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Sports stars to watch in 2019

Sports stars to watch in 2019
© Reuters
Who to look out for in the next sporting year.

The next 12 months could see a number of sports stars establish themselves on the global scene.

Here, Press Association Sport selects 10 to look out for in 2019.

Alexander Zverev (tennis)

Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev won the ATP Finals in London (John Walton/PA)

At some point someone will break the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic grand slam stranglehold and Zverez, 21, is the obvious candidate. With Ivan Lendl now in his corner, the German will surely tackle his chronic underachievement at the slams so far, and he showed by beating Federer and Djokovic back to back at the ATP Finals in London that he has got everything to win the biggest titles and very soon.

Jofra Archer (cricket)

Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer is not yet eligible for England (Anthony Devlin/PA)

With a home World Cup followed immediately by an Ashes series, cricket is sure to be back page news in 2019. Sussex all-rounder Archer, who is not even available for England selection yet, looks set to be the brightest new face. The Barbados-born 23-year-old's ability to bowl at 90mph, hit powerfully in the lower order and take brilliant catches in the field make him the kind of 'X factor' performer fans want to see. His residency terms are likely to be complete in March and expect to see him wearing three lions sooner rather than later.

Nikita Parris (football)

Nikita Parris
Nikita Parris is the Women's Super League's all-time leading goalscorer (Martin Rickett/PA)

England striker Parris will head to the Women's World Cup in France next summer full of confidence. The Manchester City player became the Women's Super League's all-time leading scorer last month and has established herself among Europe's best. Parris, 24, has reportedly attracted interest from Paris St Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich and should play a key role as Phil Neville's side attempt to better the country's third placed finish in 2015.

Josh Kelly (boxing)

Josh Kelly
Josh Kelly represented Team GB at Rio 2016 (Tim Goode/PA)

If Kelly was the most promising fighter of those Team GB took to Rio 2016 and is considered the most talented of a professional stable that also includes Michael Conlan and Ryan Burnett, then after eight victories and aged 24 his progress can be expected to accelerate. His renowned trainer Adam Booth also appears ready to match him more ambitiously, so Kelly will be presented with the chance to truly excel.

George Russell (F1)

George Russell
George Russell won the F2 championship title in 2018 (David Davies/PA)

The 20-year-old Englishman will make the step up to Formula One on the back of clinching the F2 championship. Norfolk-born Russell, who will race for Williams, beat fellow British rookie Lando Norris to that title. With 19-year-old Norris also progressing to the pinnacle of the sport with McLaren, British motor racing fans will be keen to witness the continuation of the rivalry and the battle of two potential future world champions.

Freya Anderson (swimming)

Freya Anderson
Freya Anderson is preparing for the World Championships in South Korea (Jane Barlow/PA)

Anderson has an opportunity to to prove her pedigree on the global stage ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Gold medals in the 4x200m free and mixed 4x100m medley relays in Glasgow last summer showed her undoubted potential in European competition. The 17-year-old heads to July's World Championships in South Korea with a chance to shine individually.

Ellie Downie (gymnastics)

Ellie Downie
Ellie Downie has shown she has the talent to push for medals (Danny Lawson/PA)

Downie endured a painful and frustrating 18 months after claiming the all-around title at the 2017 European Championships in Cluj. But, after fighting back to fitness to compete in the World Championships in Doha in October, the 19-year-old looks ready to put her problems behind her. Fully fit and focused, Downie has shown she has the talent to push for medals at the next worlds in Stuttgart in 2019.

Reiss Nelson (football)

Reiss Nelson
Reiss Nelson is enjoying a loan spell in Germany (Martin Rickett/PA)

The Arsenal forward has been among the goals in the Bundesliga during a productive loan spell with German club Hoffenheim and has been backed for a "big future" by England manager Gareth Southgate. Nelson, who is due back at the Emirates Stadium next summer, has already trained with the national team's senior squad. With Southgate giving plenty of opportunities to young players, including Jadon Sancho, 2019 could be a significant year for the 19-year-old.

Dina Asher-Smith (athletics)

Dina Asher-Smith
Dina Asher-Smith was nominated for the 2018 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (Martin Rickett/PA)

The triple European champion will go for double gold at next year's World Championships. Asher-Smith, 23, is planning on running the 100m and 200m in Doha as she steps up her bid for global dominance. She ran two world leading times in 2018 – 10.85 seconds in the 100m and 21.89s in the 200m – on the way to winning both events in Berlin in August.

Simon Yates (cycling)

Simon Yates
Simon Yates won La Vuelta in September (David Davies/PA)

Yates' La Vuelta victory should be just the beginning. The 26-year-old lit up the Giro d'Italia with his attacking display but learned lessons from his collapse to win in Spain. Next he will surely target the Tour de France. While there has been much focus on whether Chris Froome or Geraint Thomas lead Team Sky come July, the Mitchelton-Scott rider could instead deliver the next British win.

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


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