Simona Halep Gets a Wild-card Entry for Australian Open Qualifying

FILE - Simona Halep, of Romania, returns a shot to Daria Snigur, of Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Simona Halep, of Romania, returns a shot to Daria Snigur, of Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
TT

Simona Halep Gets a Wild-card Entry for Australian Open Qualifying

FILE - Simona Halep, of Romania, returns a shot to Daria Snigur, of Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Simona Halep, of Romania, returns a shot to Daria Snigur, of Ukraine, during the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, working her way back from a drug suspension, and Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt's 16-year-old son Cruz were among the players awarded wild-card entries Wednesday for Australian Open qualifying next month, The Associated Press reported.
Halep, a 33-year-old from Romania, was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and won major titles at the French Open later that year and at Wimbledon in 2019. She has been ranked as high as No. 1 but is currently 877th and hasn't played at any Grand Slam tournament since 2022 after missing all tournaments for 1 1/2 years because of a doping case.
Cruz Hewitt is ranked outside the top 1,000. His father, who won two major trophies and reached No. 1 in the rankings, made his Australian Open debut in 1997 at age 15 via a qualifying wild card. Lleyton Hewitt retired in 2016, was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2021 and is currently Australia's Davis Cup captain.
Other men who got wild cards for the Jan. 6-9 qualifying event include 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks and former top 25 players Dan Evans and Bernard Tomic, while the women's group includes Paris Olympics doubles gold medalist and 2012 French Open singles runner-up Sara Errani and top 20 players Petra Martic and Ana Konjuh.
Main-draw action begins in Melbourne on Jan. 12.



Man United’s Amorim Lauds Garnacho’s ‘Complete Game’ in Arsenal Draw

Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United greets supporters after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC, in Manchester, Britain, 09 March 2025. (EPA)
Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United greets supporters after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC, in Manchester, Britain, 09 March 2025. (EPA)
TT

Man United’s Amorim Lauds Garnacho’s ‘Complete Game’ in Arsenal Draw

Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United greets supporters after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC, in Manchester, Britain, 09 March 2025. (EPA)
Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United greets supporters after the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC, in Manchester, Britain, 09 March 2025. (EPA)

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was impressed by Alejandro Garnacho's performance as the winger put in a hard shift at Old Trafford during Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal.

The Argentina international was a constant threat for the visitors from the right wing. The 20-year-old won four fouls, more than any other player in the game, including the one that led to Bruno Fernandes's free-kick goal just before the break.

Garnacho, who also delivered two crosses and won the majority of his duels, fared better than his recent performances, after hitting the side netting in Thursday's 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

He had also faced criticism for his reaction to being substituted during last month's 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, heading straight down the tunnel instead of joining the bench.

"I think Garnacho made a really complete game. He was upset last Thursday and today, he was amazing," Amorim told Sky Sports after Sunday's match.

Media reports had linked Garnacho, who joined United in 2020 as an academy player, with a move away from the club in January after Amorim dropped him from the squad along with Marcus Rashford in December, demanding higher standards and competitiveness.

But the manager later backed the former Atletico Madrid youth player, saying Garnacho had changed his attitude and was improving at United.