Nov 11, 2021 3 min read

Riske in final

Alison Riske advanced to the final of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tennis tournament Thursday when Danielle Collins pulled out of their match with a right arm injury after losing the first set 7-5.

It was the only set played on semifinals day, as Simona Halep withdrew from her all-Romanian match against Jaqueline Cristian with a knee injury.

It’s the 11th career final and second of the season for Riske.

“Honestly, I don’t have words for it,” said the 73rd-ranked Riske, a McMurray native who has two career WTA titles and was ranked 18th two years ago before injuries forced her out for nine months.

“I had a really rocky year. It’s been a slow process coming back. I get emotional thinking about it because it’s definitely been a journey. So, I’m very grateful to be in the final.”

Riske went 3-1 down against the third-seeded Collins, but leveled for 3-3 and had another break at 5-5 before closing out the set with a love game on her serve.

Collins, who played with her right arm taped, was attended to but quickly hinted that she couldn’t play on. She hugged Riske before leaving the court.

Jim White Duals

Washington & Jefferson College has announced that the Presidents’ inaugural wrestling dual meet invitational, which will be held in January, will be called the Jim White Duals.

The event is scheduled for Jan. 22 at the James David Ross Family Recreation Center. Joining W&J in the duals are Alderson-Broaddus, Hiram, Glenville State and Ohio Wesleyan.

White, who died at the age of 84 in July of 2018, served as the head wrestling coach at W&J from 1965-1997. He was also the Presidents’ tennis coach as well as spending 21 years on the W&J football coaching staff. For more than 20 years, White coached a sport during every season of the academic year: football (fall), wrestling (winter), tennis (spring). He was head or assistant coach on 89 different W&J teams.

“Coach White inspired so many W&J students and we are excited to name this inaugural event in his name,” said W&J athletic director Scott McGuinness. “We hope all Presidents who wrestled under Coach White can return and celebrate his legacy.”

White was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and was a 2013 inductee into the Washington & Jefferson College Athletic Hall of Fame. He guided W&J’s wrestling program to three of the program’s five Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships (1965, 1966, 1995).

In golf

Marc Leishman, Russell Henley, Talor Gooch and Luke List shared the lead Thursday in the suspended first round of the Houston Open, with List still on the course when darkness stopped play.

Rain delayed the start for 2 ½ hours, with 0.9 inches falling at Memorial Park. None of the afternoon starters completed play.

Leishman, Henley and Gooch each finished at 5-under 65, while List had three holes left to play.

In the NFL

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a one-year deal with the Rams, choosing Los Angeles and its burgeoning super team over several potential free-agent destinations.

The Browns released Beckham on Monday midway through his third season in Cleveland. He cleared waivers with no team willing to pick up the $7.25 million he was owed under his last contract.