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Canada sweeps Italy in opening tie of Davis Cup Finals group stage

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The title defence is officially on.

Team Canada presented by Sobeys have begun their journey at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage as defending champions for the first time in the nation’s history, shocking the host Italians in their opening tie with two straight-set singles wins from Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo and a three-set doubles win for Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil.

This year’s squad features Denis Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil, Diallo, Galarneau, Kelsey Stevenson and team captain Frank Dancevic. Canada’s group consists of Chile, Italy and Sweden.

Galarneau stuns Sonego in opening match

It was clear from the start that Galarneau and world No. 38 Lorenzo Sonego were in for an epic duel; the first game lasted just under eight minutes and Galarneau saved four of four break points to avoid going into a hole early. Sonego finally managed to break Galarneau to take a 4-3 lead, but Galarneau fired right back by breaking Sonego in the potentially decisive 10th game to tie things up at 5-5. In the eventual tiebreak, the pair traded well-fought points but Galarneau ultimately prevailed, winning 10-8 to take the first set.

It was much of the same story in the second set, as Galarneau and Sonego went back and forth with neither player giving up much. The turning point of the match came in the fifth game, when Galarneau broke Sonego to take a 3-2 lead. The Canadian didn’t squander the opportunity, holding on to win the second set 6-4 and the opening match of the tie.

This marked the first career Davis Cup victory for Galarneau, who is currently ranked No. 200 in the world. The 24-year-old won 70 per cent of his first serve points, making only 22 unforced errors to Sonego’s 34.

DIALLO CLINCHES CANADA’S WIN BY DEFEATING MUSETTI

Diallo was presented with a tough task in his 2023 Davis Cup debut, taking on world No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti. The 21-year-old Canadian, ranked no. 158 in the world, was clearly up to the task right out of the gate as he held his own against the tactical Musetti.

The pair traded services for the opening 10 games until Diallo finally found an edge and broke Musetti to take a 6-5 lead. In the decisive final game, Diallo made no mistakes as he fired off four straight points to win the opening set 7-5. Diallo recorded four aces and won 94 per cent of his first serve points in the first set.

Diallo kept his composure in the second set, as Musetti couldn’t find a way to solve him. Tied at three games apiece, Diallo once again managed to break Musetti in the seventh game to go up 4-3. It was smooth sailing from there, as Diallo went on to win the second set 6-4 and the match, clinching Canada’s victory over Italy in the process.

Diallo’s serve and limited mistakes were the strongest proponents of his nearly flawless play against Musetti. Overall, he dished 10 aces and won 94 per cent of his first serve points. He allowed zero break point opportunities as he defeated the top-ranked opponent of his career.

CANADIANS COMPLETE SWEEP AS GALARNEAU, POSPISIL WIN DOUBLES

The pressure was off Team Canada for their third match of the day, having already clinched the victory over Italy thanks to Diallo and Galarneau’s earlier wins. Still, Galarneau took to the court for his second match of the day alongside veteran Vasek Pospisil, as the pair looked to complete the sweep against Simone Bolelli and Matteo Arnaldi.

The Italians broke the Canadians early in the first set, but Pospisil and Galarneau responded by breaking right back to tie things up at two. The opening set eventually went to a tiebreak, where the Italians prevailed 7-4 for their first set of the day.

Pospisil and Galarneau managed to break first in the second set, jumping out to a 3-2 lead against Bolelli and Arnaldi. This time around, the Canadians went on to hold their serves to win the set 6-4 and force a third and final set.

The Canadians opened the third set with a break in the opening game, moving one step closer to completing the sweep. With Pospisil eventually serving for the match with the Canadians up 5-4, the Italians quickly went up 0-40. Pospisil and Galarneau stormed back to force a deuce, but the Italians held on to break and tie things up.

In the eventual tie-break, the Canadians jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and won the breaker 7-3, completing the sweep of Italy.

Next up, the Canadians will take on Sweden on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. ET.

 

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After 20 years at the top of chess, Magnus Carlsen is making his next move

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STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen‘s celebrity status.

A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway’s Carlsen a household name.

Few chess players have produced the magical commodity that separates Norway’s Magnus Carlsen from any of his peers: celebrity.

Only legends like Russia’s Garry Kasparov and American Bobby Fischer can match his name recognition and Carlsen is arguably an even more dominant player. Last month, he beat both men to be named the International Chess Federation’s greatest ever.

But his motivation to rack up professional titles is on the wane. Carlsen, 33, now wants to leverage his fame to help turn the game he loves into a spectator sport.

“I am in a different stage in my career,” he told The Associated Press. “I am not as ambitious when it comes to professional chess. I still want to play, but I don’t necessarily have that hunger. I play for the love of the game.”

Offering a new way to interact with the game, Carlsen on Friday launched his application, Take Take Take, which will follow live games and players, explaining matches in an accessible way that, Carlsen says, is sometimes missing from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. “It will be a chiller vibe,” he says.

Carlsen intends to use his experience to provide recaps and analysis on his new app, starting with November’s World Chess Championship tournament between China’s Ding Liren and India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. He won’t be competing himself because he voluntarily ceded the title in 2023.

Carlsen is no novice when it comes to chess apps. The Play Magnus game, which he started in 2014, gave online users the chance to play against a chess engine modeled against his own gameplay. The company ballooned into a suite of applications and was bought for around $80 million in 2022 by Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website.

Carlsen and Mats Andre Kristiansen, the chief executive of his company, Fantasy Chess, are betting that a chess game where users can follow individual players and pieces, filters for explaining different elements of each game, and light touch analysis will scoop up causal viewers put off by chess’s sometimes rarefied air. The free app was launched in a bid to build the user base ahead of trying to monetizing it. “That will come later, maybe with advertisements or deeper analysis,” says Kristiansen.

While Take Take Take offers a different prospect with its streaming services, it is still being launched into a crowded market with Chess.com, which has more than 100 million users, YouTube, Twitch, and the website of FIDE the International Chess Federation. World Chess was worth around $54 million when it got listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The accessibility of chess engines that can beat any human means cheating has never been easier. However, they can still be used to shortcut thousands of hours of book-bound research, and hone skills that would be impossible against human opponents.

“I think the games today are of higher quality because preparation is becoming deeper and deeper and artificial intelligence is helping us play. It is reshaping the way we evaluate the games,” especially for the new generation of players, says Carlsen.

At the same time, he admits that two decades after becoming a grand master, his mind doesn’t quite compute at the tornado speed it once did. “Most people have less energy when they get older. The brain gets slower. I have already felt that for a few years. The younger players’ processing power is just faster.”

Even so, he intends to be the world’s best for many years to come.

“My mind is a bit slower, and I maybe don’t have as much energy. But chess is about the coming together of energy, computing power and experience. I am still closer to my peak than decline,” he said.

Chess has been cresting a popularity wave begun by Carlsen himself.

He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. In 2013, he won the first of his five World Championships. In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882, and he has remained the undisputed world number one for the last 13 years.

Off the table, chess influencers, like the world No. 2, Hikaru Nakamura, are using social media to bring the game to a wider audience. The Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” burnished chess’ unlikely cerebral sex appeal when it became one of the streamer’s biggest hits in 2020.

And in 2022 Carlsen’s refusal to play against Hans Niemann, an American grand master, who admitted to using technology to cheat in online games in the past, created a rare edge in the usually sedate world of chess. There is no evidence Niemann ever cheated in live games but the feud between the pair propelled the game even further into public consciousness.

Whether chess can continue to grow without the full professional participation of its biggest celebrity remains to be seen.

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Top figure skaters ready to hit the ice at Skate Canada International

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Canadian pairs team Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps along with ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier headline a strong field at Skate Canada International. The Canadians say they’re excited to perform in front of a home crowd as the world’s best figure skaters arrive in Halifax. (Oct. 24, 2024)

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Nico Echavarria shoots another 64 to lead the Zozo Championship by 2 shots after the second round

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INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Nico Echavarria shot a 6-under 64 on Friday — matching his 64 on Thursday — to lead by two shots over Taylor Moore and Justin Thomas after the second round of the Zozo Championship in Japan.

Thomas shot 64 and Moore carded 67 with three others just three shots off the lead including Seamus Power, who had the day’s low round of 62 at the Narashino Country Club.

Thomas has twice won the PGA Championship but is winless in two years on the PGA Tour.

Eric Cole (67) and C.T. Pan (66) were also three behind heading to Saturday.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top Canadian at 5-under and tied for 16th.

Ben Silverman, of Thornhill, Ont., is two shots back of Taylor and tied for 31st.

“I’ve never had a lead after 36 holes,” said Echavarria, a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas. His lone PGA win was last year in Puerto Rico.

He had a two-round total of 12-under 128.

“I’ve had it after 54, but never after 36, so it’s good to be in this position. There’s got to be some pressure,” he added. “Hopefully a good round tomorrow can keep me in the lead or around the lead. And how I said yesterday — the goal is to be close with nine holes to go.”

Rickie Fowler, a crowd favorite in Japan because of his connections to the country, shot 64 to go with an opening 68 and was four shots back going into the weekend. Max Greyserman was also four behind after a 68.

“It would be amazing to win here,” said Fowler, whose mother has Japanese roots. “Came close a few years ago.”

Fowler tied for second in 2022

Fowler described his roots as “pretty far removed for Japan, but I’m sure I have relatives here, but I don’t know anyone. Japanese culture’s always been a fairly big part of life growing up. I always love being over here.”

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama shot his second 71 and was 14 shots off the lead.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa shot 67 and pulled within eight shot of the lead, and Xander Schauffele — British Open and PGA winner this season — shot 65 and was 10 behind after a 73 on Thursday.

“I feel like I’ve got a good game plan out here,” Morikawa said, another player with Japanese connections. “I just have to execute shots a little better.”

“I am the defending champ, but that doesn’t mean I’m immediately going to play better just because I won here,” he added. “It’s a brand new week, it’s a year later. I feel like my golf game is still in a good spot. I just haven’t executed my shots. When that doesn’t happen it makes golf a little tougher.”

Schauffele turned 31 on Friday and said he was serenaded before his opening tee shot. He also has ties to Japan. His mother grew up in Japan and his grandparents live in the Tokyo area.

“Nice way to spend my 31st birthday,” he said.

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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