Bundesliga Straggler Bochum Fires Coach after 8 Games in Charge and No Wins

Bochum coach Peter Zeidler gestures on the sidelines, during a German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum, in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Bochum coach Peter Zeidler gestures on the sidelines, during a German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum, in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
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Bundesliga Straggler Bochum Fires Coach after 8 Games in Charge and No Wins

Bochum coach Peter Zeidler gestures on the sidelines, during a German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum, in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Bochum coach Peter Zeidler gestures on the sidelines, during a German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum, in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Last-place Bundesliga club Bochum has fired coach Peter Zeidler after he failed to win any of his first eight games in charge.

Bochum said late Sunday it was releasing Zeidler and sporting director Marc Lettau from their roles because “conviction is lacking” that the team could avoid relegation from the German top division under their management.

Zeidler, who was hired in June, lost six of the seven Bundesliga games during his tenure and his last game was a 3-1 loss at Hoffenheim on Saturday. Zeidler's only point came in a 2-2 draw with Holstein Kiel, the only other winless team in the league. Bochum also lost to second-division Jahn Regensburg in the German Cup.

Zeidler, who had never previously coached in the Bundesliga, had a tough task from the start with a team which only survived in the Bundesliga last season in a penalty shootout in last season's relegation-promotion playoff.

Bochum has yet to name a replacement for Zeidler. Whoever takes over is likely to have a tricky start as Bochum faces Bayern Munich on Sunday before games against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.



Sabalenka Determined to Stay World Number One after Leapfrogging Swiatek

Wuhan Open - Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Wuhan, China - October 13, 2024 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her final match against China's Qinwen Zheng. (Reuters)
Wuhan Open - Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Wuhan, China - October 13, 2024 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her final match against China's Qinwen Zheng. (Reuters)
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Sabalenka Determined to Stay World Number One after Leapfrogging Swiatek

Wuhan Open - Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Wuhan, China - October 13, 2024 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her final match against China's Qinwen Zheng. (Reuters)
Wuhan Open - Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Wuhan, China - October 13, 2024 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her final match against China's Qinwen Zheng. (Reuters)

Aryna Sabalenka's return to top spot in the WTA rankings after leapfrogging Iga Swiatek has set up a thrilling end to the season, with next month's WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia likely to prove decisive in the race to end the year as world number one.

Sabalenka has enjoyed a spectacular season, defending her Australian Open title in January and adding the US Open trophy to her cabinet last month, as well as enjoying victories in Cincinnati and Wuhan.

Players are mandated to compete in six WTA 500 events but Swiatek's decision to skip the tour's Asian swing due to fatigue meant the French Open champion will only manage to play in two this season.

The penalties saw her drop below Poland's Sabalenka in the rankings.

Sabalenka spent eight weeks at the summit last year before Swiatek overtook her with a victory at the season-ending WTA Finals and the Belarusian hopes for a longer stay as "N1".

"N1... Let's see for how long this time," she posted on X on Monday after the latest rankings were released.

Sabalenka is also not in action this week after her Wuhan success and will lose points for only playing in four WTA 500 events. She currently has 9,706 points while Swiatek has 9,665 ahead of the Finals, which will offer 1,500.

The Finals will be held on hard courts in Riyadh from Nov. 2-9 and feature the top eight singles players and doubles teams.