goals, Klose is also the highest-scoring player for Germany. Klose’s contract with Lazio expired after last season. The German federation says that, in consultation with coach Joachim Loew and technical director Hansi Flick, Klose will now undergo an individual training program “with the clear aim of embarking on a coaching career.” Klose, who played 137 games for Germany, will now become part of the national team setup.
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