Rybakina Beats Kostyuk to Win Porsche Grand Prix

21 April 2024, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina celebrates with the trophy during the award ceremony after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during their Women's singles final tennis match at the Stuttgart Open Tennis tournament. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa
21 April 2024, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina celebrates with the trophy during the award ceremony after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during their Women's singles final tennis match at the Stuttgart Open Tennis tournament. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa
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Rybakina Beats Kostyuk to Win Porsche Grand Prix

21 April 2024, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina celebrates with the trophy during the award ceremony after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during their Women's singles final tennis match at the Stuttgart Open Tennis tournament. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa
21 April 2024, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina celebrates with the trophy during the award ceremony after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk during their Women's singles final tennis match at the Stuttgart Open Tennis tournament. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa

Elena Rybakina eased to her third title of the season on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix.
Rybakina, the world No. 4-ranked player who defeated top-ranked Iga Świątek in the semifinals, saved the three break points she faced and took four from six opportunities to win in 1 hour, 9 minutes, The Associated Press reported.
It’s Rybakina’s tour-leading 26th win of the year. The Stuttgart title comes after wins in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi this season. The Kazakh player’s previous clay-court wins were in Rome in 2023 and Bucharest in 2019.
The 27th-ranked Kostyuk was under pressure from the start as Rybakina broke her serve and sealed the first set in just 30 minutes.
Kostyuk had surprised herself with her run to the final, including three consecutive wins over top-10 players Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff and Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. Kostyuk saved five match points against Zheng in the round of 16.
It was Kostyuk’s third final. She won her maiden title in Austin last year, and was runner-up in San Diego last month.



United Boss Ten Hag Concedes Liverpool Have Advantage of Mature Team

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - August 24, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts REUTERS/Tony O Brien/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - August 24, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts REUTERS/Tony O Brien/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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United Boss Ten Hag Concedes Liverpool Have Advantage of Mature Team

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - August 24, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts REUTERS/Tony O Brien/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - August 24, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts REUTERS/Tony O Brien/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Liverpool are a more mature side than Manchester United, with the advantage of a cohesive team of established players, United manager Erik ten Hag said ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash between the bitter rivals at Old Trafford.

"Liverpool are in a different phase of the life cycle," Ten Hag told reporters. "We are much more mixed and we have to build a new team."

United have not beaten Liverpool in the league since a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in August 2022 though Ten Hag's men did prevail 4-3 over former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp's side to win the FA Cup last season, according to Reuters.

Liverpool finished third in the league last season, five places and 22 points ahead of United, but Ten Hag said his side could take heart from their performance in the cup final.

"We can always win, last year we won (in the FA cup) in the second part of the season," the Dutchman said.

"(Liverpool) are a team who are clear in the relationship among their players. It's what (new manager Arne Slot) has inherited. It was built over the last few years."

Slot and Ten Hag have faced each other in the past during their time working in the Dutch top flight, with little to chose between them on paper.

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Both managers have two wins apiece against each other in the Eridivisie, with Sunday's match at Old Trafford their first head-to-head meeting since March 2022.

Liverpool have made a solid start to the season under Slot, who became their first manager since Graeme Souness in 1991 to win his two opening league games in charge with Sunday's 2-0 victory over Brentford.

United, on the other hand, dropped their first points of the campaign when they were beaten 2-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion last Saturday.

"One of the reasons I came here is I knew beforehand it would be the most difficult thing I could ever do in my life, to come in (to) a club with a lot of problems," added Ten Hag, who took charge of United in April 2022.

"I inherited a history of six years and no trophy. We're still in transition. We have young players, academy players, and now we have to construct a team for the future."