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Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
WTA roundup: Maria Sakkari tops Emma Navarro in Washington
(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images) Greece's Maria Sakkari upset second-seeded Emma Navarro 7-5, 7-6 (1) in the second round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Wednesday in Washington. Sakkari, a finalist in the event two years ago, finished with a 7-1 edge in aces and saved all three break points she faced. Third-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan emerged with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Victoria Mboko as the Canadian committed nine double faults. In other second-round matches, Russia's Anna Kalinskaya defeated eighth-seeded Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 6-0, and fourth-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark outlasted Caroline Dolehide 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Livesport Prague Open Tereza Valentova, playing in her hometown, defeated second-seeded Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia 7-6 (1), 7-5 in the second round in Prague. Eighth-seeded Alycia Parks also stumbled against a Czech player, falling 7-6 (9), 6-3 to Sara Bejlek. Parks failed to take advantage of two set points in the first-set tiebreaker. Top-seeded Linda Noskova, also of the Czech Republic, downed Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-2, 6-4. Other winners were fourth-seeded Xinyu Wang of China, ninth-seeded Ann Li of the United States, France's Jessika Ponchet and fifth-seeded Marie Bouzkova and Katerina Siniakova, both of the Czech Republic.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
‘Big Game' Hunter Lee sizing up opponents in transition from wrestling to MMA career
In a sport where weight class matters so much, 25-year old MMA fighter Hunter Lee isn't fazed by opponents 10, 20 or even 30 pounds heavier than he is. That was just the case in late May at Unified 62 in Toronto, as the 185-pound Lee jumped up to the 205-pound division and knocked out opponent Cal Kostiniuk. 'I went and had some all-you-can-eat ribs the night before so that I could be close to his weight,' said Lee. 'He's a big guy, like six-foot-four and I'm five-foot-11, so a big height difference. It doesn't make a difference to me, they've been calling me the 'Big Game Hunter' since then because I'm willing to fight anyone, anytime.' Inspired by MMA fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Canadian great Georges St-Pierre, Lee has become one of the country's rising stars in the sport. Story continues below advertisement Since winning at Unified 62, Lee is coming off a victory by unanimous decision over Chris Choo at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in Florida to improve his professional record to an undefeated 4-0. It's something that doesn't surprise Jesse Boldt, a muay thai instructor at Modern Martial Arts Center in Saskatoon where Lee trains. 'We know what it's like to go with Hunter in the gym,' said Boldt. 'So we know his poor opponents, how they're going to feel going against him. When he wins the way he does, it's expected because we feel it in the gym.' Lee's strength comes from a dominant ground game developed over his collegiate career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies wrestling team between 2017 and 2022, where he'd become a national champion with the program and become an alternate for the Canadian Olympic team. First discovered by coach Daniel Olver with the Huskies' junior program, Lee's progression into the MMA world doesn't surprise the University of Saskatchewan coach one bit. 'It was always something that Hunter wanted to get into,' said Olver. 'We knew that when he was part of the Junior Huskies program and then into the [University of Saskatchewan] Huskies program, this was his end goal here. Story continues below advertisement 'In terms of seeing that success when he was a Huskie now being able to transfer into MMA, we always talk about how excellence is a transferrable skill. He was excellent as a Huskie, he was dedicated to winning and he's transferring that right into MMA. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I'm not surprised that he's having the success that he is.' For Lee, the wrestling background has allowed him to control fights on the ground more effectively while also having a framework to cut weight once he begins fighting more opponents within his planned weight class of 170 to 175 pounds. Calling himself the 'most ducked professional MMA fighter,' he said it's been a struggle to find opponents who want to go up against his wrestling background. 'With wrestling you just compete against whoever shows up,' said Lee. 'You go to the national tournament and you just sign up, whoever is in your bracket you got to go against them and you can't say no. In MMA, guys can say no and then they'll get a different opponent that's easier. 'I had a lot of problems with that earlier in my career. It's because my grappling level from my wrestling career is so much higher than what they're used to seeing.' Part of that transition to MMA life full-time has been gaining confidence on the microphone after matches, a trait which Lee believes helps market the sport and gain interest in young fighters such as himself. Story continues below advertisement 1:15 USask Huskies star guard Grassick named U Sports Female Athlete of the Year That came to life following his Unified 62 victory, as he called out a list of potential opponents just minutes after winning his match. 'I want to put on an interview that people want to see,' said Lee. 'For my first two fights they didn't let me do an in-cage interview because of the time limit and I was earlier on the card. I was like, 'As soon as they give me the mic, I'm going to make it worthwhile so that they want to give me the mic in the future.' I feel like I did that.' Hoping to one day advance through the levels of MMA and reach the vaunted UFC, they're dreams that were born in his hometown of Flin Flon, Man., and grown in his adopted home of Saskatoon over the past seven years. They're communities that Lee said he fights for every time he steps into the octagon. Story continues below advertisement 'I walk out to The Last Saskatchewan Pirate so I always got those roots,' said Lee. 'Even though technically Flin Flon is a border town, so I feel like I represent Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Last Saskatchewan Pirate is my walk-out song, I always carry that sort of representation even into the UFC.' Watching the impact Lee has had on other fighters at their gym, Boldt added there's a sense of magic around his story and the paths toward professional fighting that others in the province can take. 'I think it's really cool because it gives the belief in other people from some small town in the middle of nowhere that they can do big things as well,' said Boldt. 'In small communities, it gives them hope where you don't have to be from Vancouver, Montreal or even Saskatoon. You can be from a small town and do great things.' Lee will look to keep his undefeated record intact later this year, as he's looking to fight at a Unified MMA event in Edmonton in October.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ogungbemi-Jackson knows what it takes to make it
Despite it being his 10th year in pro basketball, this past season presented challenges that Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson has never faced before. It started out in the Iranian Super League with a club called Tabiat, but with the country's conflict with Israel rising, the Winnipegger made the decision to fly home after just 11 days. 'I just said, 'Man, I don't want to risk it.' I knew my family wasn't going to be comfortable if I'm here the whole time with these things going on, so, I decided to come back home,' said Ogungbemi-Jackson, who played his first nine seasons all over Europe. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson hopes to get back on the court next season after undergoing knee surgery. 'Once you become a father and a husband and you have a family, you have to make those types of decisions. I could've stayed, the team was ready for me to stay and wanted me to stay, but they understood why I wanted to go home.' He wasn't on Canadian soil for long as, two weeks later, the 33-year-old signed in Germany's top tier with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. Ogungbemi-Jackson hit the ground running with them by averaging 19 points per game through the first two contests. But then, two games later, his season was over. 'I just planted wrong and twisted my knee, and that was it,' he said. 'Obviously, I've logged a lot of minutes and a lot of mileage so that was kind of part of it.' Originally, they thought he'd be able to get back on the court after some extensive rehab, but after five months of working on it, it was determined that he would have to go under the knife. He had his surgery in Germany on April 3 and was told he'll need four to six months to make a full recovery. He's at the point now where he can work on things like ballhandling and shooting but still needs more time until he can go full speed. 'I've had injuries in the past, but never anything where I've had to have a surgery or something like that. It's definitely been a challenge, but I think all the experiences that I've had, having my family with me, being older, being more mature, I can appreciate the journey that I've had,' said Ogungbemi-Jackson, who played at the University of Calgary after making a name for himself at Garden City Collegiate. He views the setback as a blessing in disguise. Even though he was on the shelf, Ludwigsburg wanted him to stick around to take on a mentorship role since they had five players who were either rookies or sophomores. 'My whole career I've impacted the game being on the floor, so I wanted to see how I could impact the game being off the floor by just giving my advice to players and I genuinely feel like it was well received,' said Ogungbemi-Jackson. The experience also gave him some time to work on Hoops Vision Consulting, a business he officially launched last week. By offering mentorship, consulting and film breakdown, Ogungbemi-Jackson hopes his new project can help more players, especially Manitobans, reach their goals in the sport. He's had countless young athletes and fellow pros reach out over the years for advice, from everything from training tips to how one should go about finding the right agent. 'I just get so many random questions and I always found so much fulfillment sharing that knowledge, because growing up, I didn't really have that outlet coming from Winnipeg, a small town, which is on the rise in basketball now with a lot more things going on, but back then, we just didn't have those outlets,' said Ogungbemi-Jackson. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson (right) played for his hometown Winnipeg Sea Bears last CEBL season. 'I feel like this is something that I genuinely want to do, and I genuinely want to help younger athletes, or even pros just like myself, just kind of help guide them on their journey because I know how hard it is, I know how competitive it is, and I know what it takes to make it.' His career has taken him to many places, including Portugal, Spain, France, Finland, Denmark and Belarus, but, last summer, it finally brought him back home to Winnipeg as he signed on with the Sea Bears of the CEBL. The team ended up going 9-11 before getting bounced in the play-in round, and his role fluctuated throughout the season — especially after the Sea Bears added import point guard Justin Wright-Foreman — but Ogungbemi-Jackson still cherishes the fact that he got to suit up in front of his friends and family for the first time in years. He averaged 13.7 points and 3.7 assists in 22.8 minutes over 16 games with the Sea Bears. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'It's still an experience that I can say I'll never forget, and not every professional athlete gets to literally play professionally in their hometown. I don't think it went as good or as great as we would have wanted, but that's part of the game,' he said. 'Not every year is going to be perfect, not every situation is going to be perfect. You might not be in a role that you agree with or that you're happy with, but that's part of the game, part of the business. I think experiences like that help me with the business as well and just give me perspective… Yeah, it was a bit challenging, but it helped me grow.' Getting healthy is the priority right now and, once he is, his agent will find him another opportunity overseas for the 2025-26 campaign. He may be a business owner now, but Ogungbemi-Jackson's playing career is far from over. 'If I can go four or five more years, I will,' he said. 'As long as I'm healthy and I feel good and it makes sense for my family and I, I'll continue to play.' Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
