Djokovic senses opportunity against Nadal at French Open final

PARIS — Novak Djokovic has suffered more than his fair share of heartache against Rafael Nadal at the French Open but Sunday’s final offers him a chance to dethrone the claycourt king.

The 33-year-old Serb leads their extraordinary rivalry 29-26 but Nadal has won six of their seven clashes at Roland Garros, including the 2012 and 2014 finals.

Djokovic won their last encounter on the Parisian clay, however, in the 2015 quarter-finals and believes Sunday’s final offers him an opportunity to get the better of the Spaniard again even if it he says playing Nadal on clay remains the toughest challenge in tennis.

“Obviously the conditions are different than the ones that we are used to playing in May and June,” Djokovic told reporters after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets on Friday.

“I think that could be a better chance for me, obviously the ball not bouncing as high over the shoulder as he likes it usually. I mean, look, regardless of the conditions, he’s still

there, he’s Rafa, he’s in the finals, we’re playing on clay.”

Had it not been for Djokovic’s default at the U.S. Open for striking a line judge with a ball swatted away in frustration during a fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta, the Serbian might have been starting Sunday’s showdown with 18 Grand Slam titles, one behind Nadal and two short of Roger Federer.

Victory would see him close the gap but defeat would leave him three shy of both of them in the race for ‘greatest of all time’ status. The stakes are huge, but Djokovic says it is not the biggest match he has played in his career.

“Finals of a Grand Slam is always huge,” the world number one said. “But I don’t think it’s the biggest match that I have ever played in my life. I think there were some bigger ones.

“In terms of importance, I mean, if I have to compare, even though I don’t like, probably the first Wimbledon final that I actually played against him (in 2011). Wimbledon was always the one that I wanted to win as a kid and dreamed of winning.

“That’s probably the one that stands out. And the French Open 2016 against Andy Murray here. Every French Open final that I played was the match of my life before I actually won it.

“This is the (Grand Slam) that I won the least, so of course I am extremely motivated to try to get my hands on another one.”

Despite the fact 12-time Roland Garros champion Nadal has sailed through the draw without dropping a set and Djokovic spent four hours beating Tsitsipas in a late finish on Friday, he said he will be firing on all cylinders on Sunday.

“I’m not feeling exhausted physically so much after tonight’s match,” he said. “It was a great battle. But I feel fine. I think a day and a half will be plenty of time for me to recover. I’m looking forward to a great battle with Rafa.”

-reuters

US long-term mortgage rates change little; 30-year at 2.87%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. long-term mortgage rates changed little this week, flattening in recent weeks following a year-long decline amid economic anxiety in the recession set off by the coronavirus pandemic. Home loan rates have remained at historically low levels.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan eased to 2.87% from 2.88% last week. By contrast, the rate averaged 3.57% a year ago.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage ticked up to 2.37% from 2.36%.

The low borrowing rates have bolstered demand by prospective homebuyers, who on the other hand have been constrained by the scarcity of available homes for sale.

In the latest sign of the flagging economic recovery and continued elevated level of job cuts, the government reported Thursday that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000.

-Associated Press

Patriots cancel practice amid reports of new positive test

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have canceled practice amid reports that a third player has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Sports Illustrated reported that reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and was added to the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. The Patriots did not give a reason for Wednesday’s cancellation and did not immediately respond when asked if it was related to a third positive test.

Starting quarterback Cam Newton missed New England’s loss at Kansas City on Monday night after a positive COVID-19 test and was added to the reserve list Saturday. Practice squad player Bill Murray joined him on the list Tuesday.

Newton’s positive test prompted the NFL to postpone the New England’s game with the Chiefs by a day.

Newton tweeted a picture of himself Wednesday morning wearing a mask, along with the caption: “WEAR YOUR MASK. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.”

The Patriots are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

-Associated Press

Chiefs-Patriots game off amid report Newton has COVID-19

This NFL postponed this week’s game between New England and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams. ESPN reported on Saturday that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was among those contracting the disease.

The NFL said Saturday that the game, originally scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday, will be played on Monday or Tuesday. The league said the move followed “positive COVID-19 tests on both teams.” The Patriots confirmed that a player has tested positive but did not reveal his name.

It it the second game this weekend that has been affected by COVID-19. The matchup between Pittsburgh and Tennessee was postponed because of an outbreak on the Titans; it is now scheduled for Oct. 25.

The Patriots had been planning to fly to Kansas City on Saturday afternoon. Instead, players left the facility to await further instructions. The team said in a statement that the COVID-positive player has entered self-quarantine and that players, coaches and staff who were in close contact with him were tested Saturday morning and all were negative.

-Associated Press 

BTS’ upcoming online concert to feature up-to-date technologies

SEOUL — K-pop sensation BTS will catch the eyes of its long-waiting fans with fresh up-to-date viewing experiences at its upcoming live online concert next month, its management agency said Tuesday.

The online concert titled “BTS Map of the Soul ON:E” will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 and at 4 p.m. on Oct. 11, according to Big Hit Entertainment.

During the two-hour event, the septet will perform on a scale equivalent to an offline concert, featuring augmented reality and extended reality software technology with high-definition content.

A multi-view live streaming service will also help audiences select and enjoy various scenes taken from six different angles on a real-time basis.

“We are preparing an unprecedented stage and a variety of set lists for fans who are missing offline concerts that have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Big Hit said.

The Oct. 10-11 concerts were originally set to take place in-person in Seoul under government-led seat distancing guidelines, with a paid simultaneous streaming service.

But Big Hit canceled the in-person element last week due to nationwide tightened social distancing stemming from a recent spike in coronavirus cases across South Korea.

BTS’ previous paid online concert, “Bang Bang Con: The Live,” in June, set a new Guinness World record for “most viewers for a music concert livestream,” attracting 756,000 viewers in 107 countries and regions across the world. 

-Yonhap News Agency

Adesanya defends belt, Błachowicz wins title at UFC 253

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Unbeaten Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight title in style with a dominant second-round stoppage of Paulo Costa at UFC 253 on Sunday

Poland’s Jan Błachowicz also stopped Dominick Reyes late in the second round on Fight Island, the mixed martial arts promotion’s bubble performance venue in the Middle East, to claim the light heavyweight title vacated by Jon Jones.

Adesanya (20-0) carved up his previously unbeaten Brazilian opponent with flair and ease, battering Costa with leg kicks before ending it late in the second round. Adesanya crumpled Costa with a combination at the center of the octagon, and the champion finished on the ground with 61 seconds left in the round.

“I told you guys that it was going to be violent, and it was going to end fast,” Adesanya said. “That’s what I did. It was a little bit sloppy, but I’m a dog, so I do what I do.”

The win was the ninth straight in the UFC for Adesanya, the Nigeria-born, New Zealand-based phenomenon who has soared to prominence in mixed martial arts over the past three years.

In UFC 253′s co-main event, the 37-year-old Błachowicz (27-8) capped his late-career surge by winning his first UFC title.

After controlling most of the action in a slow first round, Błachowicz apparently broke Reyes’ nose during the second round, and he abruptly ended it when he landed a high left hook to the side of Reyes’ head. Reyes wobbled, stumbled and fell, and Błachowicz promptly finished him on the ground with 24 seconds left in the round.

“I still don’t believe it, but it’s here,” Błachowicz said. “It’s not a dream, right? It happened. I have the legendary Polish power, I proved it one more time. … Even a pandemic can’t stop me right now.”

Unheralded flyweight Brandon Royval also had a highlight-reel win on Fight Island, stopping Kai Kara-France with a guillotine choke in the second round.

Adesanya won his title last year by beating Robert Whittaker, but he was in need of a redemptive performance after defending his belt last March with a stupendously boring decision over Yoel Romero in Las Vegas.

The champion known as “The Last Stylebender” reminded the UFC just what he can do while dispatching Costa with ease

The heavily muscled Costa opened the fight with a cocky swagger, daring Adesanya to kick his lead leg by putting his hands behind his back. Adesanya preened back at Costa, but largely kept his distance and tagged Costa with kicks, while Costa’s own kicks were less successful.

Costa’s striking game never got going, and Adesanya wore him down before finishing the fight.

“I built a beachfront condo inside his head from the first time we met,” Adesanya said. “The way he was fighting, you just want me to stand there so you can punch me. I’m not stupid, dummy.”

While Adesanya was a favorite, Błachowicz’s victory was a surprise. He is the first fighter other than Jones or Daniel Cormier to hold the UFC light heavyweight title since 2011, when Jones began his rocky reign.

Jones vacated his belt three times during the ensuing nine years for doping offenses and criminal misbehaviors, but always reclaimed it. But he voluntarily relinquished the title earlier this year after lengthy negotiations over the future of his career with the UFC, apparently receiving the financial incentive to move to heavyweight.

But Jones doesn’t have a fight booked at heavyweight, and Błachowicz isn’t buying the move.

“Only one man is in my mind,” Błachowicz said. “Jon Jones, where are you? Don’t be a quitter. This is how we do it in Poland. I’m waiting for you.”

UFC President Dana White said he wouldn’t stop Jones if the former champion wanted to fight Błachowicz, a six-year UFC veteran. He earned this title shot with three straight wins, including stoppages of former champion Luke Rockhold and Corey Anderson.

Reyes is a former college football player from Southern California who only recently devoted himself to the sport full-time, but his 12-0 start to his career landed him a title shot at Jones in February. Jones won their matchup by decision, but most observers thought Reyes had nearly pulled off the monumental upset, keeping him first in line for a second title shot when Jones vacated.

Adesanya also said he wants to fight Jones soon, and he would be willing to move up to do it.

-Associated Press

Novavax enters late-stage clinical trials for COVID-19

WASHINGTON, United States — US biotech firm Novavax said Thursday it was initiating its final Phase 3 clinical trial for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

The trial will be carried out in the United Kingdom and aims to enroll 10,000 volunteers, aged 18-84, with and without underlying conditions, over the next four to six weeks.

"With a high level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission observed and expected to continue in the  UK, we are optimistic that this pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial will enroll quickly and provide a near-term view of NVX-CoV2373's efficacy," said Gregory Glenn, the company's president of research and development, using the technical name for the formulation.

It is the eleventh COVID-19 vaccine candidate to reach the Phase 3 stage globally.

The company has been awarded $1.6 billion by the US government to develop and fund the drug, which is administered by two intramuscular injections.

The Maryland-based company uses insect cells to grow synthesized pieces of the spike protein of the virus, which it hopes will evoke a robust human immune response.

It also uses an "adjuvant," a compound that boosts the production of neutralizing antibodies.

The company says the drug, which is a liquid formulation, can be stored at two degrees celsius to eight degrees celsius, refrigerator temperature.

In the spring, the company said it had proven the efficacy of a seasonal flu vaccine it had developed using the same technology.

Agence France-Presse

South Koreans defy virus to attend drive-in circus

SEOUL - A clown juggled and acrobats launched themselves through the air above a stage in an open field in Seoul at the weekend as the audience watched from the safety of their cars, cocooned from the risk of coronavirus.

The annual circus -- usually held in May -- was pushed back twice this year because of the virus until organizers turned it into a drive-in event.

"The performing arts are very important even during a pandemic," said Cho Beong-hee, manager of the Seoul Street Art Creation Centre.

"So we came up with different ideas in trying to make this event happen and the drive-in option was chosen as it was deemed the safest idea."

Each event allows 30 cars to park in front of the stage, while the event is also streamed online for free.

The lack of interaction with the audience posed new challenges for the performers.

"I had to re-imagine and re-think new ways to go about my performance," said Lee Sung-hyung, a performer at the circus.

The crowd clapped and honked car horns as acrobats swung above the giant stage, hoisted by a crane.

In the audience, Yu Hye-jin said she was satisfied with her seat.

"I think watching performances in cars is great," she said, adding, "I think it can be done in the future, with other performances like musicals."

Agence France-Presse

Chinese hackers 'stole data from Spanish vaccine labs' — report

MADRID, Spain — Chinese hackers have stolen information from Spanish laboratories working on a vaccine for COVID-19, El Pais newspaper reported Friday.

The report emerged as drug companies around the world race to produce an effective jab to counter a virus that has now killed more than 940,000 people and infected 30 million.

It was not clear what information was taken, when it happened, nor how important it was, with the paper citing sources privy to the attack. 

Quoted in the article, Spain's secret service chief Paz Esteban said hackers had mounted "a particularly virulent campaign targeting laboratories working on the search for a vaccine" not only in Spain but elsewhere. 

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Esteban who heads the CNI intelligence services, said there had been a "qualitative and quantitative" increase in attacks during lockdown, with hackers targeting "sensitive sectors such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals".

Such attacks had multiplied in other countries involved in efforts to develop a vaccine, prompting an exchange of information between their respective spy services, she said. 

Most attacks were carried out by hackers from China and Russia, often from state organisations, but also by criminal organisations and universities who trade in hacked data, security sources said. 

But the attack in which Spanish data were stolen was launched by Chinese hackers, they said. 

The CNI was not immediately available to comment on the report. 

In July, a court in the US state of Washington charged two Chinese nationals with stealing terabytes of data from hundreds of computer systems all over the world, in some cases on behalf of Chinese government agencies. 

The hacking, which took place over a decade, had more recently involved looking for vulnerabilities in the systems of firms developing COVID-19 vaccines, testing technology, and treatments, the US justice department said. 

Spain was one of 11 countries named in the indictment as being targeted by the attacks.

Agence France-Presse

Desperately fleeing the burning hills in Northern California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As the flames closed in on tiny Berry Creek in the Sierra Nevada foothills early Wednesday, Misty Spires and her boyfriend hooked a fire hose to a hydrant in a desperate attempt to defend their homes and the town’s only laundromat.

They gave up around 4 a.m. when propane tanks began exploding and they were dodging embers “as big as my feet,” she said. But traffic was snarled on the two-lane bridge leading out of town, forcing Spires and others to turn around and drive down a sandbar to escape the flames.

She helped another man load his motorcycle on the back of her pickup truck before sprinting to safety.

“It was like a war zone, like standing in the breath of hell,” she said.

For the second time in two years, fire has destroyed a mountain community in Butte County. Two years ago it was Paradise, where roughly 19,000 buildings were destroyed and 85 people died in the most destructive wildfire in state history.

This time, it was Berry Creek — an unincorporated town of about 1,200 people in the same remote, rolling heavily forested mountains that locals described as a peaceful, close-knit community.

Dozens of wildfires have been burning for weeks across California and the U.S. West, most sparked by lightning strikes. But the North Complex Fire in Northern California surprised fire officials by how quickly it spread after smoldering for weeks in a mostly unpopulated region.

Aided by strong winds, steep terrain and miles of dried out foliage, the fire — more than 8 miles (13 kilometers) wide — quickly roared into Butte County on Tuesday.

This time, Paradise was spared. Smaller mountain communities such as Berry Creek and Feather Falls were quickly overwhelmed. Firefighters scrambled to rescue more than 100 people on Tuesday and early Wednesday.

But they couldn’t save everyone.

By Saturday, authorities said the fire claimed 12 lives and another 13 remained missing.

Millicent Catarancuic’s 5-acre property in Berry Creek was a rescue shelter of sorts. She had at least four dogs and several cats, many of whom wandered into her yard and never left after finding a loving home.

Her scattered family had seen much tragedy, but in recent years they had mostly settled at her compound in the hills, where it took a 30-minute drive to get anywhere. With her sister, Suzan Violet Zurz, and Phil Rubel, an uncle by marriage, the three lived in quietly, caring for animals and playing the card game FreeCell on a desktop computer.

They were not foolhardy with fires, having voluntarily evacuated for others. Tuesday, they had packed the car and were getting ready to leave when, about 7 p.m., they changed their minds. They were safe, they assured their families.

Authorities would later find Catarancuic’s body near a car, along with those of two others. Zurz and Rubel are still listed as missing. But Zurz’s son, Zygy Roe-Zurz, fears the worst.

“It’s absolutely devastating to find out the people you love are suddenly and horribly gone,” he said. “We lived all over the world and finally settled in a place. So much work and so much thought went into being there and it’s, just, all gone.”

Spires and her boyfriend, Jonathan Gonzales, were headed to the muddy sandbar north of Lake Oroville, the largest body of water in the area. Gonzalez knew the area was clear of trees and close to the water and told the drivers caught in the jam getting out of Berry Creek to follow him.

“He told the others, ‘If you want to live instead of sitting on this bridge follow me,’” she said. “He saved a lot of lives.”

Once there, Spires said most people stayed huddled in their cars. But others got out and consoled each other.

“There wasn’t much that you can say in that situation but to say, ‘I’m glad you’re alive,’” Spires said.

While waiting for daylight, she saw horses and other animals run toward the lake as flames licked the hillsides.

Spires moved from Kansas City to Berry Creek two years ago, drawn to its verdant landscape, creeks and waterfalls that feed into the lake and the mild climate for her mother, who suffers from debilitating arthritis. Her loved ones all survived the blaze, but she mourned the loss of a town she had come to love.

She also mourned the loss of the Sugar Pine Saloon, a 1940s era bar where people in the community had signed their names in the rafters. Spires and her boyfriend were working hard to remodel and reopen it.

“It was a place where the whole community was involved in some way,” she said. “The whole history is just gone.”

___

Nguyen reported from San Francisco.

Associated Press