NEWS » Manuwa delivered three good punches to take h

The irony would be delicious if it werent so frustrating for those who had hoped to watch Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber slug it out for the prestigious year-end WTA No. 1 ranking at the WTA Finals Singapore, which starts Sunday.Since Williams is?out of the picture with a shoulder injury, the substitute down-to-the-wire battle is the one between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Johanna Konta?for the eighth and final place in the WTA Finals singles field.The draw for the round-robin portion already has been made, with either Kuznetsova or Konta destined to join the White Group. Kuznetsova must successfully defend her Kremlin Cup title -- she has reached Sundays final in Moscow -- in order to inch ahead of Konta as the No. 8 qualifier.However it turns out, the opportunity offered by the WTA Finals is very different for each woman involved. In fact, analyzing the field on the basis of whats at stake is always a nice alternative to traditional bracketology, so lets go ahead with it:Red GroupWTA No. 1 Angelique Kerber (59-15 in singles, three titles): Kerbers main task after she won the Australian Open in January and declared that shed fulfilled a lifelong dream at age 28 was to demonstrate that realizing her goal didnt leave her sated. She then went 1-1 in two more Grand Slam finals and is guaranteed the year-end No. 1 ranking. So the short and sweet answer to Whats at stake? for Kerber is: nothing much. Kerber has played a lot of tennis this year, and her group includes two rally-and-retrieve specialists. Singapore has been disappointing for her; she is 2-7 in three appearances and has never survived the round-robin portion. Add it up, and its easy to see why she might just mail it in and accept accolades for a great year.No. 4 Simona Halep (44-16, three titles): She won as many titles as Kerber in 2016, and two of them (Montreal and Madrid) were high-value tournaments. But the 25-year old Romanian has yet to win a major or establish herself as a true elite, which tells us much about Haleps ongoing struggle with confidence in big moments at big events. A French Open finalist in 2014, she hasnt done anything comparable since. In 2014 in Singapore, Halep crushed No. 1 Serena Williams 6-0, 6-2 in round-robin play but then lost to Williams by a nearly identical score in the final. A win in Singapore may not resonate as powerfully as a triumph at a Grand Slam event, but it would be a start.No. 7 Madison Keys (46-15, one title): Just 21, Keys is a debutante at the WTA Finals. A decent performance (reaching the knockout semifinals) in Singapore would cap a year of solid progress and set Keys up nicely for 2017. But with a win or a runner-up finish, she would be telling the world that shes ready to make a big push to occupy the vacuum that Serena Williams is bound to leave eventually. Its especially important for Keys American audience.No. 8 Dominika Cibulkova (50-19, three titles): Cibulkova lost the Australian Open final to Li Na in 2014. The 5-foot-3, 27-year-old dynamo from Bratislava, Slovakia, tailed off after that high point, but she has rebounded beautifully in 2016. Shes won as many titles in 2016 as anyone in the field, even though her year was interrupted in midsummer by the pleasant distraction of her wedding. A good showing in Singapore would leave Cibulkova in a position to earn a high seed and make another run at a major final in Melbourne.White GroupNo. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska (51-16, three titles): Shes the defending champion in Singapore, but shes also the first (and only) champion who hoisted the trophy despite having won just one round-robin match. Thats an asterisk Radwanska could wipe away if she has another great tournament, making it to the final or better. An excellent tournament also will make it easier for the former Wimbledon finalist to hang around near the top, awaiting her opportunity for another shot at Grand Slam glory -- especially if Serena Williams is out of the picture.No. 5 Karolina Pliskova (42-20, two titles): She knocked out Venus and Serena Williams en route to the US Open final, which made Pliskova the talk of the town even after she lost the championship match to Kerber. Pliskovas game suffered after those outstanding achievements. The 6-foot-1, 24-year-old Czech needs to show that she didnt just have a career fortnight with that big serve and first-strike forehand. Pliskova could be Madison Keys generational rival. A great way to move toward that would be for both women to make the semis.No. 6 Garbine Muguruza (34-18, one title): The fact that the only title Muguruza won this year was a Grand Slam (the French Open) tells you much about the 23-year-old Spanish pro. Despite her previous experience as a Grand Slam finalist (she lost the 2015 Wimbledon final to Serena Williams), she doesnt seem capable of focusing and playing calm, determined tennis on a day-to-day basis. She salvaged a poor fall last year by making the semis in Singapore and finds herself in the same position this year. Her reputation as a competitor would benefit from a strong showing.In contention for final spot in White GroupNo. 9 Svetlana Kuznetsova (*39-20, one title): The free-spirited, philosophical Russian has two Grand Slam titles. Her motivation and confidence have always fluctuated, but at 31 she seems to be in the midst of a late-career surge and enjoying every moment of it. The payoff for her would be vindication in what might be a farewell tour.* Kuznetsova stats dont include in-progress Kremlin Cup.No. 10 Johanna Konta (44-21, one title): Even if she is nudged out on the final day of the regular WTA Tour season by Kuznetsova, Konta has been a revelation. The aggressive 25-year-old newcomer to the WTA top 10 was ranked No. 150 at the end of 2014. Now shes the first female British player to make the top 10 in over 30 years. Shes living the dream, and the only thing at stake for her is validation of her new status. Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. 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MANCHESTER, England -- Michael Bisping retained his UFC middleweight title early by taking a unanimous decision victory over Dan Henderson at UFC 204 at the Manchester Arena on Sunday, ending the retiring Americans career in defeat.The fight started tentatively, with Henderson wary of combinations from Bisping, and the Englishman concerned about the right hook with which Henderson had knocked him out at UFC 100.With 30 seconds to go in the first round, however, the 46-year-old Henderson landed the shot for which he is known, almost finishing Bisping and creating prominent swelling under his left eye.With Bisping controlling the second round, a groin strike not spotted by the referee, and led to an ailing Henderson hitting the right hook, dropping Bisping once more, although again he was able to recover.The remaining rounds were less dramatic, although Bisping continued to land more strikes. That led to the judges awarding the hometown favorite the fight, despite the differences in overall damage.He just kicked my ass, man. Hes as tough as old boots, said a relieved Bisping after the fight.Henderson had announced his retirement prior to the fight, and confirmed it afterward.That was the last time anyone will see me fight live, Henderson said. I appreciate all the support throughout my career, worldwide. I gave my heart and soul to this sport.I came up a little short, but not bad for an old man.In the co-main event, Gegard Mousasi defeated Vitor Belfort in the middleweight division.After an early flurry off punches by Belfort, he took a head kick in round two, and referee Marc Goddard stopped the bout quickly when the Brazilian fell to the ground and covered up under fire from punches.dddddddddddd(Belfort) is a legend. Fighting him is an honour, said Mousasi after the bout. He then challenged UFC legend Anderson Silva, stating that it would be a good fight for me.Jimi Manuwa delivered three good punches to take his fight against interim light-heavyweight contender Ovince St. Preux.After being out-wrestled in round 1, Manuwa landed a left to the body, an overhand right, and a left-hook to stop the bout, and invigorate a crowd that was beginning to wilt at just after 4 a.m. local time, with the event timed to suit U.S. television audiences.Stefan Struve became the first man to finish Daniel Omielanczuk in MMA competition, winning via darce choke for the 17th submission victory of his career. After the bout, he reminded UFCs matchmakers that he holds a TKO victory over current heavyweight title-holder Stipe Miocic.Bosnias Mirsad Bektic returned to action for the first time since May 2015 and took a rear naked choke victory over Russell Doane in the featherweight division, giving him a 4-0 record in the UFC.In the final fight of the preliminary card, Londons Brad Pickett was rocked by a spinning back elbow, never fully recovering before submitting to Iuri Alcantaras triangle choke. ' ' '