The New Zealand tennis player Michael Venus and his Australian partner John Peers have qualified for the doubles competition at the season-ending ATP Finals in London.
John Peers and Michael Venus Photo: Photosport
Venus and Peers secured their place in the lucrative eight-team competition after reaching the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters.
The seventh seeds beat Austin Krajicek and Franko Skugor in straight sets while Sander Gille and Joran Vilegen's loss secured their place in London.
The New Zealand/Australian team has a 22-9 match record on the season, including three ATP Tour titles.
Venus and Peers are the sixth combination confirmed, joining Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos and Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in London.
It is the fourth straight year Venus has made the London tournament, finishing runner-up with Raven Klaasen last year.
Boult impresses in IPL
Black Caps bowler Trent Boult took two wickets in his first over to help the Mumbai Indians into the final of the Indian Premier League.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Defending 200, Mumbai restricted the Delhi Capitals to 143 for 8 to win by 57 runs.
Boult finished with two wickets for nine runs from his two overs.
Delhi now play the winner of the elimination game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad for a place in the final.
Mumbai are chasing a fifth IPL title.
Smith features on Vuelta
The New Zealand cyclist Dion Smith has finished fifth on the 15th stage of the Vuelta a Espana.
Belgian Jasper Philippsen claimed the first Grand Tour stage victory of his career with a strong sprint on an uphill finish of the 230km stage.
The peleton crossed the line together with Smith given the same time as the winner.... he remains 89th overall.
Slovenia's Primoz Roglic continues to hold onto the lead by 39 seconds from Richard Carapaz with three stages remaining.
Coll into last four in Qatar
New Zealand squash player Paul Coll has reached the semi-finals of the Qatar Classic for the first time in his career.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The world number five beat sixth ranked Marwan ElShorbagy of Egypt in a five-game thriller in Doha, Qatar.
"He's an all-round quality player," said Coll. "He's probably got some of the best lengths out of anyone on tour, and if you let him dominate you then you can lose seven or eight points within a matter of minutes. You've got to be on your mettle with everything, he gives you nothing. I always love a battle with him, he gives you nothing and it's never easy.
Coll will take on either Youssef Ibrahim or Fares Dessouky both from Egypt for a place in the title decider.
Saudi Arabia gets F1 race
Saudi Arabia will host a Formula One grand prix for the first time next year with a night race on the streets of the country's second city Jeddah.
The November race -- along Jeddah's corniche facing the Red Sea -- will be the third in the Middle East with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, subject to confirmation of a 2021 calendar that has yet to be published.
Formula One's current season has been restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic to 17 races in Europe and the Middle East but the sport is hoping for a fuller season in 2021, possibly even a record 23 races.
Saudi Arabia is set to be paired with next year's season-ending round at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina, also held under floodlights.
Saudi Arabia has become increasingly prominent on the motorsports scene, hosting the Dakar Rally in January while two races of the all-electric Formula E series are scheduled for Diriyah in February.
-Reuters
Foden back in England squad
England have recalled Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden for their friendly against Ireland and Nations League meetings with Belgium and Iceland, but there was no place for Mason Greenwood in the 29-man squad.
Foden and Greenwood were sent home from Reykjavik, Iceland in September after they breached Covid-19 protocols by meeting up with two women inside the public areas of the team hotel.
They were also left out of last month's England squad.
Meanwhile Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram, son of France's 1998 World Cup winner Lilian, earned his first call-up to the French national team when coach Didier Deschamps named a 26-man squad for three international games this month.
Thuram has scored three goals in 10 games for the Bundesliga club in all competitions this season, including a double in their 2-2 Champions League draw against Real Madrid last month.
-Reuters
Lowe in Ireland squad
Ireland have included New Zealand-born wing James Lowe among three newcomers in a 34-man squad for this month' Nations Cup.
Leinster's 28-year-old Lowe qualifies by residency to play for Ireland and has already been training with the squad over the last month but has only now become eligible to play.
Lowe played for Tasman and the Chiefs before heading to Ireland in 2017.
He is joined on the list of uncapped players by Munster back Shane Daly and Billy Burns while Jack Carty drops out.
Ireland play Wales, England and Georgia this month.
Meanwhile another New Zealander Sean Maitland has been restored to the Scotland squad after being dropped for last weekend's win over Wales after breaching Covid-19 protocols while on Barbarians duty.
-Reuters
