Page 23 - AT

A23
SPORTS Wednesday 9 January 2019

Egypt to host African Cup; Salah’s chance to shine at home

By GERALD IMRAY Cameroon was stripped of
AP Sports Writer hosting rights late last year
Egypt will replace Cam- because of poor prepara-
eroon as the host of this tions and its own political
year’s African Cup of Na- problems, which involve
tions soccer tournament, long-running violent clash-
giving newly-crowned con- es between separatist reb-
tinental player of the year els and government forces
Mohamed Salah a chance in the western parts of the
to shine on his home stage. country and close to two
The Liverpool forward was of the planned tourna-
awarded the Confedera- ment host cities. It was the
tion of African Football’s fourth straight African Cup
top player award for a sec- of Nations to be switched
ond successive year hours from its initial host country,
before the announcement with CAF also having to find
about the new tournament new venues for its top tour-
host on Tuesday. nament and money-earner
Salah will undoubtedly be in 2013, 2015, and 2017. All
the face of the tourna- of those switches were for
ment in June and July, but political reasons.
Egypt’s organizers face a Egypt and South Africa
tough task to get ready were the only two countries
with kickoff only five months to submit bids to replace
away. Deepening the chal- Cameroon in a new, rushed
lenge for the stand-in host Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah takes a shot as he warms up ahead of the English Premier League hosting process for 2019.
country, this will be the first soccer match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Ethiad stadium, Manchester England, Egypt, which last hosted
African championship to Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. the African championship
be increased from 16 to 24 in 2006, was chosen after a
teams. been marred by deadly soccer’s worst riots. Port whether the competing vote of the CAF executive
The tournament also ar- violence in the years since Said has been put forward bid from South Africa, the committee in Dakar, Sen-
rives in Egypt at a time of and it has sometimes spilled by Egyptian organizers as a 2010 World Cup host, had egal, a vote initially sched-
political unease after years over onto the soccer field. venue. any government approval uled for Wednesday but
of turmoil following a revo- In 2012, more than 70 fans Still, African soccer lead- or financial backing. brought forward 24 hours.
lution and the overthrow of were killed in a riot at a ers decided on Tuesday Also, CAF is based in Cairo, Egypt won overwhelmingly,
President Hosni Mubarak in game in the northern city that Egypt was the best giving the Egyptian bid a by 16 votes to one with one
2011. Egypt’s streets have of Port Said, one of world choice, with doubts over logistical advantage. abstention.q

Kerber into Sydney quarters; Stephens recovers to advance

Associated Press phens, the 2017 U.S. Open
SYDNEY (AP) — Defending champion, rallied to survive
champion Angelique Ker- the round.
ber moved into the Sydney “I was, like, ‘It’s not going
International quarterfinals to get any worse than this
after beating Camila Giorgi ... I might as well just play,’”
7-6 (3), 6-2 on Tuesday. Stephens said of her first set.
The second-ranked Kerber “I know at some point that
was under serious pressure I’d be able to win a game,
in the first set before hold- I would hope, so just try and
ing firm in the tiebreaker, do that.”
then went down an early Stephens will next play Yulia
break before winning the Putintseva.
last six games. Ash Barty ousted 2017
After a first-round bye, the French Open winner Jelena
Wimbledon champion is on Ostapenko 6-3, 6-3 to ad-
a 5-0 roll to start the sea- vance to a second-round
son after winning all of her meeting with No. 1-ranked
singles matches at the Hop- Simona Halep.
man Cup last week. On another rain-interrupt-
“It’s always tricky to play ed day in Sydney, Aliaksan-
against her, because she’s dra Sasnovich ousted No.
hitting the balls really hard, 8-seeded Daria Kasatkina
especially in the first set,” Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a backhand to Camila Giorgi of Italy during their women’s 6-1, 6-4, 2015 Sydney cham-
Kerber said. “I played Perth singles match at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. pion Petra Kvitova had a
last week, but now you Associated Press 6-1, 7-5 win over Aryna Sa-
have the tournament feel- first set and was only two Alexandrova 0-6, 7-6 (3), chance to serve for the balenka, Hsieh Su-wei beat
ing again.” points from defeat in the 7-6 (3) for her first win of the match at 5-3 in the sec- Danielle Collins 7-6 (4), 6-3,
Sloane Stephens dropped second before finding a season. ond set and led 4-2 in the and Priscilla Hon defeated
three service games in the way to hold off Ekaterina Alexandrova had a third but fourth-seeded Ste- Tatjana Maria 6-3, 7-6 (4).q