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Tennis: Delayed Australian Open begins

Tennis: Delayed Australian Open begins

Agence France-Presse

 | 

Updated Feb 08, 2021 10:11 AM PHT

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Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts during her first round match against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Loren Elliott, Reuters

MELBOURNE -- The Australian Open finally got under way at Melbourne Park on Monday, three weeks later than originally scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan's Naomi Osaka, the third seed, struck the first serve of the tournament on Rod Laver Arena against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the women's singles

Serena Williams follows her on court with men's world number one Novak Djokovic playing in the night session.

Veteran American Venus Williams kicked off proceedings on the neighbouring main show court, Margaret Court Arena, against Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium in front of a sprinkling of fans, with crowd numbers limited to 30,000 a day.

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The tournament is known as the "Happy Slam" for its convivial atmosphere but the pandemic has cast dark clouds over this year's build-up.

Djokovic is going for a record-extending ninth Melbourne Park crown, Serena Williams is still chasing the major she needs to match Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24 Grand Slams and Osaka is after her second Australian Open title in three years on the back of her US Open win last year.

But while those are familiar themes, the first Grand Slam of the year has a different vibe, played in front of fewer spectators with mandatory mask-wearing and sanitising stations prominent in a zoned-off Melbourne Park with spectators unable to move freely around the grounds.

Australia has largely contained the virus, but officials are desperate to avoid further problems from Covid-19.

Preparations had to be hastily rearranged as late as last Wednesday when a coronavirus case at a tournament hotel -- the city's first local infection in 28 days -- forced a suspension of play.

Hundreds of players and officials were tested and all were negative.

Serena Williams, the 10th seed, begins her campaign against Laura Siegemund of Germany, four years after the American great's last Grand Slam victory, when she was pregnant.

Djokovic begins against world number 66 Jeremy Chardy, having never lost to the Frenchman in 13 previous meetings.

US Open winner Dominic Thiem, runner-up in Australia last year to Djokovic, Germany rising star Alexander Zverev and former champion Stan Wawrinka are all in action on the first day.

So is women's world number two Simona Halep, who has been battling a back injury which hampered her preparations. She will open the evening session on Rod Laver against Australian wild card Lizette Cabrera.

Combustible Australian Nick Kyrgios begins his campaign on his favourite John Cain Arena, where he has raucous support, against Portugal's Frederico Ferreira Silva.

Kyrgios last week smashed a racquet and threw it out of the stadium during a warm-up defeat.

Before that he had labelled Djokovic a "tool" for demanding better conditions for players during quarantine.

Top women's seed Ashleigh Barty, defending champion Sofia Kenin and 20-time men's singles Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal all to begin their challenge for this year's Australian Open on Tuesday's second day.


© Agence France-Presse

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Cynthia Carrion, GAP seeking P78-M budget for gymnasts' camps, welfare

Cynthia Carrion, GAP seeking P78-M budget for gymnasts' camps, welfare

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

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Young athletes at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) Gym in Intramuros Manila. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.Young athletes at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) Gym in Intramuros Manila. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.MANILA — The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) is looking to continue its success following an eventful year which saw them help Carlos Yulo earn his double-gold performance in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Yulo, Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruvivar’s respective campaigns in Paris were the main highlights of GAP’s 2024, and this led to them being awarded as the Philippine Sports Association’s (PSA) National Sporting Association (NSA) of the Year.

“I’m so happy that we won this award, because I think we earned it. Don’t you think we earned it?” GAP President Cynthia Carrion told a few reporters at the sidelines of the PSA Awards Night on Monday at the Manila Hotel.

The four Filipino gymnasts are a testament to how the country has progressed in the sport, and Carrion was ecstatic of the growth that has now turned into Olympic success.

“From the days when we were, let’s say zero? Now we’re at 20,” scaled Carrion, as she briefly touched on the development that GAP has helped bring to Philippine Gymnastics.

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However, Carrion is eager for GAP’s other potent athletes to shine and exceed as well, much like how Yulo rose into glory.

“I now want to go to 50, I want to have more,” she said. “That’s why I went to the Philippine Sports Commission to defend my budget of P78 million, and I hope that I can get it.”

Carrion is seeking funding for the training and welfare of their gymnasts who are mainly situated at the GAP Gym in Intramuros, Manila, and the funding from the government would be a vital one for them.

“This [budget] is only for 2025, but it’s because I got six disciplines, and it’s like six sports. Others are complaining: ‘How come you are not taking care of the women, the others?’ And that I'm only concentrating on our men.”

Among the main projects that will benefit from the budget that GAP is seeking is the exposure from training camps abroad which Yulo himself, pointed out Carrion, has vouched for.

“We have a lot. We’re going to be joining a lot of World Cups, a lot of training camps,” she said. “Carlos wants us to go to Britain, Korea, the United States, and Japan, then maybe two weeks each, because training camps are very, very important.”

“Training camps make you win, because you go to other champions, see how they are, so it’s very important,” she added.

GAP and their athletes are expected to compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games later this year in December.

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