Mauresmo will succeed Yannick Noah next year, the French tennis federation (FFT) announced. Julien Benneteau, who retires after the US Open in September, will take the reins of France's side in the women's equivalent the Fed Cup. Mauresmo, who turns 39 on 5 July, was captain of the Fed Cup team in 2015 and 2016, and led them from the second division to the final of the competition, which they lost to the Czech Republic in Strasbourg. At a press conference to unveil the two captains, FFT president Bernard Giudicelli hailed a "completely groundbreaking choice" of putting "a woman in charge of French men's tennis." Mauresmo is unique among French players of the modern era. She is the only one to be ranked No. 1 in the world (for 39 weeks in 2004 and 2006). She also won two majors -- the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 -- as well as the Fed Cup, in 2003. Mauresmo also has a solid record as a coach. In addition to the Fed Cup team, she coached one of the men's 'Big Four' Scot Andy … [Read more...] about Amélie Mauresmo appointed French Davis Cup captain
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5 shots from World Cup 2018 Day 9
Coach undamaged after bus parked For 91 minutes Costa Rica were doughty in defence against Brazil. Brazilian tempers were fraying as a second successive draw loomed in Group E. But then Marcelo sent over a cross from the left, Roberto Firminho headed the ball down, Gabriel Jesus didn’t quite control it but the ball fell into the path of the onrushing Philippe Coutinho who rammed it through Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas and into the net. Cue wild celebration on the Brazil touchline. Such was the hysteria that reserve goalkeeper Ederson knocked over the manager Tite. Talk about giving the boss a nudge. But Tite rose unscathed to continue the merriment. They were both more circumspect when Neymar tapped in the second goal a few minutes later to complete a 2-0 victory. Swiss roll Switzerland gave themselves a very good chance of emerging out of Group E and into the knockout stages with a 2-1 victory over Serbia. It had started so well for the Serbs. A first half lead and some … [Read more...] about 5 shots from World Cup 2018 Day 9
Nigeria beats Iceland 2-0 at World Cup comeback
VOLGOGRAD - Associated Press Nigeria's Ahmed Musa, second from left, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the group D match between Nigeria and Iceland at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd, Russia, Friday, June 22, 2018. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe Coaches often get the criticism when things go awry on the pitch, and arguably don’t get enough of the credit when things turn out just right. Ahmed Musa has clearly been the focus of attention for getting Nigeria’s World Cup campaign back on track after his two well-taken goals in a 2-0 victory over Iceland on Friday in Volgograd. However, the impact of German coach Gernot Rohr should not be under-estimated. Following Nigeria’s limp 2-0 opening loss to Croatia, the team faced the prospect of being eliminated from the tournament. Rather than stick with what had got Nigeria to the World Cup at a canter, Rohr opted for change. As well as bringing in the speedy Musa as one of three … [Read more...] about Nigeria beats Iceland 2-0 at World Cup comeback
Albanian origin players score as Switzerland comes from behind to beat Serbia
Goals by Albanian origin players — Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri — secured Switzerland's first victory at the 2018 World Cup with a 2-1 triumph over Serbia in Group E on Friday in Kaliningrad. Aleksandar Mitrovic tallied the opening goal of the match in the fifth minute for Serbia and was answered by Xhaka's blast in the 52nd minute. That set up Shaqiri's heroics in the 90th minute in front of 33,167 fans at Kaliningrad Stadium. Both put their open hands together with their thumbs locked and fingers outstretched to make what looks like the double-headed eagle displayed on Albania's national flag. The thumbs represent the heads of the two eagles, while the fingers look like the feathers. The gesture is likely to inflame tensions among Serb nationalists and ethnic Albanians. Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence and relations between the two countries remain tense. Xhaka's … [Read more...] about Albanian origin players score as Switzerland comes from behind to beat Serbia
Musa brace sees Nigeria ease past Iceland 2-0
Two second-half goals by Ahmed Musa helped Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0 in a Group D match at the World Cup in Volgograd on Friday, keeping Lionel Messi and Argentina's hopes of progressing to the playoffs alive. Left out of his country's opening Group D game at the tournament in Russia, Musa showed his worth with two outstanding strikes that put the Africans back in contention for a second round place. The opening goal, soon after a drab first half, saw him pluck the ball out of the air with his first touch before blasting it home. The second goal came in the 75th minute, when after a break down the wing, Musa cut inside and waltzed around the goalkeeper before firing the ball into the net. Iceland's Gylfi Sigurdsson shot an 82nd minute penalty over the top of the bar, denying his team a chance to try to force a late comeback. All three other teams in the group remain in the hunt to go through with Croatia, but Argentina and Iceland know they have to win to have any chance of progressing. … [Read more...] about Musa brace sees Nigeria ease past Iceland 2-0