Sports News

Plzeň make club history with six wins in first six; Rosický scores in first start since returning to Sparta; Siniaková and Hradecká beaten in US Open women’s doubles final; and mixed results for champions Liberec as Extraliga returns.

Rosický nets first Czech league goal in 17 years

Tomáš Rosický, photo: CTK

Viktoria Plzeň continued their perfect start to the season with a 3:0 win over Slovan Liberec on Saturday. It is the first time in Plzeň’s history that the club have won their opening six fixtures – and the first time any Czech side have done it since Sparta Prague six years ago.

But still it was Sparta who took most of the headlines at the weekend thanks to a fairytale moment for midfielder Tomáš Rosický, with the former Czech international captain scoring on his first start for his boyhood club since his return last year. Indeed, Rosický’s goal in the hosts’ 2:0 victory over Karviná was his first in the domestic league for a full 17 years.

“Of course I was really delighted. Because I was playing after a long break. From the start I felt good. The first 10 or 15 minutes were decent. We created some pressure and were good going forward. But then we started to have problems. We were too open and gave them opportunities to punish us.”

Rosický also said he was sorry to see disunity among Sparta’s supporters. Unhappy at some decisions taken by the club’s management, one section of fans turned up for the game but instead of cheering on their team hurled abuse at general director Adam Kotalík and manager Andrea Stramaccioni.

Siniaková and Hradecká beaten in US Open women’s doubles final

Kateřina Siniaková, photo: CTK

Kateřina Siniaková and Lucie Hradecká were beaten in the final of the women’s doubles at tennis’s US Open in New York on Sunday. The Czech pairing went down 3-6 2-6 to Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis a day after the latter also lifted the mixed doubles trophy. Siniaková, who is 21, said she was not overly disappointed with coming off second best in the last Grand Slam of the year.

“I’m terribly glad that I could play on this big court, that I could stand beside Lucie, and of course be in the final. It wasn’t our best performance and it’s a pity that that happened in the final. But still I can regard it as a successful tournament.”

Šafářová remains doubles number one but Plíšková slips

Lucie Šafářová, photo: CTK

Lucie Šafářová, who alongside Barbora Strýcová was beaten by Siniaková and Hradecká in the semi-finals in New York, remains number one in the WTA women’s doubles rankings after the US Open. However, Karolína Plíšková has slipped from singles number one to fourth in the world following her quarter-finals exit at Flushing Meadows.

Mixed results for champions Liberec as Extraliga returns

The domestic ice hockey Extraliga returned for its new season on Friday. Defending champions the Liberec White Tigers won their opening game against Hradec Králové 3:0 but succumbed 2:0 to Litvínov in their second outing on Sunday.