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>This one could haunt Gabriel Landeskog for a long time. The Colorado Avalanche had an equalizing goal overturned after the San Jose Sharks successfully challenged for offside in Game 7 on Wednesday night. Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow skated the puck outside his blue line but turned it over before he could get any further. In transition, the Avs came down and scored, capitalizing on the neutral-zone giveaway. However, while five Avalanche skaters were onside, a sixth - Landeskog - was slow to get off the ice. The @Avalanche think they've tied it up, but the offsides challenge says otherwise! Sharks remain in the lead!#SJSharks 2 - 1 #GoAvsGo (Game 7) pic.twitter.com/UhsWcMfMxV — Hockey Daily #StickTogether (@HockeyDaily365) May 9, 2019 Here's a screenshot of Landeskog, who was still standing at the bench as the puck reentered the Sharks' zone. A polite Landeskog opens the door, pays for his courtesy pic.twitter.com/RugqLg8FBf — Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) May 9, 2019 Although Landeskog was in the midst of a change and clearly not a factor in the goal, by rule, he was still offside. Rule 83.3, regarding offside on line changes: pic.twitter.com/omlxpSVfkS — Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) May 9, 2019 The NHL later issued an explanation for the ruling. Official Situation Room explanation of overturned Avs goal pic.twitter.com/rm1wJkBIVz — John Matisz (@MatiszJohn) May 9, 2019 Had one of Landeskog's teammates opened the gate, or if he hopped over the bench, the goal would've counted.<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>
Landeskog was trying to get off the ice and back to Colorado's bench, but the NHL determined he "did not legally tag up at the blue line prior to the puck entering the offensive zone." NHL explains controversial overturned goal in Sharks-Avalanche Game 7 originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com For a moment, it appeared the Sharks had allowed the game-tying goal they dreaded in the second period of Wednesday night's Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche. Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, who left and returned in the first period after an apparent shoulder injury, grabbed Derick Brassard's zone-entry pass and set up Colin Wilson. Wilson beat San Jose goaltender Martin Jones with 7:49 remaining in the middle frame, but the Sharks challenged the play for offside after an evaluation by video coach Dan Darrow. Replays indicated that Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog still was in the offensive zone when MacKinnon touched the puck. Landeskog was trying to get off the ice and back to Colorado's bench, but the NHL's Situation Room determined he "did not legally tag up at the blue line prior to the puck entering the offensive zone." According to the NHL, "[the] decision was made in accordance to Rule 83.3 (i) 'All players of the offending team clear the zone at the same instant (skate contact with the blue line) permitting the attacking players to re-enter the attacking zone …'" Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi scored the eventual game-winning goal 4:48 later in San Jose's Stanley Cup playoff series-ending 3-2 victory. "It's a tough call to make, so hopefully they got it right," Landeskog told reporters at SAP Center, via The Denver Post, after Game 7. Landeskog called the play "frustrating" and noted "there were 10 things I could've done differently on that play." Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was asked about the call in his postgame press conference, but he said the Sharks deserved to win Game 7 regardless. "It was a real good series, but they were the better team for two big portions of tonight's game," Bednar rold reporters, via The Post. "And they won, and they deserved to win. Story continues "I loved our push at the end. We had some chances to tie it, and our guys fought real hard all the way to the end." [RELATED: Sharks can't say enough about Pavelski after Game 7 win] The Sharks found themselves at the center of a controversial call for their second consecutive Game 7 this postseason. In the final game of their first-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights, Vegas forward Cody Eakin was assessed a five-minute major cross-checking penalty after San Jose captain Joe Pavelski laid motionless on the ice with his head bleeding. But a collision with Golden Knights forward Paul Stastny, not Eakin's cross-check, caused Pavelski to hit his head on the ice. San Jose scored four goals on the ensuing five-minute power play to take its first lead that night, and eventually dispatched Vegas with a 5-4 overtime win. The NHL ultimately apologized to the Golden Knights, and Pavelski told reporters Sunday he didn't believe it should have been a major penalty, either.