Latest news with #ChrisOConnell
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Swift exit for two Australians as Wimbledon challenge falters at the first
Under blue skies more redolent of her Gold Coast home than London, Kim Birrell has achieved the unenviable distinction of being the first player knocked out in a completed match at this year's Wimbledon championships. And on a dismal opening morning for the 17-strong Australian challenge, Chris O'Connell quickly followed her out the exit door as one of the first men's victims at sunny SW19 with a straight-sets loss on Monday. The 27-year-old Birrell, making her debut at the grass court slam, never recovered from a nervy start in which she surrendered the first set to No 22 seed and last year's semi-finalist Donna Vekic without winning a game. Any thoughts Birrell might benefit from a London heatwave that had spectators seeking any shade they could find had already evaporated. But a much-improved battling second set prompted hope, at 4-4, of the Victorian forcing a decider, but the Croatian star then took the last two games to complete a 6-0 6-4 victory in 79 minutes. Birrell, who saved one match point but then watched her forehand shoot long on the second, left the English capital with some hard-earned experience and $A138,500 as her reward for battling through qualifying. O'Connell, one of eight Australians in action on the opening day, found the veteran Adrian Mannarino too much to handle, going down 6-2 6-4 6-3 in two-and-a-quarter one-sided hours. Sydneysider O'Connell must have feared the worst when he saw the draw, as he had been similarly sliced up by the 37-year-old French left-hander on grass three weeks ago. It represented a wretched start for the biggest contingent of Australian players at the grass-court slam in 30 years, with six more due in action later on Monday.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Wimbledon star, 31, cleaned boats and delivered flyers because he didn't want to step foot on a tennis court
AUSTRALIA has always had a love affair with Wimbledon. The likes of Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe and Evonne Goolagong all reigned at the All England Club. 8 8 8 Pat Cash won the hearts of the British public with his win in 1987 while Lleyton Hewitt was the champion in 2002. Add in the Woodies - Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge - teamed up to claim six doubles crowns together. Then in recent times Ash Barty and doubles specialists Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell have secured their names in Wimbledon history. Nick Kyrgios reached the 2022 final while Alex De Minaur is a former quarter-finalist - plus engaged to British star Katie Boulter. So it is easy to see why Chris O'Connell slips under the radar among Australian tennis names. After all, the 31-year-old has reached a career-high ranking of No53, pocketing £2.5million in prize money and never been beyond round three in a major. He reached that stage at the 2022 Australian Open, 2023 Wimbledon and 2024 US Open. But while his tennis story is really rather ordinary, his life away from the court is anything but - with stint cleaning boats and handing out junk mail. Sydney's O'Connell was raised in the Northern Beaches area of the Emerald City. It means as well as being one of the world's best tennis players, he is also a highly accomplished surfer. Former Wimbledon champion resurfaces in viral ad with Rafael Nadal three years after bombshell retirement Interestingly, though, he supports FA Cup winners Crystal Palace and his favourite subject at school was not PE - but art. And he has certainly had to get creative during his working life with pro tennis far from his only career. Australian No4 O'Connell suffered a back stress fracture in 2012 which sidelined him for 18 months then contracted pneumonia in 2017. But it was knee tendinitis in 2018 that saw him fall out of love with tennis - and he didn't even want to step foot on the court. So rather than go into coaching, O'Connell took up his brother Ben's invitation to clean boats. The Aussie said in 2020: "At that stage, I was thinking that I'm having too many injuries and wanted to get away from tennis. 'I was thinking to coach kids and maybe do clinics, but I didn't want to step on a tennis court anymore. 'I decided to do something completely weird. 'I lived on a little bay in Sydney and my brother Ben was there too. He invited me to come clean boats with him. I think back on times like that when I was working back home, to see where I am now... I can't really believe it Chris O'Connell 'I was thinking, 'Sweet, I don't have to teach anyone to hit a forehand and I can just clean boats and relax.' 'That's what I did for the morning and afternoon and I'd ride my bike down to the bay. I did that from February to June. 'It was terrible money and everyone thought I was crazy because I could get more money coaching. 'It was incredibly frustrating, because I was 23 at the time and life was going so quickly. I felt like I hadn't gotten anything from the game yet and hadn't reached my potential. 'But I always had in the back of my mind that I was going to get back out there once I was healthy and ready. When I decided to come back in 2019, I had a breakthrough year. 'I do think back on times like that when I was working back home, and to see where I am now, I can believe it, but I can't really believe it. I hope to stay here for a lot longer still.' Then in 2023, during his run to the third round at the All England Club, O'Connell revealed boat cleaning was not his only unusual hustle - and he did end up doing a stint teaching others. The self-confessed late bloomer said two years ago: 'This time last year, getting to the top 100 was a huge goal of mine. 'So to be sitting here a year later, looking at top 50, that's awesome. 'All the odd jobs I've worked at. 'Boat cleaning, working in clothes shop, tennis coaching, delivering flyers… I think back on those, and I'm like, 'Wow, now I'm here.'' 8 8 8 8
ABC News
16-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Chris O'Connell bounced by Holger Rune after having less than 3 hours to prepare, Alex Bolt also exits Queens
The first wave of Australia's Queen's Club contingent has made little impact on the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up, with Alex Bolt and Chris O'Connell both dispatched in the first round without winning a set. Given their opposition, that was little surprise, though in the nascent grass court season, they did have the advantage of having spent time on the turf after playing in qualifying. Bolt, up against the up-and-coming Scot Jacob Fearnley, went down 6-2, 6-4 . The South Australian, wearing a lot of strapping on his right knee but moving well enough, was broken early and late in the first set, but moved comfortably to 4-4 in the second. But Bolt, watched by his partner, British player Katie Swan, then dropped the first point on serve. Suddenly, the pressure rose and Fearnley broke. Bolt battled hard to lead 15-0 and 30-15 but could not force a break-back point and the British number two served out. Earlier on Monday, O'Connell, who had been beaten by Bolt in the second round of qualifying on Sunday, found himself facing fourth seed Holger Rune as a lucky loser. Given less than 3 hours' notice after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew with an ankle injury, O'Connell began well, forcing a break opportunity in the third game. He failed to take it, however, and the Dane, playing his first game of the year on grass, then settled. O'Connell was still very much in the game when serving at 3-4, but within the blink of an eye the first set was gone 6-3. Rune, currently ranked ninth in the world, broke again midway through the second set and took it 6-4. British wildcard veteran Dan Evans, now 35 and ranked a lowly 199, delighted a crowd basking in unusually hot London sunshine with a boilover 7-5, 6-2 victory against seventh seed Frances Tiafoe. But British number three Cameron Norrie, a former finalist, lost to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 6-1. Roberto Bautista Agut saved a match point before beating Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-7 (8-6), 7-5, 6-4, the Spaniard winning five straight games after trailing 4-1 in the second set. On Wednesday morning (AEST), Alex de Minaur opens play at midday local time on Andy Murray Arena in his first match since crashing out of Roland-Garros feeling burned-out mentally and drained physically. Seeded five, he faces Jiri Lehecka. The Czech, ranked 30, is a potentially tricky opponent. De Minaur, who slipped to 12 in the rankings updated yesterday, having not defended his title at Rosmalen last week, won their previous meeting, indoors in the 2023 Davis Cup, but Lehecka KO'd two top-20 players on grass on his last Wimbledon visit, in 2023. At the same time on court 5, Alexei Popyrin, now ranked at a career-high 21, plays Aleksandar Vukic in an all-Aussie affair while Jordan Thompson goes later against Jaume Munar. In Nottingham, James McCabe, having come through qualifying, faced British wildcard George Loffhagen in a repeat of their final at the same venue on the lowest-tier world tennis tour last year. McCabe won that one 6-0, 6-1 and it was the same result at Challenger level, albeit much closer, as the Australian won 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). AAP
National Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
CorFlow Therapeutics Appoints Chris O'Connell as Chairman of the Board of Directors
Article content BAAR, Switzerland — CorFlow Therapeutics AG (CorFlow) is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris O'Connell as Chairman of the Board of Directors, replacing Rick Geoffrion who remains as a Director on the Board. Chris is a highly regarded senior executive, board member and advisor across the medical devices, life sciences and global healthcare industries. Chris built his career over 21 years at Medtronic (MDT) serving in multiple business areas and functions during an era of rapid expansion. This included senior leadership roles in the Cardiovascular and Diabetes business units, before becoming Executive Vice President and President of the Restorative Therapies Group. Chris was a member of the Medtronic Executive Committee for nine years. Chris later became CEO and President of the Waters Corporation (WAT) which he led to robust business and share price growth for over five years. He currently serves as an Independent Director of innovative growth companies in medical devices, life sciences and diagnostics, as well as several non-profit organizations. Article content Paul Mead, CEO of CorFlow, said 'Chris brings exceptional strategic and operational acumen to CorFlow at a pivotal growth phase, where the company can benefit tremendously from his experience. Chris knows exactly how high the bar is set for excellence across all functions in MedTech, both from his corporate and board experiences, and from having been on the buy side of many M&A transactions. On behalf of our board, shareholders, and employees, we're thrilled to have him on board.' Article content Paul added, 'I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude for the personal support and commitment from Rick Geoffrion over the past few years, who I am glad will remain on our Board in an independent capacity.' Article content Chris joins CorFlow as the company embarks on achieving ambitious Series B objectives, which include two parallel clinical trials, an FDA IDE trial to obtain marketing authorization in the United States, and a landmark randomized therapy trial in Europe. CorFlow's technology aims to be the first to both diagnose and deliver therapy for heart attack patients suffering from microvascular obstruction, with a precise system that fits into the existing workflow for interventional cardiologists. The company's first in human MOCA I study results have been presented at the recent TCT and EuroPCR scientific congresses, and preclinical findings at the European Society of Cardiology meeting. CorFlow closed a €44M Series B in late 2024 with an international venture capital syndicate, and recently added further capital for expanded clinical, R&D, and capability advancement. Article content Chris commented, 'I am honored to join the CorFlow team, and highly motivated by the opportunity to help address a major unmet medical need for patients suffering from microvascular obstruction. CorFlow is poised for breakthrough success with such a transformative technology set, talented CEO and team, and experienced investor group. We have all the ingredients to achieve something special.' Article content About CorFlow Therapeutics: Headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. CorFlow aspires to be the leader in diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for restoring healthy microvascular blood flow anywhere in the human body where a critical need exists. Working in close partnership with scientists from the University of Bern, ETH Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich, in a collaboration funded by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse), CorFlow continues to explore applications in and beyond the heart. Article content Article content Article content Article content
