GOLF
Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul reached No. 1 in the women’s world ranking on Monday, the 16th player and second-youngest to get to the top since the ranking began in 2006.
Thitikul had a chance to reach No. 1 by winning any of her last three tournaments on the LPGA Tour. Instead, the 19-year-old replaced Jin Young Ko of South Korea on a week in which she didn’t play.
Thitikul heads to the Toto Japan Classic to make her debut at No. 1.
“It is very special to get to the top but it is much harder to retain,” Thitikul said.
Her first full year on the LPGA Tour has been more consistent than superb. Thitikul has won twice – in California a week before the first major and in Arkansas – to go along with 12 other finishes in the top 10.
She ended last year at No. 19 in the world after a two-win season on the Ladies European Tour and took advantage of strong play and injuries at the top.
Nelly Korda, who started the year at No. 1, had surgery for a blood clot in her left arm and wound up missing four months.
Ko began her season by winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and had been No. 1 since the end of January. But she is dealing with an injury in her left wrist that kept her out for two months, and then she withdrew in her return at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea.
That cleared the way for Thitikul, who has finished in the top 10 her last five starts.
Thitikul is the fourth player to reach No. 1 without having won a major, joining Lydia Ko in 2015, Ai Miyazato in 2010 and Lorena Ochoa.
Lydia Ko remains the youngest to be No. 1, getting there for the first time at age 17.
Thitikul in 2017 became the youngest player to win a professional golf tournament at the Ladies European Thailand Championship when she was 14 years, 4 months. That was among her four LET victories.
She joins Sung Hyun Park as the only players to reach No. 1 during their rookie season on the LPGA Tour. Park had won 10 times on the Korea LPGA before coming to America.
Jin Young Ko has been No. 1 four times for a total of 152 weeks, leaving her seven weeks short of breaking the record for most weeks at No. 1 set by Ochoa from April 2007 until her surprise retirement three years later.
TENNIS
PARIS MASTERS: Taylor Fritz of the United States stayed in contention for one of the two remaining ATP Finals spots by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 7-5, 6-2 in the first round at Paris.
The ninth-seeded Fritz rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the opening set and took the second by winning the last four games. Davidovich Fokina made 24 unforced errors to just nine for Fritz.
Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic have already qualified for the ATP Finals.
Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz are in the running to round out the eight-player field.
No. 13 seed Matteo Berrettini withdrew because of a left foot injury and was replaced by lucky loser Fabio Fognini in the main draw.
Jannik Sinner and Marin Cilic were the only seeded players to get knocked out.
No. 11 seed Sinner lost to Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-2, 6-3, and No. 15 seed Cilic was stunned by coming Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4.
John Isner, Cameron Norrie, Karen Khachanov, Maxime Cressy, Richard Gasquet, Yoshihito Nishioka and Nikoloz Basilashvili also advanced into the second round.
Isner made a winning comeback in his return from a wrist injury by downing qualifier Oscar Otte 6-4, 7-6 (3).
The American broke for 4-3 and in the second set he saved two set points at 5-4. He raced to a 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker and his 19th ace won the match.
Isner will next play No. 7 seed Rublev.
Nishioka beat Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4 and will next take on top-ranked Alcaraz.
No. 12 seed Norrie cruised past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-4, while Khachanov ousted Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-1, and Basilashvili defeated qualifier Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-4.
Wild card Gasquet outclassed Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-1, and Cressy dispatched Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3.
SOCCER
U.S. WOMEN: Alex Morgan has been included on the United States women’s roster for a pair of exhibition matches against Germany after missing the team’s recent games in Europe with a knee injury.
Mallory Pugh and Taylor Kornieck, who also missed the Americans’ losses earlier this month to England and Spain, were also named to the 24-player roster.
Goalkeeper Adrianna France earned her first call-up since last year.
Morgan, who won the Golden Boot in the National Women’s Soccer League with 15 goals this season for the San Diego Wave, needs two more appearances to become the 13th player to play in 200 games for the U.S.
The U.S., No. 1 in the FIFA rankings, finishes the year with matches against Germany on Nov. 10 at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and on Nov. 13 at Harrison, New Jersey. Its current two-game skid is its first in 5 1/2 years.
WORLD CUP: The Ukrainian soccer federation urged FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup next month, alleging human rights violations and supplying the Russian military with weapons.
The call was made three weeks before Iran is due to face England in the first Group B game in Qatar. The group also includes the United States and Wales.
The Ukrainian federation’s executive committee did not ask for Iran to be replaced at the tournament by the Ukraine team that lost to Wales in a European playoff final in June.
Ukraine taking Iran’s place was the suggestion last week by the country’s top club, Shakhtar Donetsk, in a similar appeal to FIFA.
FIFA has not commented on the Ukrainian requests and does not typically suspend member federations because of military decisions by a national government.
• France midfielder Paul Pogba will miss the World Cup due to ongoing knee problems.
Pogba returned to training with Juventus only this month following surgery on his right knee in early September.
He hasn’t played since returning to Juventus from Manchester United, and was injured again. Tests in Turin and Pittsburgh confirmed the 29-year-old Pogba will not be fit in time for the World Cup.
AC MILAN: Coach Stefano Pioli has been rewarded for his title-winning exploits with a two-year extension to his contract at the defending champion.
Milan announced that the 57-year-old Pioli has signed a new contract until June 2025. His previous deal was set to expire at the end of this season.
HORSE RACING
BREEDERS’ CUP: Unbeaten Flightline is the 3-5 morning-line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and will start the $6 million season finale from the No. 4 post position on Saturday at Keeneland.
The 4-year-old bay colt was the first entrant announced by Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari in Monday’s draw at Rupp Arena, home floor of the fourth-ranked Wildcats. Flightline is coming off a 19 1/4-length domination of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar in September.
Flightline is looking to improve to 6-0 lifetime against an eight-horse field that includes Kentucky Derby longshot winner Rich Strike, starting the 1 1/4-mile race from the No. 8 at 20-1 odds – and horse of the year candidate Epicenter, the 5-1 second choice from the No. 6 post. Life is Good is the 6-1 third choice from the No. 2 post.
Taiba will start from the rail at 8-1 odds for embattled Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will make his return to Kentucky for the first time since being suspended for 90 days earlier this year by Kentucky racing stewards after his colt Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test after the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The colt has three wins and a second in five career starts this year, most recently winning the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby.
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