logo
Billie Jean King Cup finals to kick off on September 16

Billie Jean King Cup finals to kick off on September 16

Straits Times3 days ago
Find out what's new on ST website and app.
Defending champions Italy, featuring world number nine Jasmine Paolini, will face hosts China led by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen when the Billie Jean King Cup finals kick off on September 16 in Shenzhen, tournament organisers said on Monday.
The tournament, traditionally held in November, was brought forward to September to align the premier women's team competition with the start of the WTA Tour's Asian swing.
World number 10 Paula Badosa will be in action on September 17 when Spain face Ukraine in the second quarter-final. The United States play Kazakhstan and Britain take on Japan in the remaining last-eight matches the next day.
The semi-finals will take place on the following two days, with the final set for September 21. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pogacar crashes into Vingegaard's team car before Tour stage start
Pogacar crashes into Vingegaard's team car before Tour stage start

Straits Times

time24 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Pogacar crashes into Vingegaard's team car before Tour stage start

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 18 - Vif to Courchevel Col de la Loze - Vif, France - July 24, 2025 UAE Team Emirates XRG's Tadej Pogacar wearing the yellow jersey before the start of stage 18 REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier COURCHEVEL, France - Tour de France overall leader Tadej Pogacar suffered a big scare on Thursday when he bumped into the team car of his chief rival Jonas Vingegaard before the start of the 18th stage, a brutal mountain trek from Vif to the Col de la Loze. "We were going to the start line and the cars were also going... we were cruising behind the (Visma-Lease a Bike) car, maybe a bit too close and he suddenly... maybe I don't know if he wanted to brake check me, to check my brakes," Slovenian Pogacar said with a smile. "I was not ready because I did not see the reason why he had to stop urgently so we crashed into the car, I hit my... but it's okay, I'm okay we're good," he added. It was not clear who Pogacar was with when he hit the Visma-Lease a Bike car. Pogacar leads Dane Vingegaard by 4 minutes 15 seconds going into the 18th stage. REUTERS

Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028
Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028

CNA

time28 minutes ago

  • CNA

Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028

LONDON :Alex Yee is already the most successful athlete in Olympic triathlon history and to give himself the best chance of adding to his medals in Los Angeles 2028 the Briton is mixing marathons with high-adrenaline Supertri to keep him fresh in mind and body. Yee's extraordinary late surge to overcome Hayden Wilde and snatch gold in Paris was one of the great moments of the Games. It came after he took silver in Tokyo alongside a gold in the Mixed Relay, adding bronze in that team event in 2024. Still only 27, Yee's goal is to match compatriot Alistair Brownlee by successfully defending his title in LA, but, having been putting his body through the relentless training needed for success across three sports since his teens, he has taken a different approach this year. After adding the 2024 world title to his Olympic haul over the 1,500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run distance, Yee threw himself into his first marathon and duly clocked an impressive two hours, 11.08 minutes to finish 14th at the London Marathon in April. "It was a very special period and allowed me to take a step back from my triathlon training and look at things a little bit differently to see how I could improve," Yee told Reuters in an interview. "I think for me to be able to take that small step away but still be working very much within the context of getting better within triathlon was very exciting but it was also the fact I was able to race one of my dream races, which I grew up leaning over the barriers and watching as a fan after racing the mini marathon." This weekend Yee goes to the other end of the speed spectrum when he races the Toronto leg of Supertri, the fast and furious multi-lap format that features three back-to-back rounds of 300m swim, 4km bike and 1.6km run with eight transitions. 'EXCITING FORMAT' "It's an exciting format for people to watch, it's developing our sport and evolving it and it's something which I want to be part of," he said. "With those races everything comes at you so fast that the mistakes are often magnified and as a result you actually have that really short-term opportunity to learn three times rather than it being one big hit and then you move on. "It might be a very small thing, maybe you miss your buckle on your helmet and then the next thing you know the pack's gone. It's all those little nuances which make up Supertri and make it exciting." Those "marginal gains" picked up from different formats and building marathon endurance are key to Yee's bid for more gold in LA, when the individual triathlon medals will be won on the first two days of the Games. "The sport has evolved and I know if I do what I did for Tokyo and what I did for Paris, if I keep doing the same thing, then the sport will leave me behind," he said. "I need to think about how I can improve and, excitingly, that means that I can work on my run again, which has been something I haven't been able to do for the last five years. "That stuff has really kept me motivated and kept me excited and I think, fundamentally, if you still have that energy and that excitement towards the sport, then it's a really positive thing." Yee says keeping his body healthy and his mind fresh are the key ingredients for future success, but a more holistic approach has replaced a traditional multi-year, detailed training plan. "I would say my roadmap is mainly about the person I want to be in, the mindset I want to be in," he said. "I feel like there is so much more I can deliver and improve on. Then I can stand on that start line and say, 'yeah, I've done everything I can' and I can be proud, no matter the result, of the person I've become on the journey."

Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028
Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Triathlon-Olympic champion Yee mixing things up to stay fresh for assault on LA 2028

LONDON - Alex Yee is already the most successful athlete in Olympic triathlon history and to give himself the best chance of adding to his medals in Los Angeles 2028 the Briton is mixing marathons with high-adrenaline Supertri to keep him fresh in mind and body. Yee's extraordinary late surge to overcome Hayden Wilde and snatch gold in Paris was one of the great moments of the Games. It came after he took silver in Tokyo alongside a gold in the Mixed Relay, adding bronze in that team event in 2024. Still only 27, Yee's goal is to match compatriot Alistair Brownlee by successfully defending his title in LA, but, having been putting his body through the relentless training needed for success across three sports since his teens, he has taken a different approach this year. After adding the 2024 world title to his Olympic haul over the 1,500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run distance, Yee threw himself into his first marathon and duly clocked an impressive two hours, 11.08 minutes to finish 14th at the London Marathon in April. "It was a very special period and allowed me to take a step back from my triathlon training and look at things a little bit differently to see how I could improve," Yee told Reuters in an interview. "I think for me to be able to take that small step away but still be working very much within the context of getting better within triathlon was very exciting but it was also the fact I was able to race one of my dream races, which I grew up leaning over the barriers and watching as a fan after racing the mini marathon." This weekend Yee goes to the other end of the speed spectrum when he races the Toronto leg of Supertri, the fast and furious multi-lap format that features three back-to-back rounds of 300m swim, 4km bike and 1.6km run with eight transitions. 'EXCITING FORMAT' "It's an exciting format for people to watch, it's developing our sport and evolving it and it's something which I want to be part of," he said. "With those races everything comes at you so fast that the mistakes are often magnified and as a result you actually have that really short-term opportunity to learn three times rather than it being one big hit and then you move on. "It might be a very small thing, maybe you miss your buckle on your helmet and then the next thing you know the pack's gone. It's all those little nuances which make up Supertri and make it exciting." Those "marginal gains" picked up from different formats and building marathon endurance are key to Yee's bid for more gold in LA, when the individual triathlon medals will be won on the first two days of the Games. "The sport has evolved and I know if I do what I did for Tokyo and what I did for Paris, if I keep doing the same thing, then the sport will leave me behind," he said. "I need to think about how I can improve and, excitingly, that means that I can work on my run again, which has been something I haven't been able to do for the last five years. "That stuff has really kept me motivated and kept me excited and I think, fundamentally, if you still have that energy and that excitement towards the sport, then it's a really positive thing." Yee says keeping his body healthy and his mind fresh are the key ingredients for future success, but a more holistic approach has replaced a traditional multi-year, detailed training plan. "I would say my roadmap is mainly about the person I want to be in, the mindset I want to be in," he said. "I feel like there is so much more I can deliver and improve on. Then I can stand on that start line and say, 'yeah, I've done everything I can' and I can be proud, no matter the result, of the person I've become on the journey." REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store