LONDON (REUTERS) - Aston Villa continued their resurgence under new manager Steven Gerrard when they claimed a second consecutive Premier League win by beating Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday (Nov 27). Goals from Matt Targett and John McGinn moved Villa up to 11th spot, level with 10th-placed Palace who got a consolation through Marc Guehi in added time, on 16 points. The defeat was Patrick Vieira's first at home since being appointed Palace manager and their first since losing at Liverpool in September. Gerrard also became the first Villa boss in 23 years to win his first two Premier League games. "We can't get carried away, it has been a positive couple of weeks. The players have been fantastic in their application. We had to dig in at times today but we managed to get over the line which is nice," Gerrard told the BBC. Villa took advantage of Palace's vulnerability on set-pieces when Ashley Young's corner in the 15th minute was delivered deep into the box, where Targett controlled the ball and shot low through the crowd to score. Targett's opener was his first Premier League goal in over two years and only his third in the top flight. "The analysts and us spoke about set pieces in the build up to the game. We know they (Palace) are not great at defending them," Targett said. Gerrard praised his set-piece specialist for the opener. "His job is to identify weaknesses in the opposition side. The players deserve all the credit for going and implementing that goal," he said. Palace had more possession in the first half but were unable to conjure up shots on goal as their midfield struggled to create chances with Villa's Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey keeping midfielder Conor Gallagher quiet. Villa looked like being reduced to 10 men when substitute Douglas Luiz was red-carded for a seemingly reckless challenge but the visitors got a reprieve when VAR intervened and the referee watched the replay, downgrading it to a yellow. More on this topic Related Story Football: 'I'm all in', new boss Gerrard promises Villa supporters Related Story Football: Villa opportunity was too big to turn down, says new boss Gerrard Palace did not have a shot on target until the 79th minute when Christian Benteke's acrobatic effort with his back to goal was saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Villa doubled their lead late in the game when a flowing move down the left found McGinn on the edge of the box and he curled his shot past the outstretched arms of Vicente Guaita. Palace finally scored in stoppage-time when Cheikhou Kouyate's cross to the near post found Guehi, who poked the ball past Martinez, but Villa held on for the three points.
VILLARREAL, SPAIN (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo’s excellent goal helped Manchester United begin life after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Tuesday (Nov 23) and seal their place in the Champions League last 16. Ronaldo’s splendid lob was then capped by Jadon Sancho’s first United goal at the Ceramica, where caretaker manager Michael Carrick dropped Bruno Fernandes to the bench. Fernandes was on the pitch for both of United’s goals after being brought on in the 66th minute, but it was Ronaldo who proved the difference again, his instinctive shot in the 78th unlocking a game that looked destined to remain goalless. After a turbulent few days that saw Solskjaer sacked following Saturday’s humiliating 4-1 defeat by Watford, United were able to calm the storm with a win that leaves them three points clear at the top of Group F. With Villarreal, in second, up against Atalanta in the final game, United, who finish at home to Young Boys, are now guaranteed to go through, and most likely in first place. Carrick has only been placed in temporary charge, after the club outlined their plan on Sunday to install an interim coach before then making a permanent appointment next summer. Numerous candidates have been linked, with former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde the latest name to emerge on Tuesday. Carrick, who wore a black suit and won the Champions League once in his 12 years as a Manchester United player, had been surprisingly reluctant to distinguish himself from Solskjaer in his first press conference on Monday. He said “we’ll have to see” when asked if he could lift United out of their slump and admitted he had “similar beliefs” to the Norwegian and “that’s why we worked together for so long”. His team selection, though, was bolder, with Fernandes the statement change. The Portuguese playmaker was replaced by Donny van de Beek, while Anthony Martial, Alex Telles and Fred came in for Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Nemanja Matic. None of those promoted really justified their inclusion. Telles was twice exposed in the first half while Martial was largely anonymous before coming off for Rashford in the second half. Villarreal, the Europa League champions who will likely have to beat Atalanta now to make it through, had chances but failed to take them and were punished. More on this topic Related Story Football: Ronaldo wishes 'outstanding human' Solskjaer well after United boss' axing Related Story Football: Emotional Solskjaer says he hopes he leaves Man United in a 'better state' Compelling first half The first half was compelling even if it never quite caught fire, with both sides seemingly waiting for the other to either over-commit or make a mistake. Scott McTominay went close with a header at the back post and Arnaut Danjuma fired wide. Yeremi Pino had the best opening when another Danjuma shot span out to him on the right. He made space away from Telles, only to lash into the side-netting. Telles was struggling to contain the lively Yeremi and misjudged a long punt down field which his opponent pulled back for Manuel Trigueros but David de Gea palmed away. Ronaldo was largely a frustrated figure, flailing his arms as his teammates turned down opportunities to advance the ball quicker. There was a free-kick on the edge of the area, but he drove it into the wall. The game grew more cagey in the second half. Trigueros again tested De Gea with an effort banged into the ground but again, the Spaniard reacted fast. With 24 minutes left, Carrick brought on Fernandes and Rashford for Martial and Van de Beek. Fernandes gave the pass from which Sancho should have scored, the winger darting in off the right, only to finish straight at Geronimo Rulli. The changes had given United impetus and in the 78th minute, Ronaldo struck. More on this topic Related Story Football: Ronaldo at the double to earn United late Champions League point at Atalanta Related Story Football: Covid-hit Bayern seal top spot with 2-1 win at Dynamo Rulli played the ball to Etienne Capoue around 30 yards out but the midfielder was immediately pressured by Fred, who forced the ball to cannon off Capoue’s left foot and bounce up close to Ronaldo. With Rulli out of his goal, Ronaldo glanced at the goalkeeper and cushioned the ball over his head and in. There was still time for another and again Ronaldo was involved, winning the ball back and then sent clear down the left. His pass inside was moved on to the back post, where Sancho controlled and rifled in.
Strasbourg, France & Tokyo, Japan, Nov 23, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leader in IT, network and AI technologies, today announce positive preliminary immunogenicity and clinical data on TG4050, their jointly developed individualized neoantigen cancer vaccine. TG4050 is the first candidate based on Transgene's myvac platform. Powered by NEC's cutting-edge AI capabilities, it is being evaluated in two ongoing multicenter Phase I trials in patients with ovarian cancer and head and neck cancer."We are extremely pleased to demonstrate the ability of TG4050 to effectively prime the immune system of the first patients who received this novel treatment and observe first signals of clinical activity. We believe this establishes the potential role of TG4050 as a new approach for individualized cancer vaccination. TG4050 appears to demonstrate a favorable safety profile thus far. We have also confirmed the feasibility of the "needle to needle" process with these two multicenter international Phase I trials, using our own internal manufacturing facility. Strikingly, when supported by NEC's powerful prediction tool, the myvac viral vector used in TG4050, which has been genetically optimized to improve immunogenicity and peptides presentation, induced robust and consistent response against class I and class II epitopes. We are working hard to complete the studies to further confirm these findings and generate additional immune and clinical data. We are very excited by the potential of TG4050 and hope to share additional data at a major oncology congress in 2022. Based on the additional data, we will identify the most appropriate path to take TG4050 forward," commented Hedi Ben Brahim, Chairman and CEO of Transgene."We are very excited to see early signs of clinical activity in the TG4050 clinical trials that uses our AI-driven neoantigen prediction system. NEC's proprietary machine learning algorithms are built upon decades of AI expertise, enabling us to prioritize and map the most immunogenic neoantigens on personalized vaccine blueprints. The safety profile and early immunogenicity data against multiple patient-specific tumor targets in the first patients is a testimony of TG4050's potential and of the complementary synergies between the two companies. This milestone illustrates the central role of expanding the AI approach for individualized cancer immunotheraphy. As we previously stated, NEC and Transgene share a common goal to harness the power of data and develop new targeted therapies in oncology. We continue to be hopeful that TG4050 will make a significant difference in the lives of patients throughout the world," commented Motoo Nishihara, Executive Vice President, CTO (Chief Technical Officer) and Member of the Board, NEC Corporation.Prof. Christian H. Ottensmeier, MD, PhD, Professor of Immuno-oncology, at University of Liverpool and Prof. Jean-Pierre Delord, MD, PhD, General Manager of IUCT Oncopole of Toulouse, will share their insights on these early results in two upcoming webcasts, respectively in English and in French (see details at the end of the release).TG4050 IS AN INDIVIDUALIZED NEOANTIGEN VACCINE TAILORED FOR EACH PATIENT.This individualized immunotherapy is based on Transgene's advanced virus engineering platform myvac and NEC's deep expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). TG4050 is based on an MVA viral vector which is designed to educate the immune system against each patient's most relevant tumor targets (up to 30 patient-specific neoantigens).These mutations are identified by next generation sequencing (NGS) and selected using NEC's proprietary AI-based immunogenicity prediction system. The main goal of the vaccine is to elicit a strong and long-lasting immune response against tumor antigens by targeting class I and class II epitopes. These two types of responses have been established as key factors in driving a sustained anti-tumor response.DATA WERE GENERATED FROM 6 PATIENTS THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH TG4050 ACROSS THE TWO PHASE I CLINICAL TRIALS.The two studies are designed to assess biological and clinical activity of TG4050 given alone. In particular, the studies were designed to provide insights on the capacity of the selected target neoantigens to induce immune responses against these epitopes and, ultimately, to correlate clinical outcome with biological responses in two indications with significantly different genomic profiles.The two Phase I clinical trials are exploring the activity of repeated injections of TG4050 as monotherapy in patients with minimal residual disease:- In the ovarian cancer trial, patients receive the vaccine at first signs of asymptomatic relapse of their high grade, advanced-stage disease (after surgery and first-line chemotherapy). Asymptomatic relapse is defined as the detection of elevated CA-125 (tumor marker of ovarian cancer frequently associated with a relapse) or as low volume radiologic disease. The first patient was dosed in August 2020. Data have been generated from four patients treated in this trial.- Patients with HPV-negative, advanced-stage head and neck cancer are at high risk of relapse after surgery and adjuvant therapy. In the trial, they are randomized after completion of this primary treatment to receive vaccination (early treatment arm) or to receive TG4050 at relapse (delayed vaccination arm). In this trial, the first patient was dosed in January 2021. As of today, six patients were randomized in this trial, two in the early treatment arm and four in the delayed vaccination arm.Overall the data discussed today were obtained from the first six patients who received TG4050 across the two trials. The primary endpoints of these trials include safety and feasibility. Secondary endpoints include biological activity of the therapeutic vaccine TG4050.CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE WAS EVALUABLE FOR 4 OF THE PATIENTS TREATED WITH TG4050.T-cell responses for each targeted mutation were assessed after 9 weeks of treatment with TG4050 and compared to baseline for the 4 patients for which evaluable samples were available. Neoepitope immunoreactive T-cells were quantified by ex vivo IFNgamma ELISPOT.- All 4 patients developed a robust T-cell response against multiple targeted mutations (neoantigens) with a median of 10 positive responses per patient, confirming the capability of the AI to accurately select immunogenic neoantigens across the two selected indications.- T-cell responses were observed for class I and class II epitopes. They consisted of de novo responses in 64% of observed responses (onset of response that were absent at baseline) and amplifications of preexisting responses for 36% of vaccine responses.- Additionally, the development of these adaptive responses was concomitant with maturation and activation of the patients' circulating immune cells, suggesting that the vaccine is able to effectively prime the immune system.Compared to previously reported neoantigen studies, these data reinforce the rationale for TG4050's prediction system and support the validation of the MVA vector as an efficient platform for anti-tumor vaccination.All immune assessments were conducted by the clinical immunology laboratory of Institut Curie (Paris).FIRST SIGNALS OF CLINICAL ACTIVITY ARE EXTREMELY PROMISING FOR TG4050In the ovarian cancer trial (n=4), one patient treated after an elevation of CA-125 experienced a normalization of CA-125 without clinical progression during 9 months until death from an unrelated chronic illness. Another patient with radiologic lesions is stable and is still under treatment with TG4050 9 months after the first injection.In the head and neck trial early treatment arm (n=2), the two patients have been treated with TG4050 for 10 and 5 months respectively and are stable. Their treatment is ongoing.To date, the vaccine has been well tolerated and no related Serious Adverse Events have been reported across the two studies. Adverse events are consistent with previous observations made with the MVA viral vector. They mainly consist of mild and transient symptoms, mostly injection site reactions.HIGHLY ENCOURAGING DATA POINT TO BE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY AND BE SUPPORTED BY ADDITIONAL DATA.Additional data will be generated in the coming months. Transgene expects to present them at a major oncology conference in 2022.In both clinical studies, enrollment and patient dosing are progressing in line with our expectations. Overall, Transgene plans to enroll 13 patients in the ovarian cancer trial and 30 patients in the head and neck trial.A conference call in English is scheduled on November 23, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. CET.A conference call in French is scheduled on November 23, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. CET.Replays will be available on the Transgene website (www.transgene.fr) following the live events.About the trialsTG4050 is being evaluated in two Phase I clinical trials for patients with ovarian cancers (NCT03839524) and HPV-negative head and neck cancers (NCT04183166).In a first Phase I trial, TG4050 is being administered to patients with HPV-negative head and neck cancer. A personalized treatment is created for each patient after they complete surgery and while they receive an adjuvant therapy. Half of the participants receive their vaccine immediately after they complete their adjuvant treatment. The other half is given TG4050 as an additional treatment at the time of recurrence of the disease. This randomized study is evaluating the treatment benefits of TG4050 in patients who have a high risk of relapse. Up to 30 patients will receive TG4050 in France, in the UK and in the USA. The principal investigator of the trial is Prof. Christian Ottensmeier, M.D., Ph.D., Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Professor of Immuno-Oncology at the University of Liverpool. In France, the clinical trial is being conducted, at Institut Curie, Paris, by Prof. Christophe Le Tourneau, M.D., PhD, Head of the Department of Drug Development and Innovation (D3i) and at the IUCT-Oncopole, Toulouse, by Prof. Jean-Pierre Delord. In the USA, the trial is being led by Dr. Yujie Zhao, M.D., Ph.D., at the Mayo Clinic. Endpoints of the trial include safety, feasibility and biological activity of the therapeutic vaccine.In parallel, a Phase I clinical trial of TG4050 is enrolling patients with ovarian cancer. The first patient has been dosed in the USA. This second trial is including patients after surgery and first-line chemotherapy. Dr. Matthew Block, Consultant Medical Oncology, Consultant Immunology and Associate Professor of Oncology at the Mayo Clinic (USA) is the principal investigator of the trial; in France, the trial is being conducted by Prof. Le Tourneau at Institut Curie and by Dr. Alexandra Martinez, Associate Head of Surgical Department, at IUCT-Oncopole. Endpoints of the trial include safety, feasibility and biological activity of the therapeutic vaccine.About myvacmyvac is a viral vector (MVA - Modified Vaccinia Ankara) based, individualized immunotherapy platform that has been developed by Transgene to target solid tumors. myvac-derived products are designed to stimulate the patient's immune system, recognize and destroy tumors using the patient's own cancer specific genetic mutations. Transgene has set up an innovative network that combines bioengineering, digital transformation, established vectorization know-how and unique manufacturing capabilities. Transgene has been awarded "Investment for the Future funding from Bpifrance for the development of its platform myvac". TG4050 is the first myvac-derived product being evaluated in clinical trials.About TG4050TG4050 is an individualized immunotherapy being developed for solid tumors that is based on Transgene's myvac technology and powered by NEC's longstanding artificial intelligence (AI) expertise. This virus-based therapeutic vaccine encodes neoantigens (patient-specific mutations) identified and selected by NEC's Neoantigen Prediction System. The prediction system is based on more than two decades of expertise in AI and has been trained on proprietary data allowing it to accurately prioritize and select the most immunogenic sequences.TG4050 is designed to stimulate the immune system of patients in order to induce a T-cell response that is able to recognize and destroy tumor cells based on their own neoantigens. This individualized immunotherapy is developed and produced for each patient.About NEC's Neoantigen Prediction SystemNEC's neoantigen prediction system utilizes its proprietary AI, such as graph-based relational learning, trained on multiple sources of biological data to discover candidate neoantigen targets. These targets are carefully analyzed using proprietary machine learning algorithms that include in-house HLA binding and antigen presentation AI tools to evaluate the likelihood of eliciting a robust and clinically relevant T cell response. With NEC OncoImmunity now onboard, NEC continues to strengthen its top class neoantigen prediction pipelines with the aim of maximizing the therapeutic benefits of personalized cancer immunotherapy for patients worldwide. For more information, visit NEC at www.nec.com. For additional information, please also visit NEC OncoImmunity at https://www.oncoimmunity.com/About TransgeneTransgene (Euronext: TNG) is a biotechnology company focused on designing and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Transgene's programs utilize viral vector technology with the goal of indirectly or directly killing cancer cells.The Company's clinical-stage programs consist of two therapeutic vaccines (TG4001 for the treatment of HPV-positive cancers, and TG4050, the first individualized therapeutic vaccine based on the myvac platform) as well as two oncolytic viruses (TG6002 for the treatment of solid tumors, and BT-001, the first oncolytic virus based on the Invir.IO platform).With Transgene's myvac platform, therapeutic vaccination enters the field of precision medicine with a novel immunotherapy that is fully tailored to each individual. The myvac approach allows the generation of a virus-based immunotherapy that encodes patient-specific mutations identified and selected by Artificial Intelligence capabilities provided by its partner NEC.With its proprietary platform Invir.IO, Transgene is building on its viral vector engineering expertise to design a new generation of multifunctional oncolytic viruses. Transgene has an ongoing Invir.IO collaboration with AstraZeneca.Additional information about Transgene is available at: www.transgene.frFollow us on Twitter: @TransgeneSAAbout NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.DisclaimerThis press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The occurrence of any of these risks could have a significant negative outcome for the Company's activities, perspectives, financial situation, results, regulatory authorities' agreement with development phases, and development. The Company's ability to commercialize its products depends on but is not limited to the following factors: positive pre-clinical data may not be predictive of human clinical results, the success of clinical studies, the ability to obtain financing and/or partnerships for product manufacturing, development and commercialization, and marketing approval by government regulatory authorities. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Universal Registration Document, available on the AMF website (http://www.amf-france.org) or on Transgene's website (www.transgene.fr). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Transgene undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
MANCHESTER (AFP) - Tottenham needed a second-half fightback to launch Antonio Conte's reign in charge with a 2-1 win over Leeds, while Manchester City swept aside Everton 3-0 on Sunday (Nov 21) to go second in the Premier League. A severely depleted Leeds remain just two points above the relegation zone after threatening to spoil Conte's first home league game since he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo. Tottenham had not even managed a shot on target in their previous two league matches and there was little change for the first 45 minutes. Even without key men Raphinha and Patrick Bamford, a youthful Leeds were well worth their 1-0 half-time lead thanks to Daniel James' first goal for the club. Harry Kane scored back-to-back hat-tricks for England during the international break, but has still netted just once in the Premier League this season. Kane was denied in a one-on-one with Illan Meslier and Son Heung-min's deflected shot came off the bar as Spurs improved after the break. But the goals came from unfamiliar sources as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's scuffed shot found the bottom corner to level just before the hour-mark. Sergio Reguilon then grabbed the winner with his first Spurs goal after Eric Dier's deflected free-kick came back off the post. A first win in four league games takes Tottenham above Manchester United, who sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday, up to seventh in the table and within four points of the top four. "This is a point to start. I say this to my players, they need to understand if we want it, we can do it," said Conte, who highlighted the change in his side's intensity after half-time. "In the second half we changed something tactically and also we wanted to play with the same intensity as Leeds, higher up the pitch." - City cruise - City were far more convincing winners as goals from Raheem Sterling, Rodri and Bernardo Silva saw off Everton at the Etihad to cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the table to three points. "In general we controlled the game," said City boss Pep Guardiola. "We played the game we should play to beat teams like Everton." Sterling netted on his 300th Premier League appearance as he turned home Joao Cancelo's sensational pass with the outside of his right foot for his 98th goal in the English top flight. Without the presence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front, Everton rarely threatened. More on this topic Related Story Football: Conte the 'hammer' brings high demands and glittering CV to Tottenham Related Story Football: Conte salutes his Inter 'journey' as Inzaghi tipped as successor Rafael Benitez's men have now taken just two points from the last 18 on offer in the Premier League to drop into the bottom half of the table and just six points clear of the relegation zone. Rodri's stunning long-range drive into the top corner 10 minutes after the break ended the game as a contest. City were then content to cruise for the final half-hour with one eye on Wednesday's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Sterling should have slotted home his second of the afternoon from Riyad Mahrez's inviting cross, but was instead denied by international teammate Jordan Pickford as he tried to round the goalkeeper. City did get a deserved third five minutes from time when Silva followed up after Cole Palmer's shot was blocked. More on this topic Related Story Football: Conte says Tottenham must improve in many aspects Related Story Football: Conte arrival has raised expectations at Spurs, says Lloris
TURIN (AFP) - Alexander Zverev captured his second ATP Finals title after producing a brilliant performance to defeat world number two Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's (Nov 21) final in Turin. Zverev, the Olympic singles gold medallist in Tokyo, won his tour-leading sixth trophy of the season and ended a run of five straight losses to defending champion Medvedev. The German third seed broke once in each set as he swept US Open winner Medvedev aside in 75 minutes to add to the season-ending crown he won in 2018. "It was great, I won the ATP Finals against someone I'd lost to five times in a row so I had to play one of my best matches," said Zverev. "I'm happy with that and ready to go on holidays with this win now." Zverev will skip the Davis Cup finals to be played in Madrid, Turin and Innsbruck from November 25 to December 5. "There's no better way to end the season than winning here so obviously I'm incredibly happy. But I'm now very much looking forward to next year already," he said. "It's very special, I'm super thrilled and super happy right now." An event this year missing both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the ATP Finals have proved the breakout stage for tennis' new generation with the Grand Slams still largely beyond their reach. This first final since the tournament's relocation from London was also the first to feature two players aged 25 or younger since 2005. Zverev, conqueror of top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday's semi-finals, landed the first blow against Medvedev by breaking for a 2-1 lead in the first set. The Russian avoided further damage by saving another break point in game five but Zverev barely gave Medvedev a sniff, winning 20 of 25 points on serve to take the opener. Zverev broke again at the start of the second set and held serve throughout, not offering a single break point and sealing victory with an ace out wide to avenge his round-robin loss to Medvedev. An ATP-best 59th match win of the season made Zverev the fourth player in tournament history to earn semi-final and final victories over the top-two ranked players, and first since Andre Agassi in 1990. Medvedev fell short in his bid to become the first player to retain the title since Djokovic won it four times in a row between 2012 and 2015. More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Zverev ends Djokovic's record bid to reach ATP Finals showpiece Related Story Olympics: Alexander Zverev wins first tennis men's singles gold for Germany "It's been a great season. It's not easy to get to the Masters final and for myself I was really happy to be here," said Medvedev. "Hopefully I'm going to be a part of many of these tournaments and can try to win one more time."
LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is clinging to his job as Manchester United manager after a 4-1 thrashing at Watford on Saturday (Nov 20) as Chelsea cruised to victory at Leicester to stretch their Premier League lead to four points. Liverpool moved up to second by ending Arsenal's 10-match unbeaten run with ease, winning 4-0 at Anfield, while former Reds captain Steven Gerrard got off to a winning start as Aston Villa boss thanks to two late goals to beat Brighton 2-0. Solskjaer has clung onto his job despite a run of just one win in seven Premier League games to slip to seventh, 12 points adrift of the leaders. United's hierarchy has remained loyal to Solskjaer despite intense pressure in recent weeks to make a change. But their resolve looks to have been ended by another miserable performance with reports that a board meeting on Saturday evening will bring Solskjaer's three-year reign to an end. Watford could even afford to miss an early penalty twice as David de Gea saved from Ismaila Sarr and Kiko Femenia's follow-up from the first spot-kick was ruled out for encroaching. Joshua King and Sarr struck before half-time to give the Hornets a deserved 2-0 lead. Solskjaer responded by introducing Donny Van de Beek at half-time and his refusal to give the Dutchman more opportunities will be questioned after he made an instant impact to turn home Cristiano Ronaldo's header across goal. However, just as the visitors were building momentum, captain Harry Maguire's miserable season suffered another setback when he was sent off for a second bookable offence. Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis rubbed more salt into United's wounds in stoppage time. "Sometimes you've got to say 'Sorry'," said Solskjaer, who held his hands up in apology to the travelling fans at full-time. "I feel for the fans and I feel the same as them." United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and players react at the final whistle. PHOTO: AFP Chelsea, Liverpool show their class The gulf between United and the title contenders was exposed by brilliant performances from Chelsea and Liverpool. Chelsea toyed with Leicester as Antonio Rudiger's header opened the scoring at the King Power before N'Golo Kante came back to haunt his old side with a brilliant run and strike from the edge of the box. Substitute Christian Pulisic put the seal on a brilliant all-round performance and 3-0 win for the European champions, who also had two goals ruled out for offside. "It's a good away game, an excellent result," said Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel. "We knew we needed to be strong from first to last minute. This is what we did." More on this topic Related Story Football: Watford hammer Man United to leave Solskjaer on the brink Related Story Football: Solskjaer faces sack as Man United reportedly call emergency board meeting Arsenal travelled to Anfield full of confidence having not tasted defeat since August. But the Gunners were blown away after Sadio Mane's header opened the floodgates six minutes before half-time. Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino all struck in the second half as Liverpool bounced back from their first defeat in 26 games before the international break at West Ham. "We were all over them - they were just seeing red blurs all over the place," said Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. "That second half was outstanding." More on this topic Related Story Football: Irresistible Liverpool thrash Arsenal 4-0 to go second Related Story Football: Pulisic scores as leaders Chelsea stroll past Leicester Gerrard got off to a dream start at Villa Park as his new side moved four points clear of the relegation zone. England internationals Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings produced stunning finishes in the final six minutes to edge a nervy contest against Brighton. Newcastle slipped to the bottom of the table in the absence of their new boss Eddie Howe, who tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, as the Magpies were held 3-3 at home by Brentford. Norwich also got a bounce from a new manager as they moved off the foot of the table in Dean Smith's first match in charge thanks to a 2-1 win over Southampton. More on this topic Related Story Football: Heartbreak for Howe as Newcastle drop to last despite goal-packed draw Related Story Football: ‘Relieved’ Gerrard makes winning start as Villa sink Brighton Che Adams put the Saints in front, but Teemu Pukki and Grant Hanley lifted the Canaries to within three points of safety. Burnley remain rooted in the bottom three after another six-goal thriller at Turf Moor ended 3-3 with Crystal Palace. West Ham missed the chance to move into second as Raul Jimenez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Wolves at Molineux.
LIVERPOOL (REUTERS) - Imperious Liverpool extended their Premier League home winning streak against Arsenal to six on Saturday (Nov 20) with an easy 4-0 victory that lifted them to second in the table. Sadio Mane met a perfect free kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 39th minute to plant a header across Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for Liverpool's opening goal. Ramsdale produced a string of spectacular saves to keep Juergen Klopp's silky strikers at bay. But he could do nothing to stop Diogo Jota skipping past him in the 52nd minute after a dreadful misplaced pass from Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares. Inevitably, Mohamed Salah got in on the act with a close-range volley from a Mane cross in the 73rd minute, before Takumi Minamino came off the bench to turn in a cross from Alexander-Arnold with his first touch in the 77th. Arsenal showed a few flashes of resistance and attacking spirit in the first half - not least from manager Mikel Arteta who squared up angrily with Klopp over a foul in an ugly touch-line exchange that earned both yellow cards. But Liverpool totally deserved the victory and it could have been even bigger were it not for England international Ramsdale. The win put Liverpool on 25 points, four points behind leaders Chelsea after 12 games. Arsenal are fifth on 20. 'All over them' Right-back Alexander-Arnold was delighted with his double assist and Liverpool's improvement after defeat at West Ham United in their last Premier League outing. "A team of our quality shouldn't be losing games. We bounced back today in the best way we could. A very good performance. It was exactly what we needed," he said, singling out Liverpool's pressing and fluency after halftime. "We were all over them, they were just seeing red blurs all over the place, and that's exactly what we wanted to do. That second half was outstanding." Arsenal did put the ball in the net in the first half but Alexandre Lacazette's effort was offside. Arsenal have not beaten Liverpool away in the Premier League for nine years, conceding at least three goals in the last half dozen defeats. "It's one of the toughest places if not the toughest to come," said Ramsdale. "We made mistakes but that's life and football. We got punished and that's what the top teams do."
SINGAPORE - There is a risk of flash floods occurring in several areas in Singapore after heavy rain on Thursday (Nov 18) filled drains and canals to near full capacity, the PUB warned. In social media posts, the national water agency said water levels in drains and canals had reached 90 per cent in Pasir Panjang and Commonwealth Drive at around 8.20am. PUB had earlier said that heavy rains were expected in many parts of Singapore from 8.30am to 10.30am on Thursday. Water levels had risen past 90 per cent in Jalan Boon Lay and Clementi Road as at 8.30am. Hillcrest Road, which is near National Junior College, and Dunearn Road, near Sime Darby Centre, also saw water levels rise past 90 per cent. The Meteorological Service Singapore said earlier that wet weather is expected to continue for the rest of November, with thundery afternoon showers forecast on most days during this period, which will extend into the evening on a few days. Due to the prevailing winds, the showers could be especially intense on one or two days, said the Meteorological Service Singapore. While the second half of November is not expected to be as wet as the first, the overall rainfall for the month is forecast to be above average in most parts of Singapore. Daily temperatures should range between 24 deg C and 33 deg C on most days, and may reach 34 deg C on some days when there is less cloud cover. The first half of the month saw thundery afternoon showers over the island on most days. On Nov 4, converging winds and strong solar heating of land areas led to intense rain over Singapore, with the highest daily precipitation of 118.2mm recorded for the first half of the month in Sembawang. Neo Pee Teck Lane / Pasir Panjang Rd:Water level falls below 90%. High Flood Risk..09:05:42 #SGFlood— PUB (@PUBsingapore) November 18, 2021 Flash Flood on Pasir Panjang Road (towards Neo Pee Teck Lane) after Clementi Road— LTATrafficNews (@LTAtrafficnews) November 18, 2021 Despite the rain, there were five days in the first two weeks of November on which the daily maximum temperature reached 34 deg C or higher. The highest daily maximum temperature of 34.8 deg C was recorded in Paya Lebar on Nov 14. The lowest temperature was recorded on Nov 12 in Newton, dropping to a low of 22.1 deg C. More on this topic Related Story PUB launches Telegram channel to provide weather and flood alerts Related Story Singapore's ability to forecast rainfall will get a boost by the first quarter of 2022
SERRAVALLE, SAN MARINO (AFP) - England qualified for the World Cup in record-breaking style as Harry Kane scored four times in a 10-0 demolition of San Marino that ranked as the Three Lions' biggest ever victory in a competitive match. Needing a draw from their last Group I qualifier to reach next year's tournament in Qatar, England went goal crazy on Monday (Nov 15) as they scored 10 in a single game for the first time since a 1964 friendly against the United States. Harry Maguire put Gareth Southgate's side in front early on before Filippo Fabbri's own goal doubled England's lead. England captain Kane took centre-stage after that, scoring four before the break to rewrite the record books. Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe notched his first senior international goal in his maiden start. Tyrone Mings headed his first England goal after San Marino's Dante Rossi was sent off, before Tammy Abraham and Bukayo Saka completed their country's record-breaking win. Kane has scored 16 goals in 2021 for England, setting a calendar year record for the Three Lions as he surpassed the 12-goal tallies of George Hilsdon in 1908 and Dixie Dean in 1927. The 28-year-old moved level with Gary Lineker on 48 England goals, with only Bobby Charlton (49) and Wayne Rooney (53) above him. Kane is the first England player to score four times in a single game since Ian Wright against San Marino in 1993. After bagging a hat-trick in Friday's 5-0 win over Albania, Kane is the first England player to score three or more in successive games since Tommy Taylor in 1957. Southgate's men ended a memorable 2021 on a fitting high note after they reached the Euro 2020 final in July - missing out on a first trophy since 1966 in a painful penalty shoot-out against Italy. Group winners England finished the qualifying campaign unbeaten in their 10 matches. They will head to Qatar in 12 months established as one of the main contenders to win the World Cup. Ruthless Kane San Marino famously scored after just eight seconds against England in a qualifier 28 years ago. But there was never any danger of similar embarrassment for Southgate's team as they took the lead in the sixth minute against a woeful San Marino team bottom of FIFA's world rankings. Phil Foden's corner reached Maguire and he rose highest to score with a powerful header, making it two goals in two games for the defender. With San Marino completely out of their depth, England struck again in the 15th minute. Maguire's pass found Saka, who cut in from the left-hand side of the San Marino area and drilled a low shot that deflected in off Fabbri's out-stretched boot. Kane's goal-spree started in the 27th minute after Rossi put his hand up to get the slightest of touches on Foden's scissor kick, leading to a penalty that the Tottenham striker stroked in with ease. England showed no mercy and Kane got his second in the 31st minute, guiding Smith Rowe's cross into the bottom corner. Eight minutes later, Kane's header was blocked by Alessandro D'Addario's arm and he smashed the resulting spot-kick high into the top corner for his fifth England hat-trick. Kane grabbed his fourth in the 42nd minute, weaving through the shambolic San Marino defence to slot home. It was the first time England had scored six in the first half since 1946. Smith Rowe got the seventh with a predatory finish in the 58th minute. After Rossi's red card for tripping Conor Gallagher, Mings headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick in the 69th minute. Abraham made it nine in the 78th minute and, with England fans chanting "we want 10", Saka obliged with a close-range header 60 seconds later.
LINZ, AUSTRIA (AFP) - US eighth seed Alison Riske claimed her third career title but first in over two years on Friday (Nov 12) with victory over Romanian lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian in the Linz WTA final. Riske triumphed 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 to add the Austrian title to trophies at Tianjin in 2014 and 's-Hertogenbosch in 2019. She had lost her seven other finals, including in Portoroz two months ago to Jasmine Paolini. More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Halep withdraws, Collins retires at Linz semi-finals Related Story Tennis: Kontaveit crushes Pliskova to reach semis at WTA Finals
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO (REUTERS) - Anett Kontaveit's outstanding late season form continued on Wednesday (Nov 11) as she rolled past Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-4 in the first match of the WTA Finals in Guadalajara. The 25-year-old Estonian captured the 30-minute first set with an ace out wide and sealed the win when Krejcikova sent a backhand into the net on match point. Kontaveit, who was the final singles player to secure her place in the eight-player tournament, claimed four WTA titles this year to surge to world number eight and has now won 11 straight matches. French Open champion Krejcikova, who is the only reigning Grand Slam champion in the competition, never found a rhythm on the purple court in the high-altitude Mexican city. Former world number ones Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova will play in the evening session. The WTA Finals were not held last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
PARIS (REUTERS) - Novak Djokovic won a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title by avenging his US Open final defeat against Russian Daniil Medvedev with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in Sunday's (Nov 7) showpiece match. The Serbian, who is guaranteed to secure the year-end world No. 1 spot for a record seventh time, needed time to adjust to break the world number two's sturdy defence but was unstoppable once he found his opening. Djokovic was looking to avoid ending a season without a Masters title for the first time since 2017 and kept his cool throughout to accomplish his mission against the holder. Medvedev was overwhelmed in the third set and bowed out of the contest on the first match point when Djokovic unleashed a superb forehand winner down the line.
SINGAPORE - What started out as a school service learning project has now grown into something much bigger for five former schoolmates. When the then Hwa Chong Institution students first started the project in 2018, the Mental Health Collective's (MHC) initial mission was to empower their peers to become more aware of and take care of their own mental well-being. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.
PRAGUE (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE) - Champions France stumbled on the first hurdle as they lost to Canada in their opening tie of the maiden Billie Jean King Cup final tournament in Prague on Monday (Nov 1). The 2019 Fed Cup champions and the top seeds of its rebranded version have to beat Russia on Wednesday to keep their hopes of making the play-offs alive. Fiona Ferro lost the opening rubber to 353rd-ranked Canadian Francoise Abanda 6-4, 4-6, 4-6. "I started the match pretty well and I had many opportunities especially in the second set," Ferro said. "I was leading 2-0 in the second set and I couldn't take advantage of it so of course it's frustrating." Alize Cornet then levelled the score by edging Rebecca Marino 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). "For sure playing for my country makes it very special and you dig even deeper to try to play your best tennis," said Cornet. "It was not my best tennis today, but that's the best I could do today with all my heart and it was a pretty good game overall." But Cornet failed to convince as she teamed up with Clara Burel for the decisive doubles rubber and lost 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to Gabriela Dabrowski and Marino. Canada were a late addition to the tournament, replacing Hungary after Budapest passed on the hosting rights to Prague. "To beat the No. 1 is obviously incredible and we should be really proud of ourselves," Marino beamed after the game. "As a team we came together and fought with a lot of heart." In the other afternoon tie at the rebranded Fed Cup tournament, Belgium won both singles to beat Belarus 2-1 in Group B. World No. 70 Greet Minnen first eased past 263rd-ranked Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus 6-2, 6-2 in the opening rubber. "I'm really happy, it was my first time playing for Belgium and I'm really happy that I could give our country the first win of the day," said Minnen. Elise Mertens added a second point when she overpowered Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in more than two hours. Sasnovich and Vera Lapko then won a consolation point for Belarus as they beat Mertens and Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-3. "We started really strong, Greet was doing very well and that made it easier for me," said Mertens. "Today we're happy that we won both singles so we eventually took the win."
SINGAPORE - For paediatricians, caring for a child begins long before he takes his first breath. And the health of children could be adversely affected by climate change. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.
MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona dropped more points in La Liga after failing to beat Alaves on Saturday (Oct 30) as their first game since the sacking of Ronald Koeman ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Xavi Hernandez is expected to be appointed Koeman's successor this week but with the details of his move still to be agreed with Qatari side Al Sadd, Barca B coach Sergi Barjuan has been put in temporary charge. Yet the removal of Koeman, and even the prospect of Xavi, produced no obvious uplift as a superb second-half strike from Memphis Depay was quickly cancelled out by an equally impressive run and finish from Alaves' Luis Rioja. After three league games without a win, Barcelona are eight points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, who earlier defeated Elche 2-1 thanks to two goals from Vinicius Junior and aided by a red card for Elche's Raul Guti. Even more worrying for Barca will be the gap behind the top four is five points while attendances suggest the team's form is creating a sense of apathy amongst supporters, with only 37,238 inside the 99,000 Camp Nou. There were also injury concerns ahead of Tuesday's visit to Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, which could prove pivotal to Barcelona's hopes of reaching the knock-out stage. Gerard Pique had to go off in the last 20 minutes while Sergio Aguero departed in the first half after the striker appeared to suffer from breathing problems. Whether Barjuan is still in charge for the trip to Kiev remains to be seen but club president Joan Laporta suggested that is the current plan, with Xavi, or the next coach, perhaps taking over for next weekend's game against Celta Vigo or during the international break. Barjuan admitted on Friday that it is "difficult to change things in a short time" but also said the team's style, a key factor in Koeman's dismissal, is "non-negotiable". But while the first half an hour was perhaps slightly more purposeful, Barcelona still struggled for chances and their defence was beaten too easily for Rioja's equaliser. For all the talk about style and possession, Depay's opener was a thunderbolt out of the blue. Jordi Alba played inside and Depay opened up his body before curling the ball into the top right-hand corner. But Barca's lead lasted less than three minutes as Alaves equalised with another superb goal, Rioja dancing past three Barca defenders, latching onto a sublime flick from Joselu, before rounding Marc-Andre ter Stegen and finishing. Depay was slipped through by Gavi and Nico Gonzalez but hit the post and then Antonio Sivera as Alaves held on for a hard-fought point. Vinicius again key for Madrid Earlier, Vinicius' sensational start to the season continued as he scored twice in Madrid's victory over Elche to ensure the rested Karim Benzema was not missed. Vinicius had already given Madrid the lead when Elche's Guti was sent off in the 63rd minute and he added a second soon after with a superb chipped finish into the corner. Madrid made life difficult for themselves late on when a Casemiro mistake allowed Pere Milla to pull a goal back but Elche's brief hope of a comeback came to nothing. "We were very practical," said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. "After only two days rest it's not possible to play with intensity and energy. We played with a low block and tried to find opportunities. Fortunately we got the three points." More on this topic Related Story Football: Barcelona name Barjuan as interim coach to replace Koeman Related Story Football: Xavi leads candidates to replace sacked Koeman at Barcelona Benzema's resurgence for France means Madrid no longer have their chief goalscorer all to themselves and after 17 games played already this term, Ancelotti opted to leave the striker at home. It meant a surprise start for Mariano Diaz but it was Vinicius who filled the void, scoring his eighth and ninth goals of the season to continue an excellent run of form. The 21-year-old Brazilian has long been circled as one of Madrid's most exciting talents but he has found a different level under Ancelotti. "I haven't done anything," Ancelotti said. "I just try to give him confidence. I am not a magician." More on this topic Related Story Football: Real Madrid back on top after Osasuna stalemate, Falcao rolls back the years against Barca Related Story Football: 'I prefer other players', says Real's Ancelotti about Hazard
BUCHAREST (REUTERS) - Ukrainian sixth seed Marta Kostyuk swept aside U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu for an emphatic 6-2 6-1 win to march into the last four of the Transylvania Open on Friday (Oct 29). Raducanu, who won her first two matches on the WTA tour to reach the quarter-finals, made 41 unforced errors as Kostyuk dictated play from the back of the court and easily overpowered the 18-year-old Briton. Raducanu lost her opening service game and never recovered from the early setback, squandering her only break-point opportunity in the sixth game of the first set. The second set started much like the first, with Raducanu again surrendering serve and the 19-year-old Kostyuk taking full advantage of her opponent's erratic groundstrokes. Raducanu showed glimpses of a fightback towards the end as she saved three match points on her own serve but eventually sent a backhand wide to fall to a crushing defeat in just under an hour. Kostyuk will take on local favourite and former world number one Simona Halep. The other semi-final will be contested between Sweden's Rebecca Peterson and Estonian Anett Kontaveit. More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Raducanu turns on charm offensive Related Story Tennis: Patience required as Raducanu looks to build on US Open win
VIENNA (AFP) - Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz held his nerve in the final-set tie-break to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-1 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/5) in the quarter-finals of the ATP event in Vienna on Friday (Oct 29). He will next face Alexander Zverev, the German second seed who beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to avenge a fourth-round loss to the Canadian at Wimbledon this year. The 18-year-old Alcaraz easily took the first set, lost the second on a tie-break before sealing victory over the Wimbledon finalist on his third match point in the third-set tie-break. Alcaraz broke the Italian’s first two service games of the match and cruised to the first set in 29 minutes. The second set went with serve, although Berrettini saved two break points in the fifth game before taking the tie-break comfortably. Alcaraz broke the Italian in the fourth game of the final set and led 4-1 but Berrettini broke back to love in the seventh game. After Alcaraz raced to a 6-3 lead in the tie break, Berrettini held his serve on the first two before the Spaniard sealed victory on his own serve to reach his first ATP 500 semi-final. “This is one of my best performances on tour so far,” Alcaraz said. “I am really happy for that and it was amazing. I just tried to play aggressively all the time. In the tough moments it was important to be able to do that.” He will face Zverev whose match against Auger-Aliassime contained a break in each set. The German broke in the third game of the first set and the sixth game of the decider and was dominant on his own serve except for the seventh game of the second set when the Canadian broke to 30. “I did make it difficult for myself once again, that needs to stop happening,” Zverev said. “One easy mistake and the second set went away.” Alcaraz is the fifth-youngest semi-finalist in an ATP 500 event. The record is held by Zverev, who reached the last four in Hamburg in 2014 aged 17. “He has improved a lot,” said Zverev. “He has made big steps forward and is a great player, so I am looking forward to that match.” The Spaniard reached 38 in the world in September after progressing to the last eight at the US Open – the youngest men’s quarter-finalist in that Grand Slam tournament in 58 years. At 18 years and four months, he was the youngest player to be ranked so high since compatriot Rafael Nadal, who was 17 when he reached No. 37 in April 2004. More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Tiafoe stuns Tsitsipas in Vienna, as Zverev racks up 300th win Related Story Tennis: Raducanu turns on charm offensive
BUCHAREST (REUTERS) - US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been touching base with her Romanian side this week and endearing herself to the fans by speaking their language. The crowd favourite, whose father is Romanian and her mother is Chinese, is bidding to win her first title on the WTA Tour in just her fourth tournament, outside of two Majors this year, including Wimbledon. She eased into the Transylvania Open quarter-finals with a controlled 6-3, 6-4 win over Ana Bogdan, another home favourite alongside two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, in the second round yesterday. The 18-year-old Briton followed up her maiden WTA Tour match victory over Polona Hercog of Slovenia on Tuesday with a much improved display. She looked steady on serve, winning 87.5 per cent of her first serve points and afterwards hailed the warm reception. "It was so good to play a Romanian here. All the volunteers who go into making this tournament possible, we really appreciate their support. Ana was a great opponent," Raducanu said. "It's definitely taking me some time to find my feet still. I'm taking some learnings from every match I play. I still don't think I'm the finished product yet." Raducanu, who announced herself on the grandest stage with her shock victory at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier, added she had gifted her US Open trophy to the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). "I just thought the LTA had done so much for me and I just wanted them to have it as a sign for everything they had done for me. It's a little gift," she said. Raducanu will next face 19-year-old Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk tomorrow. The teenager also intends to visit her grandmother, who lives in Bucharest, after the tournament. Meanwhile, Andy Murray said his defeat in the second round of the Vienna Open on Wednesday was just another bump in the road, with the former world No. 1 convinced it is just a matter of time before he is going deep into tournaments and winning again. The Scot had secured his first win over a top-10 player in 14 months after beating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the first round, but he failed to advance further as he was outplayed 6-3, 6-4 by Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz. "I will get better and I will improve and I will break through in one week, or two weeks, or a few months. It will happen," he said. More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Raducanu earns first win since US Open title Related Story Tennis: Patience required as Raducanu looks to build on US Open win
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA (AFP) - US Open champion Emma Raducanu on Tuesday (Oct 26) claimed her first victory since her shock triumph in New York as the British teenager beat Polona Hercog at the Transylvania Open in Romania. Raducanu, 18, recovered from a set down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 after nearly two hours and 30 minutes in the first round in Cluj-Napoca against Hercog, the world number 124 from Slovenia. Making just her second appearance since the US Open, the 23rd-ranked Raducanu led 4-1 in the first set before Hercog won five games in a row. The third seed saved a break point at 5-all in the second set and won a lengthy following game on Hercog's serve to force a decider. Raducanu, born in Canada to parents from Romania and China, dominated the third set to secure her first victory in a WTA event and advance to a meeting with Romania's 106th-ranked Ana Bogdan. "It means a lot to play in my dad's country," said Raducanu, who delighted the crowd by conducting most of her post-match interview in Romanian. Raducanu stunned the tennis world at Flushing Meadows by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. She had suffered a second-round loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Indian Wells earlier this month in her first outing since the US Open. "I don't think there is any pressure on me," Raducanu said on Monday. "I feel like everyone should just be a little patient with me." More on this topic Related Story Tennis: Patience required as Raducanu looks to build on US Open win Related Story Tennis: Raducanu is new ambassador for fashion house Dior