In brief: Stacy Lewis takes first-round lead in China
Golf: Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied five of her final seven holes Thursday for a 7-under 66 and the first-round lead in the Reignwood LPGA Classic in Beijing.
“You learn you just got to stay patient,” Lewis said. “You’re not going to go shoot a 66 or 65 every single day. Yeah, I want to be in the lead. That’s where I want to be. I want to be in the lead coming up 18 on Sunday as well. It’s a good start, but we have a long ways to go.”
Lewis leads the tour with three victories and earnings of $2,214,143. Last year, she finished a stroke behind Shanshan Feng after the Chinese player eagled the par-5 18th. Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall was second after a 67.
• McIlroy nine behind leader after Dunhill first round: Rory McIlroy found himself nine shots back after a 1-over- par 73 in the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Four days after celebrating a third straight European Ryder Cup victory, McIlroy could manage just one birdie against two bogeys at Carnoustie, one of the three courses.
Oliver Wilson, ranked 791 places below the top-ranked McIlroy, equaled the Carnoustie course record with an 8-under 64. He sank nine birdie putts.
Nadal advances, criticizes ball
Tennis: Rafael Nadal is back in form on the tennis court – and in his sharp-tongued critiques of the ATP tour.
The second-seeded Spaniard reached his first quarterfinal since capturing his record ninth French Open title in June with a 6-3, 6-4 win over German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk at the China Open in Beijing, then blasted the choice of tennis balls at the tournament.
“The ball is so bad here,” Nadal said. “If you throw the ball on the floor, the bounce goes everywhere. It’s just that we’re competing at the top level of our sport, tennis, and the ball is an important thing.”
Nadal wasn’t nearly as critical of his own game in his second match back from a two-month layoff due to a right wrist injury.
He was sharp for much of the match until the final game when he double-faulted and made two unforced errors to give Gojowczyk three break points. He fought them off, however, and closed it out on his fourth match point. Nadal faces another qualifier in the quarterfinals, Martin Klizan, who advanced when seventh-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia retired with a shoulder injury while trailing 6-2, 3-0. Andy Murray takes on U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Joao Sousa.
In the women’s draw, top-ranked Serena Williams recovered from a second-set lapse to defeat Lucie Safarova, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.
• Nishikori beats Young at Japan Open: Fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 7-6 (4) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo. Nishikori, ranked seventh in the world, used his solid baseline game to capitalize on several unforced errors by Young. The 24-year-old Nishikori will take on France’s Jeremy Chardy, who ousted seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-4, 6-4.
Third-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada booked his spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over unseeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria. Raonic will play unseeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who downed qualifier Michal Przysiezny of Poland 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Rosberg fastest at Japanese GP practice
Auto racing: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in the opening practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Japan, edging out teammate and Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg, who lost his championship lead to Hamilton last time out in Singapore, clocked a lap of 1 minute, 35.461 seconds at the Suzuka circuit, 0.151 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Max Verstappen, who turned 17 on Tuesday, became the youngest driver to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix weekend, finishing 12th fastest.
• Next Ferrari chief focuses on F1: The incoming boss of Ferrari has one “very high” priority: getting his cars back on top of the Formula One podium.
Sergio Marchionne, also CEO of Ferrari’s parent company Fiat Chrysler, said at the Paris Car Show that his “key objective is to re-establish Ferrari in Formula One,” describing it as “non-negotiable.” The team’s recent struggles on the race track are widely thought to be why current Ferrari CEO Luca Di Montezemolo is being pushed out.
Bullets in Hernandez case thrown out
NFL: A judge has thrown out as evidence bullets found in an apartment rented by ex-New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez and a magazine found in his Hummer, saying police didn’t demonstrate probable cause for the searches.
Judge Susan Garsh ruled in Fall River Superior Court in Fall River, Massachusetts. Prosecutors had previously indicated they wouldn’t oppose the defense’s effort to keep the items out.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the fatal shooting of Odin Lloyd. Authorities have said they didn’t retrieve the gun but believe it was a .45 pistol. The items tossed out were the same caliber.
The judge heard additional testimony on other defense motions to toss evidence from Hernandez’s cellphone and home surveillance system and a rifle found in one of the cars at his home.