After fighting through a 45-minute first set the 33-year-old Wawrinka needed just 26 more minutes to salt away the first-round victory as the moody Paire had unleashed a trademark racquet smash after dropping the opening set.

The frustrated 58th-ranked Frenchman made little effort in the second set, phoning it in with apparent disinterest as Wawrinka took complete charge.

Breaking four times on his way into the second round Wawrinka made a date against either Milos Raonic, who beat him in four tiebreak sets at the Australian Open, or German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

“It’s tough to play a friend whose game you know so well,” Wawrinka said of Paire, “I didn’t start well, but I lifted my level and got better and better.

“I’m happy to win this match.

“It’s tough to play Paire but I was able to regain my focus. I fought hard to find my rhythm.”

Wawrinka said that his knee is no longer a problem.

“In general I’m training well and moving well. “I had a good level in Melbourne against Raonic over almost four hours.

“The knee is good, I’m happy physically and have confidence in it.”

The number 68 Swiss who claimed the title in Europe’s major port city in 2015, has been working for more than a year to rehab completely following two knee surgeries in summer, 2017.

Victory over his French opponent leaves him with a 9-3 record in the series.

The field is headed by Asia’s top player, Kei Nishikori of Japan, who opens in his tournament debut on Tuesday against Montpellier finalist Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.

In other first-round results on Monday, Italian veteran Andreas Seppi outlasted Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 7-6(7/3), 3-6, 6-2 while Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin beat Dutchman Robin Haase, a quarter-finalist here in 2018 who lost to Roger Federer, 6-2, 7-6(7/4).

Federer became the oldest man to return to the number one ranking through that victory one year ago here.

Sala, 28, had signed for English Premier League side Cardiff City and was flying to his new team from his old club Nantes in France when his plane went missing over the Channel on January 21.

The wreckage was located on the seabed. The striker’s body was recovered but pilot David Ibbotson is still missing. The plane remains under the sea.

In a brief hearing in Bournemouth on the south coast, an inquest into Sala’s death was opened, and adjourned until November 6 pending further inquiries.

The post-mortem presented at the hearing gave Sala’s cause of death as “head and trunk injuries”.

Sala was formally identified by fingerprints.

In English law, inquests are held to examine sudden or unexplained deaths.

They set out to determine the identity of the deceased, the place and time of death as well as how the deceased came by their death, but they do not apportion blame.

– ‘You shouldn’t give up’ –

Senior coroner’s officer Ian Parry told the hearing that the plane “was located on the seabed in international waters.

“Following a closer examination of the site a body, later identified as Mr Sala, was found and recovered.

“To date the pilot, Mr Ibbotson, has not been found.

“Police, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the Civil Aviation Authority are continuing with their inquiries,” he said.

A fundraising campaign to restart the search for Ibbotson is already more than half way to its £300,000 ($385,000, 340,000 euro) target.

“If you’ve got hope then you shouldn’t give up,” his daughter Danielle told ITV television.

“He wouldn’t stop searching for me.”

Nantes gave a final rousing send off to Sala with a series of moving gestures in their Ligue 1 match against Nimes on Sunday.

Known as the Canaries due to their yellow kit, Nantes played in a one-off full black outfit with Sala’s name on the back of each shirt.

Tickets for the game were sold at a symbolic nine euros ($10) in memory of the player’s shirt number, which they have also withdrawn.

Before Saturday’s Premier League match between Southampton and visitors Cardiff, a minute’s silence was observed.

The 33-year-old, who last lifted a trophy in Antwerp (d. Schwartzman) in October 2017, dropped just four points behind his first serve (27/31) to triumph in 73 minutes. Tsonga missed seven months of the 2018 ATP Tour season following his semi-final retirement in Montpellier last year, ungergoing left knee surgery in April.

“I am very happy with the way I played this week,” said Tsonga. “It was an amazing moment for me to win here in Montpellier… I have made many efforts to come back [here], so for me it is a good reward and I hope I will be able to continue playing at this level.”

Ranked No. 210 in the ATP Rankings, Tsonga is the lowest-ranked ATP Tour titlist since Pablo Andujarlifted the Grand Prix Hassan II trophy in Marrakech 10 months ago. Tsonga improves to 17-12 in tour-level championship matches and extends his unbeaten FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Herbert to three matches.

In the second straight all-French final in Montpellier, Tsonga becomes the seventh French winner in the tournament’s nine-year history. The 17-time tour-level titlist joins countrymen Gael Monfils (2010, ’14), Richard Gasquet (2013, ’15-’16) and Lucas Pouille (2018) on the list of home champions.

In a tight opening set, Tsonga earned the only two break points at 4-4. Herbert stuck to his gameplan, serving and volleying to deny Tsonga on his first opportunity. But Tsonga read the play on his second break point, guiding a forehand return winner up the line to earn the break.

After serving out the first set to love after 37 minutes, Tsonga began to find his range on his return. Herbert’s continued attack proved no match for Tsonga, who drilled backhand returns at his opponent’s laces to earn two breaks of serve. Serving at 5-2, the wild card once again held serve to love, overpowering Herbert to claim victory.

Pochettino’s side took the lead through Davinson Sanchez’s first goal for the club, but they were indebted to Hugo Lloris for saving Jamie Vardy’s spot-kick after the interval at Wembley.

Christian Eriksen netted moments later and although Vardy got one back, Son Heung-min’s late strike ensured third-placed Tottenham clinched a fifth win in their last six league games.

The north Londoners are five points off the top of the table as they try to catch pace-setters Liverpool and Manchester City.

While Tottenham are still outsiders to win their first English title since 1961, their ability to stay in contention, despite injuries to key players Harry Kane and Dele Alli suggests they shouldn’t be completely written off.

This gritty success was the ideal preparation for hosting Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday.

“Sometimes you can win games not playing your best. We conceded more chances than usual, but I think the victory is fair,” Pochettino said.

“The effort was fantastic, with the circumstances that happened in this game and also this season. I’m so proud.”

Leicester have lost four of their last five league games, increasing the pressure on under-fire boss Claude Puel.

Puel has reportedly lost the support of several influential players, including England striker Vardy, who was left on the bench for the first 60 minutes before coming on to miss a penalty with his first touch.

Insisting he was happy for Vardy to take the penalty, Puel said: “I gave him the opportunity. I said if he felt good he could take it.

“Maybe it was not a good thing, but we had a lot of chances, not just with this penalty.”

Fernando Llorente was caught napping early on when Harry Maguire evaded the Tottenham striker’s marking and met James Maddison’s free-kick with a towering header that Lloris tipped over.

Then, Leicester’s Harvey Barnes was allowed too much space in the penalty area as he raced onto Youri Tielemans’ pass, but a poor finish wasted a gilt-edged chance.

Finally piecing together an incisive raid, Tottenham were furious when Son’s penalty appeal ended in a booking for diving after Maguire stuck out a leg to halt the South Korean.

Still angry about the decision after the match, Pochettino fumed: “It’s unbelievable. I am a person who accepts the mistakes, but today it was so clear. I told Michael Oliver.

“If we are being targeted (by referees), I don’t understand why. We are nice people.”

Pochettino’s men channelled their frustration into a sustained assault on the Leicester goal.

– Protests in vain –

Tottenham were rewarded with a well-worked 33rd minute opener.

Trippier’s short corner found the unmarked Christian Eriksen and he whipped a pin-point cross towards Sanchez six yards from goal.

Leicester called for offside, but their protests were in vain as Sanchez launched himself into a diving header that flashed past Kasper Schmeichel.

Replays showed the Colombia defender was just onside as he scored his first goal for Tottenham since his 2017 move from Ajax.

Leicester’s positive start to the second half brought a golden opportunity to equalise with their 60th minute penalty.

A rapid exchange of passes opened up a chance for Maddison, prompting Jan Vertonghen to rashly bundle over the midfielder.

Vardy had been warming up in preparation and was immediately introduced, jogging forward to take the ball from Maddison.

But Lloris came to Tottenham’s rescue, plunging to his right to keep out Vardy’s spot-kick.

Tottenham made the most of their escape as Eriksen doubled the lead three minutes later.

Llorente pounced on Ricardo Pereira’s poor clearance and teed up Eriksen for a superb strike from the edge of the area for his first goal since January 1.

Vardy gave Leicester hope in the 76th minute, pouncing from close-range to convert Pereira’s cross in typically predatory fashion.

But Son had the last word in the 90th minute as the winger raced clear to slot past Schmeichel for his 15th goal of the season.

City scored four times inside 25 minutes and added two more goals in the second half to overtake Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the table.

The result was Chelsea’s heaviest defeat in any competition since losing 7-0 to Nottingham Forest in 1991.

“At the moment I am not able to explain,” Sarri, whose side slipped to sixth in the table, below Arsenal on goal difference after the defeat, told Sky Sports.

“During the week my feeling was good during training. Maybe the goal we conceded after three minutes it was difficult to play. It was difficult not to give them spaces. We were in trouble. I am not able to understand.

“We made a lot of mistakes against the wrong opponents. They played fantastic football and we made a lot of mistakes. We wanted to press them at the beginning of the action but the plan was completely ruined because we conceded after three minutes.

“I think the big difference between the two teams was the intensity of pressing. They pressed really well and we were not able to do it. We were not able to react in the right way. We were not able to stay in the match.”

The Italian said his side had a problem away from home and added it was right he should shoulder responsibility for the performance.

“At the moment we have a big problem away,” he said. “The beginning of the season we were better away than at home. But everything has changed in the last month. We need to understand.

“It is right. I am in charge of the team so it is right (that he faces pressure). You will have to ask the club (if there will be discussions about his future).”

The network’s survey, covering a period from 1998-2018, found that 340 coaches were accused of sexual offenses, which resulted in 222 convictions in cases involving more than 600 youths under the age of 18.

It added that 34 more cases were still working their way through the courts.

CBC/Radio Canadia said it went through thousands of case files and visited numerous courts around the country to compile its database.

Sandra Kirby, a sociology professor at the University of Winnipeg and a former Olympic athlete, said the CBC findings were “just the tip of the iceberg” because sexual abuse is often not reported.

She said “massive reform” was needed to ensure youths can safely participate in organized sports.

“It’s pretty gut-wrenching to see the findings,” Lorraine Lafreniere, head of the Coaching Association of Canada, told CBC. “There is a misguided sense of security when you drop your child off at the clubhouse.”

CBC said the offenses it reviewed ranged from sexual abuse, to sexual exploitation to the production or possession of child pornography.

Nearly all of those convicted — 213 to 222 — were men but the victims were both boys and girls.

Canada’s most emblematic sport, hockey, had the most cases of sexual misconduct by coaches — 86, of which 59 resulted in convictions.

Soccer, which attracts the largest number of youthful participants in Canada, was second with 40 people accused of sexual offenses and 27 convicted.

But cases of sexual abuse of minors turned up in every sport, the CBC said.

The 23-year-old young gun fired a final round 67, six birdies against a lone bogey on the fifth hole, for a four day total of 20 under-par-268, five strokes better than Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng. It marked his third Tour title after he won here in 2017 and the 2016 Boonchu Ruangkit Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima.

“It feels amazing to win this tournament again. I didn’t play last year so this was like I came back to defend my title,” said Danthai who earned Bt450,000 prize money as the champion.

“I really like the layout here which is quite wide. I also feel great on the greens which is why I putted so well and shot low score this week,” added Danthai whose only one Asian Tour victory occurred four years ago in the World Classic Championship in Singapore.

Danthai started the final round with a two shot advantage over first round leader Poom Pattarapong. The latter however was struggling with his game all day as he stumbled to a 76 and a total nine under-par-279 to settle at joint seventh.

“I was trying to stay at the presence, playing shot by shot and stuck to the routine. That’s how I put myself in control in the final round,” added Danthai who will next compete in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth which starts on Thursday.

“I hope to finish in the top 10 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit this year. I will also enter some European Tour events and hope to do well too.”

Witchayanon from Udonthani carded an unblemished 66 to settle at lone second with a 273 with Pavit Tangkamonprasert coming at third on 274.

The 25-year-old from Montrouge, France, returned an even-par 72 in Sunday’s final round to finish at -8 and become the season’s first Rolex First-Time Winner.

“It’s been something I’ve been working toward since I turned pro and I just feel like it just happened,” said Boutier, who now makes her home in Dallas, Texas. “I’m super excited with the way I handled myself. It’s not always easy to be able to get your first win.”

A trio of players finished two strokes behind Boutier at -6. Australia’s Sarah Kemp shot the day’s low round of 65, playing in the day’s second group after starting the round tied for 35th. She was joined in second by fellow Australian Su Oh and 2019 LPGA Tour rookie Charlotte Thomas of England.

In a format unique to world professional golf, the ISPS Handa Vic Open is a leader in sports equality. Staged at 13th Beach Golf Links on Australia’s Bellarine Peninsula, men and women play on the same courses, at the same time, for equal prize money. The ISPS Handa Vic Open is jointly sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the ALPG, the European Tour and the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia.

BIG BIRDIE EARNS BIG WIN FOR BOUTIER

It was a 30-foot birdie at No. 15 that pulled Celine Boutier two strokes clear of the field and sealed her maiden victory. With a pump of her fist, she clearly knew that it was a major moment.

“I feel like I’ve struggled a bit all day with my long game and I just didn’t have many birdie opportunities,” said Boutier, who ended up with third birdies on the day to go with three bogeys. “On 15 when I made that putt, kind of really made me like motivate myself and made me really more confident in my abilities to win the tournament.”

With her win, Boutier becomes the second Duke University alumna to win on the LPGA Tour, joining 2016 U.S. Women’s Open champion Brittany Lang. She is also the fourth French golfer to win an LPGA Tour event and first since 2003, joining Catherine Lacoste (one win), Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (two wins) and Anne-Marie Palli (two wins)

CAREER DAY FOR KEMP

To say that Aussie Sarah Kemp had a career day is a gross understatement. Playing in the day’s second group, the 33-year-old from New South Wales bounced back from an opening double-bogey to absolutely blitz her way around the Beach Course. Her nine birdies led to a 7-under 65, her best round since the fourth round of the 2010 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, and skyrocketed her up the leaderboard to a tie for second.

“It was one of those days you almost can’t remember what happened,” said Kemp, who knocked in five consecutive birdies at Nos. 4-8. “It just all happened so fast and everything was going to plan. I tried to stay patient. I knew that I was kind of having a good score at the end and I got a little nervous coming down 18, but yeah, just lucked out.”

KAUFMAN TAKES THE POSITIVES FROM A TOUGH ROUND

After opening her final round with a birdie at No. 1, it looked like 54-hole leader Kim Kaufman might run away from the field. Unfortunately, just the opposite happened. The South Dakota native went bogey-bogey-double bogey on Nos. 3-5 and added three more bogeys in her inward nine to fall into a tie for eighth.

Nevertheless, Kaufman sees the positives from her round. Considering how much she struggled in 2018, missing 13 of 22 cuts and playing Q Series to better her position, she is happy with the current direction of her game.

“I think just the first two days being aggressive and just making a lot of birdies, and the game is there,” said Kaufman of what she learned about herself. “Also learning how do I learn to manage being in the final group the last two days. Just missed some putts, but I know the difference in my feel of it, it’s a little tentative, and how to deal with that. The more we get in that position, hopefully the more you get to experiment and figure it out.”

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 123 Celine Boutier (69C-71B-69B-72B, -8)

• She hit nine of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens, with 29 putts
• Boutier is in her third season on the LPGA tour; her best finish is third at the 2018 Blue Bay LPGA, her only career top-10 finish
• Boutier has two wins on the Ladies European Tour, the 2017 Sanya Ladies Open and the 2018 Australian Ladies Classic Bonville
• Boutier has two wins on the Symetra Tour, the 2017 Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic and the 2017 Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge
• Boutier is a 2016 graduate of Duke University; she joins Brittany Lang (2016 U.S. Women’s Open) as the only Duke alumnae to win on the LPGA Tour
• She was a two-time All-American at Duke and the 2013-14 National Player of the Year, and helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2014 NCAA Championship

Rolex Rankings No. 259 Sarah Kemp (70B-71C-77B-65B, -6)

• This is Kemp’s first top-20 finish since May 2015, when she finished T16 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic
• Her fourth-round 65 is tied for the second-lowest round of her LPGA Tour career; she shot a 63 at the 2009 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic (third round) and a 65 at the 2010 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic (fourth round)
• She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens, with 26 putts
• Kemp is in her 12th LPGA Tour season; prior to today, her best career LPGA Tour finish was T10 (2010 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge, 2011 Safeway Classic)

Rolex Rankings No. 78 Su Oh (67C-68B-74B-74B, -6)

• She hit five of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 32 putts
• Oh is in her fourth LPGA Tour season; her best career finish is second at the 2016 Kingsmill Championship and she has eight top-10 finishes, including four in 2018

Rolex Rankings No. 450 Charlotte Thomas (68B-68C-78B-69B, -6)

• She hit nine of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens, with 32 putts
• Thomas is a 2019 LPGA Tour rookie; this was her third career LPGA Tour event, joining the 2017 and 2018 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Opens

OF NOTE

Haru Nomura (T5) earned her best result since winning the 2017 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout

Alison Lee (T11) earned her best result since finishing second at the 2016 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship

Three Australians finished in the top 10 – Sarah Kemp (T2), Su Oh (T2) and Katherine Kirk (T5)

Two LPGA Tour rookies finished in the top 10 – Charlotte Thomas (T2) and Lauren Stephenson (T8)

CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE – SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group will donate $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Su Oh recorded the first ace of the 2019 LPGA Tour season on Thursday at the par-3 15th hole on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links. She rolled in a hole-in-one with a 6-iron from 160 yards for her seventh ace in competition and first since the third round of the 2016 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.

LEADERS TOP 10 COMPETITION

The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.

Through the first two events of the LPGA season, 21 players have top-10 finishes, led by Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions winner Eun-Hee Ji and ISPS Handa Vic Open winner Celine Boutier.