The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>The Canadian Press When Dalton Kellett first signed with A.J. Foyt Racing in early 2020, he spoke about wanting to learn from the team's wealth of experience on the IndyCar circuit. Kellett, from Stouffville, Ont., was able to draw on the Foyt team's collective knowledge on May 22 as he took the 30th and final spot in qualifying ahead of this Sunday's Indianapolis 500. Kellett thought he was outside of the top 30 qualifying laps when he was told by his team to move into the priority lane and take one more lap, which ultimately guaranteed him a spot on the starting grid at the premier race in the IndyCar season. "It's super competitive in IndyCar and sometimes other teams have been able to make it work for them and this time we were able to use our experience," said Kellett. "The team definitely tapped into the experienced managers and strategists that we have here." How Kellett made the cut is complicated. Kellett was holding on to the final spot on the qualifying grid, but sitting alone in his car he was under the mistaken impression that former Indy 500 champion Will Power had bumped him from No. 30 based on average qualifying lap time. However, Power’s most recent entry didn’t count because it was not one of the top 30 best times of Day 1 of qualifying. Sage Karam, RC Enerson, Kellett's teammate Charlie Kimball and Simona de Silvestro were also outside the top 30, hoping to bump Kellett. So when the Canadian moved into the priority lane and put himself out on the track for one last qualifying lap, all he had to do was not crash and hope De Silvestro’s final run didn’t best his. De Silvestro couldn't catch Kellett, putting two Canadians in the field. James Hinchliffe of Oakville, Ont., will start Sunday's race at the No. 16 spot. "As far as strategy calls, that was one of those cool moments," said Kellett. "Looking back at it it was the big drama for that day. "That's why qualifying is so exciting here for us and the fans." The 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be Kellett's second appearance in the race. Although he competed as a rookie in last year's event, 2020 wasn't a typical Indy 500. Because of COVID-19 restrictions the 2020 edition of the race was moved from its usual Memorial Day weekend spot on the IndyCar schedule to August. When it was held, most of the traditional pomp and circumstance was cancelled or altered and there were no fans in the stands. Kellett, who lives in Indianapolis, said that of all those customary practices he's most looking forward to sitting in on the driver's pre-race meeting, which is usually open to the public but was not in 2020. "No other race that we go to has that kind of thing where the fans come to the driver's meeting," said Kellett, who added he looks forward to the traditional pre-race parade returning in the future. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2021. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press<doc-sep>Boston's Brad Marchand is known for being arguably the biggest instigator in the NHL, and he was back at it on Sunday during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Bruins and Hurricanes. Marchand took Hurricanes captain Justin Williams down with a high stick late in the second period, and the referees only called a penalty when Williams got in Marchand’s face and yanked his chin strap. Marchand then pointed to the penalty box and taunted Williams by making a “C” with his hand and putting it up to his chest.<doc-sep>
There's been plenty of chatter about Brad Marchand and his antics this postseason, and the Bruins winger successfully stirred the pot once again during Sunday's Game 2 against the Hurricanes in Boston. During the Bruins' dominant 6-2 win over Carolina, Marchand managed to goad veteran Hurricanes winger Justin Williams into taking a costly penalty that put Boston on the power play. During the second period, Marchand caught Williams with a high stick up around the neck area behind the play and essentially yanked him down to the ice. Williams was understandably displeased with Marchand's stick work and he confronted the Bruins winger by grabbing his face and exchanging a few words while whistles sang and play stopped around them. Unfortunately for Williams, his retaliation was penalized with a holding call, while Marchand's initial transgression was not penalized by officials, who either missed or overlooked the blatant high stick infraction. Marchand, who has a well-earned reputation of being a pest and agitator, seemed to revel in his achievement. Not only did he effectively rustle some feathers, he skated away a free man. He also sent Williams off to the penalty box with a parting gift: A simple gesture mocking the captain's 'C' that Williams wears on his Hurricanes sweater. Williams' penalty turned out to be costly, as the Bruins scored on the ensuing power play with a goal from Matt Grzelcyk that made the score 4-0 Boston. After the game, the 37-year-old Carolina captain conveyed regret over allowing Marchand to get under his skin, saying "I need to be better." He also painted a rather interesting (and gross) interpretation of the incident. While Marchand is a very skilled and productive player -- he led the Bruins with 100 points this season -- he's also an astute pest that knows how to get an opponent to lose their cool, sometimes via dirty and cheap tactics. Last round, Marchand found himself in some hot water when he stomped on the stick blade of Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson, then again later when he delivered a cheap shot to the back of the head of defenseman Scott Harrington. Marchand wasn't disciplined for either of those incidents, either. As we see so often in hockey, the initial crime often goes unseen while the retaliation gets the attention of officials. Nobody knows this better than Marchand, and he used it to his advantage on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for Williams, who is the elder statesman of a relatively young and inexperienced Hurricanes roster, the gray in his hair and beard weren't enough to prevent him from falling into one of Marchand's famous traps, and it was one of the (several) reasons why the Hurricanes were thoroughly embarrassed by the Bruins in Game 2.