TENNIS
Svitolina eliminated in quarterfinal
Elina Svitolina lost 6-1, 6-7(3-7), 3-6 in the singles quarterfinal against Maria Sakkari of Greece at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif., on July 31 through August 4. In the knockout round, Svitolina, the highest ranked player at No. 7, won 6-3, 6-1 against Daria Kasatkina of Russia. Liudmyla and Nadia Kichenok were eliminated in the women’s doubles quarterfinal 1-6, 4-6 by Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan.
Ploskina banned for life and fined
Ukrainian tennis player Helen Ploskina has been handed a lifetime ban and a $20,000 fine after being found guilty of match-fixing and related offenses. According to a press release posted on the website of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the player is permanently excluded from competing in or attending any sanctioned event organized or recognized by the governing bodies of the sport. The report notes that a TIU investigation established that the 22-year old, currently ranked No. 832 in ITF World Tennis singles, introduced another player to a corruptor, who offered that individual payment in return for agreeing to fix the outcome of matches. The offenses took place in October 2016. In addition, she was found guilty of two further offenses of failing to report knowledge of corrupt activity and failing to cooperate with a TIU investigation. Ploskina had a career-high ranking of No. 698 by the WTA in October 2014.
French Open update
Daria Snigur lost the quarterfinal 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 2-6 against Emma Navarro of the U.S.A. in the girls’ singles of the French Open. Andriy Medvedev and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain finished as runners-up after their loss in the final 6-7 (4-7), 5-7 against Sebastian Grosjean and Michael Llodra (both of France) in legends under-45 doubles competition. Ferrero/Medvedev were the winners of Group A after wins of 6-2, 7-5 against James Blake of the U.S.A. and Mark Philippoussis of Australia and 6-3, 6-3 against Arnaud Clement and Nicolas Escude (both of France).
BOXING
Potential dates for Usyk’s heavyweight debut
Unified cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KO) has named Carlos Takam (36-5-1, 28 KO) of Cameroon as the most likely contender for Usyk’s heavyweight debut that will likely take place on October 12 or 19 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The fight is promoted by Matchroom Boxing with the broadcast on DAZN. Usyk was named the mandatory WBO challenger (for the vacant title) against the winner of the Anthony Joshua versus Andy Ruiz Jr. WBA, WBC, IBF unification re-match. Usyk previously held the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles prior to moving up to the heavyweight division. Usyk was named WBO heavyweight challenger due to him previously holding the title at cruiserweight.
Gvozdyk to unite titles against Beterbiev
WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 KO) has signed a contract to unify two titles against IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (14-0, 14 KO) of Russia on October 18 in Philadelphia. The venue has not yet been announced.
Derevyanchenko named mandatory IBF challenger
Middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KO) was named the mandatory IBF challenger after negotiations with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KO) of Mexico and his team fell through. The IBF will set up the terms of the Derevyanchenko fight with an opponent to be named. Canelo was stripped of the IBF title and the IBF created a vacant title match.
Dalakian wins 10th-round TKO
WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian (19-0, 14 KO) of Ukraine, who is of Armenian descent (born in Baku, Azerbaijan), retained his WBA title after a 10th-round TKO win against Sarawut Thawornkham (20-2, 15 KO) of Thailand on June 15 at the Parkovy Convention Center in Kyiv. Dalakian, 31, was in full control during the fight that was scheduled for 12 rounds. He landed a devastating uppercut in the eighth round and again in the ninth round, before a huge right hand put the challenger’s head between the ropes. The referee stopped the fight at 2:08 of the 10th round. This was Dalakian’s third title defense since he won the vacant WBA belt on February 24, 2018, against Brian Villora (38-5, 23 KO) of Hawaii, U.S.A. at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
Redkach wins with sixth-round KO
Welterweight Ivan Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KO) won a definitive win by sixth-round KO (in his debut in the welterweight division) against Devon Alexander (26-6-1, 14 KO) on June 1 at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif. Redkach laid a barrage of hits against Alexander, prior to sending him to the canvas, before referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight at 1:10 seconds of the sixth round in a fight that was scheduled for 10 rounds. Redkach, who is ranked 46th in the welterweight division, admitted after the fight that he is looking for a title shot against Danny Garcia (35-2, 21 KO), WBC title-holder Shawn Porter (30-2-1, 17 KO) or IBF title-holder Errol Spence Jr. (25-0, 21 KO), but he says he’s ready to fight anyone. The division is topped by WBO title-holder Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 KO) and WBA title-holder Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO) of the Philippines.
Lomachenko unification fight set
Lightweight WBA and WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KO) announced via YouTube that his next fight is scheduled for August 31 against Luke Campbell (20-2, 16 KO) of Great Britain for the vacant WBC lightweight title that was held and vacated by Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KO) of the U.S.A. (January 28, 2017 through April 25). The three-title fight is to take place at the O2 Arena in London. Campbell is the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist in the bantamweight, and considering that Lomachenko won two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), this should be a closely contested fight – but Lomachenko has surprised us all before.
SOCCER
Dynamo wins Ukrainian Super Cup
Dynamo Kyiv won 2-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Super Cup on July 28 in Odesa. Alan Patrick opened the scoring for Shakhtar late in the second half, and Mykyta Burda’s corner kick in the 80th minute equalized for Dynamo. Three minutes later, Denys Harmash netted the game-winner off a pass by Carlos de Pena. Dynamo and Shakhtar have won the Ukrainian Super Cup (played since 2004) eight times each, as each team has won the Ukrainian Cup or has been a finalist.
Women’s Champion’s League update
Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv hosts Group 4 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, with the winner advancing to the knockout phase. In the qualifying round, Zhytlobud-1 won 3-2 against Split (Croatia) on August 7, plays against Bettembourg (Luxembourg) on August 10 and against FC Minsk on August 13.
Diaspora team meets with Sports Ministry
A U.S. delegation of the Ukrainian American Youth Association (UAYA, or SUM according to its Ukrainian-based acronym) in Kyiv as part of the under-16 diaspora soccer tournament “On the Wings of Friendly Games 2” (Na krylakh druzhnikh zmahan 2) visited the Viktor Bannikov educational-training complex of the Ukrainian Football Association. The delegation was greeted by Mykola Movchan, deputy minister for European integration, who answered questions and delivered greetings on behalf of Minister of Sport Ihor Zhdanov. “Soccer is a sports diplomacy, and a bridge of friendship that unites people and continents. It is a great pleasure to see that SUM also supports this with such events.” Representing the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, Michael Hackett, cultural liaison, was thanked by Mr. Movchan for the Embassy’s support on various areas as well as this specific project. The delegation, led by Michael Tomaszewsky of SUM, also met with Vasyl Karlenko of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and Vadym Kostiuchenko, vice-president of the Ukrainian Football Association. (A more detailed article is scheduled for an upcoming issue.)
Paralympic team in World Cup final
Ukraine lost 1-3 against Russia on July 19 in the final match of the IFCPF (International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football) World Cup in Seville, Spain. Ukraine won three group stage matches (7-0 against Australia, 10-0 against Spain, 2-0 against Argentina) and won 5-0 against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal and won 3-0 against Brazil in the semifinal. The final stage of the tournament had 16 teams.
UPL to expand to 16 teams
The Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) will be expanding the Ukrainian Premier League to its original 16-team format, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Russia-led war in the Donbas, in addition to financial troubles for some UPL clubs, like Dnipro and Metalist Kharkiv. The FFU says that the 2019-2020 season will be the last with 12 teams before an expansion to 14 teams in 2020-2021, and 16 teams for the 2021-2022 season.
Three Ukrainian clubs in UEFA Europa League
FC Olexandriya, Zorya Luhansk and Mariupol will represent Ukraine in the UEFA Europa League. Olexandriya qualified for the group stage after finishing in third place in the Ukrainian Premier League (2018-2019). Mariupol is in the third qualifying round after it finished in fourth place in the UPL. Zorya Luhansk, in fifth place in the UPL, won 3-1 on July 25 and won 1-0 on August 1 against Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro) in the second qualifying round. Zorya advanced to the third qualifying round against CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) and tied 0-0 on August 8. Mariupol tied 1-1 with AZ Alkmaar Zaanstreek (the Netherlands) on August 8, also in the third round. Both teams play on August 15. Oleksandriya is in the group stage with matches to be determined. Qualifying round matches are to conclude in the play-off round on August 29. Group stage matches are scheduled for September 19 through December 12, with the knock-out stage to begin on February 20, 2020. The Europa League final match is on May 27 in Gdansk, Poland.
Shakhtar, Dynamo set for UEFA Champions League
Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after it finished in first place in the Ukrainian Premier League. Shakhtar is in pot 2 of the group stage draw to be held on August 29. Dynamo Kyiv lost 0-1 against Club Brugge (Belgium) on August 6 and plays against Brugge on August 13 in the third qualifying round (League Path) after it finished in second place in the UPL.
Karpaty Lviv sign Marvin Martins
Marvin Martins Santos da Graca, 24, who previously plays as a defender for Luxembourg’s men’s national team (U-17: 2012, U-19: 2013, U-21: 2014-2016), as well as Jeunesse Esch (2013-2018), and Progres Niederkorn (2018-2019), signed a two-year contract with Karpaty Lviv and was on the team roster as of August 2 as a defender. Da Graca was born in Luxembourg and is of Cape Verdean descent. Since his inaugural appearance with the Luxembourg national team in 2014, he has scored one lone goal in an international friendly match against Hungary on November 9, 2017.
Ukraine is Euro deaf football champion
Ukraine won 2-0 against Germany in the final of the European Deaf Football Championships in Heraklion, Greece, on the island of Crete on June 2-15. Ukraine won 2-1 in the quarterfinal against Russia and won 1-0 against Ireland in the semifinal. This was the first time Ukraine’s deaf team won the championship. Andriy Pavlenko, president of the Football Federation of Ukraine, noted that with the win at the deaf soccer championship and that of Ukraine’s under-20 team at the U-20 World Cup, both are great examples for the men’s national team to follow. Sixteen teams competed in the tournament, including Greece (third place), Turkey, Spain, Hungary, Denmark, Belgium, Croatia, Poland, Sweden, France, England and Italy. In the group stage, Ukraine (in Group D, with England, France and Sweden) won all three of its matches (3-1 against England, 2-0 against France and 2-0 against Sweden) with seven goals for and one against to finish with nine points.
Zinchenko to sign with Manchester City
Midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko signed a new contract with England’s Manchester City in June. He has played for Manchester City since 2016, having played 29 matches for Manchester City last season (2018-2019). He scored one goal and made five assists. Manchester City has become the first English men’s team to complete a domestic treble, winning the English Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Zinchenko has played for Ukraine’s national team since 2015 with 27 appearances and two goals.
Shakhtar has change of coaches
Shakhtar Donetsk bid farewell to its outgoing coach, Paulo Fonseca, who signed with Italy’s Roma. In a statement the club said, “…We wish [coach Paulo Fonseca and his coaching staff] every success in their future career, more outstanding achievements and great victories.” Coach Fonseca stated: “Leaving, I wish Shakhtar to return home. I wish them to continue winning and to get just stronger. I am no longer the Shakhtar manager, but I am still a big fan of theirs. At each game, I will root for the Orange-and-Black family and look forward to more victories. I accept the new challenge. But Ukraine will forever remain in my heart. My son was born here. I have spent three happy years here. I don’t say ‘Goodbye,’ I say ‘See you later.’” Fonseca took the helm of the Shakhtar club on June 1, 2016, having become one of the most successful coaches in the club’s history. In three years the club won three golden doubles – having won the Ukrainian Super Cup and the Ukrainian Cup, and the team won 103 out of 139 matches with a 29-match win streak in the Ukrainian Premier League. Fonseca has been replaced by another Portuguese coach, Luis Castro, who began his two-year contract with Shakhtar on June 12. Castro was coach for Vitoria Guimaraes of Portugal, and the club finished the 2018-2019 season in fifth place in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
FUTSAL
Kherson in Elite Round of Champions League
MFC Prodexim Kherson is in Group 2 of the main round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League. Also in the group are Benefica (Portugal), Halle-Gooik (Belgium, hosts) and Araz Naxcivan (Azerbaijan). Matches are scheduled for October 8-13 and the draw was announced on July 4.
ATHLETICS
Four gold and two silvers at Euro U-20
Ukraine won four gold and two silver medals at the 2019 European Athletics U-20 Championships in Boras, Sweden, on July 18-21. In men’s field events, gold medalists were Artem Konovalenko (triple jump, 16.50 meters, setting a Euro U-20 record) and Myhaylo Kokhan (hammer throw, 84.73 meters – a distance that set the Euro U-20 record, a championship record and a world U-20 record). Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in the women’s high jump (1.92 meters) and Valeriya Ivanenko won gold in the women’s hammer throw (65.83 meters). Silver medalists were Oleh Doroshchuk (high jump, 2.14 meters) and Illya Kravchenko (pole vault, 5.31 meters). Ukraine finished in fourth place in the medals standings. The competition attracted 1,114 athletes from 48 countries. The 2021 event will be hosted in Tallinn, Estonia.
Sloboda and Rofe-Beketova tops in heptathlon
Daryna Sloboda and Iryna Rofe-Beketova won gold and bronze, respectively, in the high jump (1.78 meters, 1.75 meters) at the European Combined Events Cup Super League meeting in Lutsk, Ukraine, on July 6-7. Sloboda and Rofe-Beketova won gold and silver, respectively, in the women’s shot put (14.03 meters, 13.97 meters). The heptathlon includes the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meters, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meters.
Mahuchikh wins bronze in high jump
Yaroslava Mahuchikh won bronze in women’s high jump (2 meters) at the Prefontaine Classic on June 30 in Stanford, Calif. Yuliya Levchenko finished in fourth place 1.95 meters.
Holovchenko wins silver at European festival
Tetyana Holovchenko won silver in the women’s 1,500-meter race (4:05.01 seconds) at the 19th European Athletic Festival in Bygdgoszcz, Poland, on June 12. Denys Fedas won bronze in the men’s pole vault (5.40 meters) and Vadym Slobodenyuk won bronze (8:24.15 seconds) in the men’s 3,000-meter streeplechase.
Bondarenko wins golds in Rome and Rabat
Bohdan Bondarenko won gold in the men’s high jump (2.28 meters) at the international meeting Mohammed VI D’Athletisme de Rabat in Morocco on June 16. Olha Lyakhova won bronze in the women’s 800 meters (2:00.35 seconds). Bondarenko also won gold (2.31 meters) at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting at Olympic Stadium in Rome on June 6.
Levchenko wins silver in high jump
Yuliya Levchenko won silver in the women’s high jump (1.90 meters) at the Bauhaus-Galan meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 30. Fellow Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh finished in fourth place in the women’s high jump (1.83 meters).
HOCKEY
Bozak, Parayko Stanley Cup champions
The 2018-2019 hockey season saw the performances of key players Tyler Bozak and Colton Parayko mirror that of their St. Louis Blues club. The worst team in the entire NHL on January 2 changed head coaches, called up a rookie goaltender, started winning and went on to claim the Stanley Cup. Newcomer Bozak took his time getting acclimated to his new surroundings and teammates before finishing with a bang, providing strong checking as third-line center while chipping in with 13 goals, 25 assists for 38 points, three game-winners and a respectable 54.3 face-off percentage. Fourth-year defenseman Parayko switched gears to assume the role of shutdown defender on the No. 2 pairing, sacrificing offense in an effort to stymie the opposition’s top forward line. He nonetheless tallied a career high in goals (10), was a solid plus-20 (plus/minus), contributed three game-winners and averaged 22.47 minutes on ice. During their 26-game playoff run, Bozak finished sixth on the Blues in scoring (508-13) with Parayko right behind him (2-10-12). Bozak was signed as a free agent from Toronto last offseason to provide leadership in the locker room in addition to shoring up the team’s checking line. Parayko earned his minutes by utilizing his 6-foot-6, 230-pound physique to launch booming blasts from the point and booming body checks on unsuspecting opponents. These two hockey players had much in common during 2018-2019: both are Ukrainian, both overcame a challenging beginning to their year, both adapted to a winning formula with key contributions, and both are now Stanley Cup champions.