2018 Italian Open (tennis)
The 2018 Italian Open (also known as the 2018 Rome Masters and sponsored title 2018 Internazionali BNL d'Italia) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy from 14–20 May 2018. It was the 75th edition of the Italian Open and it is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2018 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2018 WTA Tour.


2018 Italian Open (tennis), ATP singles main draw entrants, Seeds
The following are the seeded players. Seedings are based on ATP rankings as of 7 May 2018. Rankings and points before are as of 14 May 2018.


2018 Italian Open (tennis), ATP singles main draw entrants, Seeds
The following players would have been seeded, but they withdrew from the event.


2018 Italian Open (tennis), ATP doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Italian Open (tennis), WTA doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Italian Open – Men's Doubles
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Doubles
Łukasz Kubot and Mate Pavić were in contention for the ATP no. 1 doubles ranking at the beginning of the tournament. Pavić attained the top ranking after both he and Kubot (along with their respective partners) lost in the quarterfinals. Pavić will be the first player from Croatia (male or female) to achieve a no. 1 ranking and the youngest ATP doubles no. 1 player since 1996.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Doubles
Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah won their first Masters 1000 title, defeating Pablo Carreño Busta and João Sousa in the final, 3–6, 6–4, [10–4].


2018 Italian Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal defeated the defending champion Alexander Zverev in the final, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3, to win the Men's Singles title at the 2018 Italian Open. It was his record-extending eighth Italian Open title and his record-extending 32nd Masters title overall. With the win, Nadal also regained the ATP No. 1 singles ranking.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Singles
After failing to defend his runner-up points from the previous year, Novak Djokovic fell outside the Top 20 in rankings for the first time since October 2, 2006.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Singles
This was the last professional tournament for former world No. 13 Alexandr Dolgopolov. He lost in the first round to Djokovic.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2018 Italian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Doubles
Latisha Chan and Martina Hingis were the defending champions, but Hingis retired from professional tennis at the end of 2017. Chan played alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands, but lost in the first round to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Karolína Plíšková.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Doubles
Ashleigh Barty and Demi Schuurs won the title, defeating Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková and Barbora Strýcová in the final 6–3, 6–4.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Doubles
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina were in contention for the No. 1 ranking but withdrew before their opening match.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Doubles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Singles
Elina Svitolina was the defending champion and successfully defended her title, defeating Simona Halep in a rematch of the previous year's final, 6–0, 6–4.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Singles
Halep and Caroline Wozniacki were in contention for the WTA no. 1 singles ranking at the beginning of the tournament. Halep retained the top ranking when Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Singles
This tournament marked the retirement of former US Open finalist Roberta Vinci. She lost in the first round to Aleksandra Krunić.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


2018 Italian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


2018 Italian general election
The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. No party or coalition gained an absolute majority in the Parliament, even though the centre-right coalition won a plurality of seats as a coalition, and the Five Star Movement (M5S) won a plurality of seats as an individual party.


2018 Italian general election
Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate of the Republic for the 18th legislature of the Italian Republic since 1948. The election took place concurrently with the Lombard and Lazio regional elections.


2018 Italian general election
The centre-right coalition, whose main party was the right-wing League led by Matteo Salvini, emerged with a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes. The centre-left coalition, led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, came third. However, no political group or party won an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament.


2018 Italian general election
After three months of negotiation, a coalition was finally formed on 1 June between the M5S and the League, whose leaders both became Deputy Prime Ministers in a government led by the M5S-linked independent Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. This coalition ended with Conte's resignation on 20 August 2019 after the League withdrew its support of the government. A new coalition was formed with the centre-left Democratic Party, and Conte was sworn in for a second mandate as Prime Minister on 5 September 2019.


2018 Italian general election, Background
At the 2013 general election none of the three main alliances – the centre-right led by Silvio Berlusconi, the centre-left led by Pier Luigi Bersani and the Five Star Movement (M5S) led by Beppe Grillo – won an outright majority in Parliament. After a failed attempt to form a government by Bersani, then-secretary of the Democratic Party (PD), and Giorgio Napolitano's re-election as President, Enrico Letta, Bersani's deputy, received the task of forming a grand coalition government. The Letta Cabinet consisted of the PD, Berlusconi's The People of Freedom (PdL), Civic Choice (SC), the Union of the Centre (UdC) and others.


2018 Italian general election, Background
On 16 November 2013, Berlusconi launched a new party, Forza Italia (FI), named after the defunct Forza Italia party (1994–2009). Additionally, Berlusconi announced that FI would be opposed to Letta's government, causing the split from the PdL/FI of a large group of deputies and senators led by Minister of Interior Angelino Alfano, who launched the alternative New Centre-Right (NCD) party and remained loyal to the government.


2018 Italian general election, Background
Following the election of Matteo Renzi as Secretary of the PD in December 2013, there were persistent tensions culminating in Letta's resignation as Prime Minister in February 2014. Subsequently, Renzi formed a government based on the same coalition (including the NCD), but in a new fashion. The new Prime Minister had a strong mandate from his party and was reinforced by the PD's strong showing in the 2014 European Parliament election and the election of Sergio Mattarella, a fellow Democrat, as President in 2015.


2018 Italian general election, Background
While in power, Renzi implemented several reforms, including a new electoral law (which would later be declared partially unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court), a relaxation of labour and employment laws (known as Jobs Act) with the intention of boosting economic growth, a thorough reform of the public administration, the simplification of the civil trial, the recognition of same-sex unions (not marriages) and the abolition of several minor taxes.


2018 Italian general election, Background
As a result of the Libyan civil war, a major problem faced by Renzi was the high level of illegal immigration to Italy. During his tenure, there was an increase in the number of immigrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports, prompting criticism from the M5S, FI and Northern League (LN), and causing a loss of popularity for Renzi. However, well into 2016 opinion polls registered the PD's strength, as well as the growth of the M5S, the LN and Brothers of Italy (FdI), FI's decline, SC's virtual disappearance and the replacement of Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) with the Italian Left (SI).


2018 Italian general election, Background
In December 2016, a constitutional reform proposed by Renzi's government and duly approved by Parliament was rejected in a constitutional referendum (59% to 41%). Under the reform, the Senate would have been composed of 100 members: 95 regional representatives and five presidential appointees. Following defeat, Renzi stepped down as Prime Minister and was replaced by his Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni, another Democrat.


2018 Italian general election, Background
In early 2017, in opposition to Renzi's policies, some left-wing Democrats led by Bersani, Massimo D'Alema and Roberto Speranza launched, along with SI splinters, the Democratic and Progressive Movement (MDP). Contextually, the NCD was transformed into Popular Alternative (AP). In April Renzi was re-elected secretary of the PD and thus the party's candidate for Prime Minister, defeating Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando and Governor of Apulia Michele Emiliano.


2018 Italian general election, Background
In May 2017, Matteo Salvini was re-elected federal secretary of the LN and launched his own bid. Under Salvini, the party had emphasised Euroscepticism, opposition to immigration and other populist policies. In fact, Salvini's aim had been to re-launch the LN as a "national" or, even, "Italian nationalist" party, withering any notion of northern separatism. This focus became particularly evident in December when LN presented its new electoral logo, without the word "Nord".


2018 Italian general election, Background
In September 2017, Luigi Di Maio was selected as candidate for Prime Minister and "political head" of the M5S, replacing Grillo. However, even in the following months, the populist comedian was accused by critics of continuing to play his role as de facto leader of the party, while an increasingly important, albeit unofficial, role was assumed by Davide Casaleggio, son of Gianroberto, a web strategist who founded the M5S along with Grillo in 2009 and died in 2016. In January 2018, Grillo separated his own blog from the movement; his blog was used in the previous years as an online newspaper of the M5S and the main propaganda tool. This event was seen by many as the proof that Grillo was slowly leaving politics.


2018 Italian general election, Background
The autumn registered some major developments to the left of the political spectrum: in November Forza Europa, the Italian Radicals and individual liberals launched a joint list named More Europe (+Eu), led by the long-time Radical leader Emma Bonino; in December the MDP, SI and Possible launched a joint list named Free and Equal (LeU) under the leadership of Pietro Grasso, President of the Senate and former anti-mafia prosecutor; the Italian Socialist Party, the Federation of the Greens, Civic Area and Progressive Area formed a list named Together in support of the PD; the Communist Refoundation Party, the Italian Communist Party, social centres, minor parties, local committees, associations and groups launched a far-left joint list named Power to the People (PaP), under the leadership of Viola Carofalo.


2018 Italian general election, Background
In late December, the centrist post-NCD Popular Alternative (AP), which had been a key coalition partner for the PD, divided itself among those who wanted to return into the centre-right's fold and those who supported Renzi's coalition. Two groups of AP splinters (one led by Maurizio Lupi and the other by Enrico Costa), formed along with Direction Italy, Civic Choice, Act!, Cantiere Popolare and the Movement for the Autonomies, a joint list within the centre-right, named Us with Italy (NcI). The list was later enlarged to the Union of the Centre and other minor parties. The remaining members of AP, Italy of Values, the Centrists for Europe, Solidary Democracy and minor groups joined forces in the pro-PD Popular Civic List (CP), led by Minister of Health Beatrice Lorenzin.


2018 Italian general election, Background
On 28 December 2017, President Sergio Mattarella dissolved Parliament and a new general election was called for 4 March 2018.


2018 Italian general election, Background
On 21 February 2018, Marco Minniti, the Italian Minister of the Interior, warned "There is a concrete risk of the mafias conditioning electors' free vote". Predominately the Sicilian Mafia have been recently active in Italian election meddling, the Camorra and 'Ndrangheta organisations have also taken an interest.


2018 Italian general election, Background
In late February, Berlusconi indicated the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, as his candidate for the premiership if the centre-right won the general election and if Forza Italia received at least the plurality of the votes inside the coalition, condition that did not occur, resulting in a victory of the party led by Matteo Salvini, the League.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign
The first phase of the electoral campaign was marked by the statement of the President Mattarella to parties for the presentation of "realistic and concrete" proposals during the traditional end of the year's message, in which he also expressed the wish for a high participation in the ballot.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
The electoral programme of the PD included, among the main points, the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10, a measure that would affect 15% of workers, that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children; and the progressive reduction of the rates of IRPEF and IRES, respectively the income tax and the corporate tax.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
Regarding immigration, which had been a major problem in Italy for the previous years, the PD advocated a reduction in migrant flows through bilateral agreements with the countries of origin and pretended to a halt to EU funding for countries like Hungary and Poland that have refused to take in any of the 600,000 migrants who have reached Italy through the Mediterranean over the past four years.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
Among the PD's allies, the CP proposed free nurseries, a tax exemption for corporate welfare and other measures regarding public health, including the contrast to the long waiting list in hospitals, the abolition of the so-called "supertickets", and an extension of home care for the elderly. +Eu advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation, towards the formation of the United States of Europe. This focus, regarding the European process of integration, was also strongly supported by the PD. More Europe also strongly advocated the social integration of migrants, quietly opposing the PD's policies implemented by the Minister of Interior Marco Minniti.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
The main proposal of the centre-right coalition was a huge tax reform based on the introduction of a flat tax: for Berlusconi initially based on the lowest current rate (23%) with the threshold raised to €12,000, then proceeding to a gradual reduction of the rate; while according to Salvini the tax rate should be only 15%. The economic newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore estimated the cost of this measure at around €25 billion per year calculated with a 20% rate, or €40 billion with 15%.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
Berlusconi also proposed the cancellation of IRAP, a tax on productivity, the increase of minimum pensions to €1,000, the introduction of a "dignity income" to fight poverty, the end of contribution on youth recruitment, changes to the Fornero law, which regulated pensions, and the launch of a "Marshall Plan" for Africa to reduce illegal immigration to Italy. Within FI there are some representatives of the Animalist Movement (MA) led by Michela Brambilla, whose main focus is in particular the banning of fur clothing and stricter controls in circuses, free veterinary care and the establishment of an ombudsman for animal rights.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
The Lega additionally proposed the complete replacement of the Fornero law and the possibility of retirement with 41 years of contributions, the "scrapping" of tax records for taxpayers in difficulty, an operation that should yield up to €35 billion to the State, the disbandment of Equitalia, the company that deals with the collection of taxes, the abolition of the limit on the use of cash, the regularization of prostitution; moreover, Salvini's main aim is a drastic reduction of illegal immigration, by reintroducing border controls, blocking arrivals and repatriating all migrants who have no right to stay in Italy.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
The FdI proposed free nurseries, a check for €400 per month for newborns up to the six years old, to increase population growth, parental leave paid to 80% up to the sixth year of birth, increase in salaries and equipment to law enforcement, the increased use of the Italian Army as a measure to fight crime and a new law on self-defense.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
The M5S presented a programme whose main points are the introduction of a basic income, known as "income of citizenship", to fight poverty, a measure that would cost between €15 and €20 billion annually; the cut of the public debt by 40 points in relation to GDP in ten years; the adoption of measures to revitalise youth employment; a cut in pensions of over €5,000 net not entirely based on the contribution method; the reduction of IRPEF rates and the extension of the income tax threshold; the increase in spending on family welfare measures from 1.5 to 2.5% of GDP; a constitutional law that obliges members of Parliament to resign if they intend to change party, which by now is unconstitutional. Di Maio also proposed a legislative simplification, starting with the elimination of almost 400 laws with a single legislative provision.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral programmes
LeU focused on the so-called right to study, proposing in particular the abolition of university fees for students who take the exams regularly, with the estimated cost for the state budget of €1.6 billion. LeU also proposed the reintroducing the workers' statutory protections which were eliminated by the Renzi government's Jobs Act, fighting tax evasion, corruption and organised crime.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
On 3 February 2018, a drive-by shooting event occurred in the city of Macerata, Marche in Central Italy where six African migrants were seriously wounded. A 28-year-old local man, Luca Traini, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, and was also charged for the attack against the local headquarters of the ruling PD party. After the attack, Traini reportedly had an Italian flag draped on his shoulders and raised his arm in the fascist salute.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
Traini stated that the attack was "revenge" for Pamela Mastropietro, an 18-year-old Roman woman whose dismembered body had been found few days earlier, stuffed into two suitcases and dumped in the countryside; for this, three Nigerian drug dealers were arrested, the main suspect being 29-year-old failed asylum seeker, named Innocent Oseghale. Missing body parts had sparked allegations of the murder having been a muti killing, also involving cannibalism.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
The case sparked anger and anti-immigrant sentiment in Macerata. Traini's lawyer reported "alarming solidarity" for Traini expressed by the populace, while Mastropietro's mother publicly thanked Traini for "lighting a candle" for her daughter. A second autopsy of the girl's remains, published after the attack against the African migrants, revealed that Mastropietro had been strangled, stabbed, and then flayed while still alive. The murder of Mastropietro and the attack by Traini, and their appraisal by Italian media and the public were "set to become a decisive factor" in the national elections.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
Traini was a member and former local candidate of the League, and many political commentators, intellectuals and politicians harshly criticized party leader Matteo Salvini, in connection with the attack, accusing him of having "spread hate and racism" in the country. Particularly, Roberto Saviano, the notable anti-mafia writer, labeled Salvini as the "moral instigator" of Traini's attack. Salvini responded to critics by accusing the centre-left government of responsibility for Mastropietro's death through allowing migrants to stay in the country and having "blood on their hands", asserting that the blame lies with those who "fill [Italy] with illegal immigrants".


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
Prime Minister Gentiloni stated that he "trusts in the sense of responsibility of all political forces. Criminals are criminals and the state will be particularly harsh with anyone that wants to fuel a spiral of violence." Gentiloni added that "hate and violence will not divide Italy". Also, Minister of the Interior Marco Minniti harshly condemned the attack against the Africans, saying that any political party must "ride the hate". Renzi, whose party was also accused about its position on immigration, stated that "calm and responsibility" from all political forces would now be necessary.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Macerata murder and subsequent attack
Eventually, in the constituency of Macerata, the centre-right coalition, led by the League, won a plurality of the votes in the ballot, electing candidate Tullio Patassini, and showed an increase from 0.4% of the vote in 2013 to 21% in 2018, five years later.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral debates
Differently from many other Western countries, in Italy the electoral debates between parties' leaders are not so common before general elections; in fact the last debate between the two main candidates to premiership dated back to the 2006 general election between Silvio Berlusconi and Romano Prodi. In recent years, with few exceptions, almost every main political leader had denied his participation to an electoral debate with other candidates, preferring interviews with TV hosts and journalists.


2018 Italian general election, Campaign, Electoral debates
However, many debates took places between other leading members of the main parties.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
As a consequence of the 2016 constitutional referendum and of two different sentences of the Constitutional Court, the electoral laws for the two houses of the Italian Parliament lacked uniformity. In October 2017, the PD, AP, FI, the LN and minor parties agreed on a new electoral law, which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favour and 215 against and by the Senate with 214 votes against 61. The reform was opposed by the M5S, the MDP, SI, FdI and minor parties.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
The so-called Rosatellum bis, after Ettore Rosato (PD leader in the Chamber), is a mixed system, with 37% of seats allocated using a first-past-the-post voting and 63% using the proportional largest remainder method, with one round of voting.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
A small, variable number of senators for life will also be members of the Senate.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
For Italian residents, each house members will be elected in single ballots, including the constituency candidate and his/her supporting party lists. In each single-member constituency the deputy/senator is elected on a plurality basis, while the seats in multi-member constituencies will be allocated nationally. In order to be calculated in single-member constituency results, parties need to obtain at least 1% of the national vote. In order to receive seats in multi-member constituencies, parties need to obtain at least 3% of the national vote. Elects from multi-member constituencies will come from closed lists.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
The voting paper, which is a single one for the first-past-the-post and the proportional systems, shows the names of the candidates to single-member constituencies and, in close conjunction with them, the symbols of the linked lists for the proportional part, each one with a list of the relative candidates.


2018 Italian general election, New electoral system
The voter will be able to cast their vote in three different ways:


2018 Italian general election, Coalitions and parties
The following table includes the coalitions and parties running in the majority of multi-member constituencies.


2018 Italian general election, Results for the Chamber of Deputies, Italians abroad
Twelve members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by Italians abroad. Two members are elected for North America and Central America (including most of the Caribbean), four members for South America (including Trinidad and Tobago), five members for Europe, and one member for the rest of the world (Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica). Voters in these regions select candidate lists and may also cast a preference vote for individual candidates. The seats are allocated by proportional representation.


2018 Italian general election, Results for the Chamber of Deputies, Italians abroad
The electoral law allows for parties to form different coalitions on the lists abroad, compared to the lists in Italy; in fact Forza Italia, League and Brothers of Italy formed a unified list for abroad constituencies.


2018 Italian general election, Leaders' races
Di Maio and Renzi run in a single-member constituency, respectively in Acerra, near Naples, for the Chamber of Deputies and in Florence for the Senate. Salvini ran in many multi-member constituencies through the country and, due to the mechanism of the electoral law, he was elected in Calabria.


2018 Italian general election, Maps
Winning candidates in constituencies for the Senate of the Republic.


2018 Italian general election, Analysis of proportionality, Chamber of Deputies
The disproportionality of the Chamber of Deputies in the 2018 election was 5.50 using the Gallagher Index.


2018 Italian general election, Analysis of proportionality, Senate of the Republic
The disproportionality of the Senate of the Republic in the 2018 election was 6.12 using the Gallagher Index.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
After the election's results were known, both Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini stated that they must receive from President Sergio Mattarella the task of forming a new cabinet because they led the largest party and the largest coalition, respectively. On 5 March, Matteo Renzi announced that the PD will be in the opposition during this legislature and he will resign as party leader when a new cabinet is formed. On 6 March, Salvini repeated his campaign message that his party would refuse any coalition with the M5S.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 14 March, Salvini nonetheless offered to govern with the M5S, imposing the condition that League ally Forza Italia, led by ex premier Silvio Berlusconi, must also take part in any coalition. Di Maio rejected this proposal on the grounds that Salvini was "choosing restoration instead of revolution" because "Berlusconi represents the past".


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 12 March, Renzi resigned as party leader and was replaced by deputy secretary Maurizio Martina.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 24 March, the centre-right coalition and the Five Star Movement agreed on the election of presidents of the Houses of Parliament, Roberto Fico of the M5S for the Chamber and Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati of FI for the Senate.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 7 April, Di Maio made an appeal to the PD to "bury the hatchet" and consider a governing coalition with his party.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 18 April, President Mattarella gave newly-elected Senate president Alberti Casellati a so-called "exploratory mandate" to form a government of M5S and the centre-right alliance, with a two-day deadline.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 23 April, President Mattarella gave newly elected Chamber of Deputies president Fico an "exploratory mandate" to form a government between M5S and the Democratic Party, with a three-day deadline. The decision came after the previous attempt by Alberti Casellati failed to show any progress.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 30 April, following an interview of the former PD's leader Matteo Renzi who expressed his strong opposition to an alliance with the M5S, Di Maio called for new elections.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 7 May, President Mattarella held a third round of government formation talks, after which he formally confirmed the lack of any possible majority (M5S rejecting an alliance with the whole centre-right coalition, PD rejecting an alliance with both M5S and the centre-right coalition, and the League's Matteo Salvini refusing to start a government with M5S but without Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, whose presence in the government was explicitly vetoed by M5S's leader Luigi Di Maio); on the same circumstance, he announced his intention to soon appoint a "neutral government" (irrespective of M5S and League's refusal to support such an option) to take over from the Gentiloni Cabinet which was considered unable to lead Italy into a second consecutive election as it was representing a majority from a past legislature, and offering an early election in July as a realistic option to take into consideration due to the deadlock situation.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 9 May, after a day of rumours, both M5S and the League officially requested President Mattarella to give them 24 more hours to strike a government agreement between the two parties. Later the same day, in the evening, Silvio Berlusconi publicly announced Forza Italia would not support a M5S-League government on a vote of confidence, but he would still maintain the centre-right alliance nonetheless, thus opening the doors to a possible majority government between the two parties.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 13 May, the Five Star Movement and League reached an agreement on a government program, likely clearing the way for the formation of a governing coalition between the two parties, but they are still negotiating the members of a government cabinet, including the prime minister. M5S and League leaders were slated to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on 14 May to guide the formation of a new government.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 17 May, Five Star Movement and League agreed to the details regarding the government program, officially clearing the way for the formation of a governing coalition between the two parties. The final draft of their program was then published on 18 May.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 18 May, 44,796 members of the Five Star Movement cast their vote online on the matter concerning the government agreement, with 42,274, more than 94%, voting in favour. A second vote sponsored by the Northern League then took place on 19 May and 20 May and was open to the general public. On 20 May, it was announced that approximately 215,000 Italian citizens had participated in the Northern League election, with around 91 percent supporting the government agreement.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 21 May, the Five Star Movement and the League proposed law professor Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. On 23 May, Conte was invited to the Quirinal Palace to receive the task of forming a new cabinet and was granted a mandate by Italian President Mattarella.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
However, on 27 May 2018, the designated Prime Minister Conte renounced to his office, due to contrasts between the League's leader Salvini and President Mattarella. In fact, Salvini proposed the university professor Paolo Savona as Minister of Economy and Finances, but Mattarella strongly opposed him, considering Savona too Eurosceptic and anti-German. In his speech after Conte's resignation, Mattarella declared that the two parties wanted to bring Italy out of the Eurozone, and as the guarantor of Italian Constitution and country's interest and stability he could not allow this. On the following day, Mattarella gave Carlo Cottarelli, an economist and former IMF director, the task of forming a new government.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
In the statement released after the designation, Cottarelli specified that in case of confidence by the Parliament, he would contribute to the approval of the budget law for 2019, then the Parliament would be dissolved and a new general election would be called for the beginning of 2019. In the absence of confidence, the government would deal only with the so-called current affairs and lead the country toward new elections after August 2018. Cottarelli also guaranteed the neutrality of the government and the commitment not to run for the next election. He ensured a prudent management of Italian national debt and the defense of national interests through a constructive dialogue with the European Union.


2018 Italian general election, Government formation
On 28 May 2018, the Democratic Party announced that they will vote the confidence to Cottarelli, while the Five Star Movement and the centre-right parties Forza Italia, Brothers of Italy and the League announced their vote against. Cottarelli was expected to submit his list of ministers for approval to President Mattarella on 29 May. However, on 29 May and 30 May he held only informal consultations with the President. According to the Italian media, he is facing difficulties due to the unwillingness of several potential candidates to serve as ministers in his cabinet and may even renounce. Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio announced their willingness to restart the negotiations to form a political government, and the leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni gave her support to the initiative. The government was formed the following day.


2018 Italian general election in Aosta Valley
The Italian general election of 2018 took place on 4 March 2018.


2018 Italian general election in Aosta Valley
In its two single-seat constituencies, Aosta Valley elected Elisa Tripodi (Five Star Movement) to the Chamber of Deputies and re-elected Albert Lanièce (Valdostan Union, Aosta Valley coalition) to the Senate. Tripodi was the first woman to be elected from the region and the first candidate not supported by a regionalist coalition.


2018 Italian general election in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
The Italian general election of 2018 took place on 4 March 2018.


2018 Italian general election in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
In Trentino the centre-right coalition, dominated by the Lega (Lega Nord Trentino), beat the centre-left coalition for the first time since 1996. In South Tyrol the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) was confirmed as the largest party. Under the new electoral system, which re-introduced single-seat constituencies also for the Chamber, the centre-right won all such constituencies in Trentino, while the SVP-dominated centre-left prevailed in all the single-seat constituencies of South Tyrol.


2018 Italian general election in Veneto
The Italian general election of 2018 took place on 4 March 2018.


2018 Italian general election in Veneto
In Veneto the centre-right coalition (48.1%), dominated by the Lega (Liga Veneta), obtained a resounding victory, being largely ahead of the Five Star Movement (24.4%) and the centre-left coalition (20.3%). The Lega (32.2%) was largely the largest party, followed by the Five Star Movement (24.4%), the Democratic Party (16.7%) and Forza Italia (10.6%). Under the new electoral system, which re-introduced single-seat constituencies, the centre-right won all such constituencies.


2018 Italian government formation
In the 2018 Italian general election, no political group or party won an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament. On 4 March, the centre-right alliance, in which Matteo Salvini's League (LN) emerged as the main political force, won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes. The centre-left coalition, led by Matteo Renzi, came third. As a result, protracted negotiations were required before a new government could be formed.


2018 Italian government formation
On 24 March 2018, following the elections of the presidents of the two houses of the Italian Parliament, Roberto Fico of the M5S, and Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati of Forza Italia (FI), Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni resigned his post to President Sergio Mattarella. In accordance with common practice in Italy, Mattarella asked the prime minister to remain in office to deal with the current affairs until a new cabinet is formed.


2018 Italian government formation
On 31 May 2018, following 88 days of negotiations and several impasses, law professor Giuseppe Conte was appointed as the prime minister with support from the League and the Five Star Movement, even though not having run for the Italian Parliament. Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement were also appointed as vice premiers, thus forming the 66th Italian government since World War II. The formation of a new government avoided the possibility of immediate new elections.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
The election was seen as a backlash against the establishment with both the Five Star Movement and the League becoming respectively the first and the third largest parties in the Parliament. With no political group or party having an outright majority, speculations were made around these possible outcomes:


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
After the election's results were known, both Di Maio and Salvini stated that they must receive from President Mattarella the task of forming a new cabinet because they led the largest party and the largest coalition, respectively. On 5 March, European rating agency Scope Ratings concluded the most probable scenario was either a populist coalition (including M5S and Lega), a leftist coalition (including M5S and PD) or repeat elections. On 5 March, Renzi announced that the Democratic Party will be in the opposition during this legislature and he will resign as party leader when a new cabinet is formed.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
Following controversies within his party, Renzi resigned with immediate effect and on 12 March his deputy secretary Maurizio Martina was appointed acting secretary. On 6 March, Salvini repeated his campaign message that his party would refuse any coalition with the M5S. On 14 March, Salvini nonetheless offered to govern with the M5S, imposing the condition that League ally Forza Italia, led by ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi, must also take part in any coalition. Di Maio rejected this proposal on the grounds that Salvini was "choosing restoration instead of revolution" because "Berlusconi represents the past". Moreover, a Five Star prominent figure, Alessandro Di Battista, denied any possibility of an alliance with Forza Italia, describing Berlusconi as the "pure evil of our country".


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
The consultations between the Italian President and the political parties on 4 and 5 April failed to provide a candidate for Prime Minister, forcing the President Mattarella to hold another round of consultation between 11 and 12 April 2018.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
On 7 April, Di Maio made an appeal to the Democratic Party to "bury the hatchet" and consider a governing coalition with his party. However, the Democrats stated that they will be at the opposition in this Legislature.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
On 18 April 2018 Mattarella gave to President of the Senate, Elisabetta Casellati, the task to try and reconcile the issues between the Centre-right and the Five Star Movement, in order to break the post-election political deadlock and form a fully functional new government. However, she failed in finding a solution to the contrasts between the two groups, especially between the M5S and Forza Italia.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
On 23 April 2018, after the failure of Casellati, Mattarella gave an exploratory mandate to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, to try to create a political agreement between the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party. Some prominent leaders of the Democratic party, including acting secretary Martina, publicly considered the possibility of an agreement, while former PD's leader Matteo Renzi expressed his dissent alongside with other members of the party close to him. A National Directorate of the party to discuss the matter was set to take place on 3 May. On 30 April, following an interview of Matteo Renzi who expressed his strong opposition to an alliance with the M5S, Di Maio called for new elections.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
A Tecné poll in the aftermath of the 2018 Italian general election suggested that 56% of Five Star Movement voters preferred a government coalition between M5S and Lega Nord. A coalition between the Five Star Movement and the centre-right as a whole was preferred by only 4%. 22% preferred a coalition between the Five Star Movement, the centre-left Democratic Party and the left-wing LeU. A technocratic government was only supported by 1% of the Movement's voters.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments
On 7 May, President Mattarella held a third round of government formation talks, after which he formally confirmed the lack of any possible majority (M5S rejecting an alliance with the whole centre-right coalition, PD rejecting an alliance with both M5S and the centre-right coalition, and the League's Matteo Salvini refusing to start a government with M5S but without Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, whose presence in the government was explicitly vetoed by M5S's leader Luigi Di Maio); on the same circumstance, he announced his intention to soon appoint a "neutral government" (irrespective of M5S and League's refusal to support such an option) to take over from the Gentiloni Cabinet which was considered unable to lead Italy into a second consecutive election as it was representing a majority from a past legislature, and offering an early election in July (on what it would be the very first time for a summer general election in Italy) as a realistic option to take into consideration due to the deadlock situation. The Lega and M5S agreed to hold new elections on 8 July, an option that was however rejected by all other parties.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 9 May, after a day of rumours, both M5S and the League officially requested President Mattarella to give them 24 more hours to strike a government agreement between the two parties. Later the same day, in the evening, Silvio Berlusconi publicly announced Forza Italia would not support an M5S-League government on a vote of confidence, but he would still maintain the centre-right alliance nonetheless, thus opening the doors to a possible majority government between the two parties.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 13 May, the Five Star Movement and the League reached an agreement in principle on a program called "Contract for the government of change" (Italian: Contratto per il governo del cambiamento), likely clearing the way for the formation of a governing coalition between the two parties, but could not find an agreement regarding the members of a government cabinet, most importantly the prime minister. M5S and League leaders met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on 14 May to guide the formation of a new government.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On their meeting with President Mattarella, both parties asked for an additional week of negotiations to agree on a detailed government program and a prime minister to lead the joint government. Both M5S and the League announced their intention to ask their respective members to vote on the government agreement by the weekend.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 17 May, the Five Star Movement and the League agreed to the details on the government program, officially clearing the way for a governing coalition between the two parties. The final draft of their program was then published on 18 May.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 18 May, 44,796 members of the Five Star Movement cast their vote online on the matter concerning the government agreement, with 42,274, more than 94%, voting in favour. A second vote sponsored by the League then took place on 19 May and 20 May and was open to the general public. On 20 May it was announced that approximately 215,000 Italian citizens had participated in the League election, with around 91 per cent supporting the government agreement.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 21 May, the Five Star Movement and the League proposed law professor Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister. On 23 May, Conte was invited to the Quirinal Palace to receive the task of forming a new cabinet and was granted a mandate by Italian President Mattarella. The next day, Conte held talks with all parties represented in Parliament. An impasse occurred over the League's nomination of Paolo Savona for Economy Minister, due to Savona's support for withdrawing Italy from the euro, presenting a risk for the country's economy. As a result, Savona was opposed by President Mattarella.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Conte cabinet's first failed formation
On 27 May, after days of negotiation and an ultimatum from Salvini and Di Maio regarding Savona, President Mattarella refused to approve the appointment of Savona as Finance Minister, and Conte gave up on the task of forming a government.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Cottarelli cabinet
Mattarella subsequently called Carlo Cottarelli to the Quirinal Palace on 28 May with the intention of giving him the task of forming a new government.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Cottarelli cabinet
In the statement released after the designation, Cottarelli specified that, with a vote of confidence by the Parliament, he would pass a budget law for 2019, then have the Parliament dissolved and a new general election called for the beginning of 2019. On the other hand, without the confidence of Parliament, the government would deal only with "current affairs" and lead the country toward new elections after August 2018. Cottarelli also guaranteed the neutrality of his government and committed not to run in the next election. He ensured a prudent management of Italian national debt and the defence of national interests through a constructive dialogue with the European Union.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Cottarelli cabinet
The appointing of Cottarelli sparked furious reaction from the leadership of the Five Star Movement, who accused Mattarella of committing a coup d'état against the will of the Italian people. On the evening of 27 May 2018 Di Maio announced that the M5S would initiate an impeachment procedure against President Mattarella for attempting to overthrow the Constitution; Giorgia Meloni, leader of Brothers of Italy, also announced an impeachment procedure against Mattarella for high treason. The move sparked a constitutional crisis: the Democratic Party announced  for a demonstration in defence of Mattarella, denouncing Di Maio and Salvini as "authoritarian subsersives", while the Five Star Movement also announced a demonstration against Mattarella, calling him "antidemocratic".


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Cottarelli cabinet
On 28 May 2018, the Democratic Party announced that it would support a vote of confidence for Cottarelli, while the Five Star Movement and the centre-right parties (Forza Italia, Brothers of Italy, and the League) announced their opposition.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Cottarelli cabinet
On 30 May 2018, Di Maio reversed his previous position, dropping the proposal of impeachment against President Mattarella, ending the crisis. Di Maio also formally announced his willingness to drop Paolo Savona from the previously proposed office of Minister of Economy in order to move him to a different and less sensitive government post; consequently, President Mattarella and Cottarelli jointly agreed on waiting for more time to help a new political agreement between M5S and the League featuring a Minister for Economy approved by the President of the Republic.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Final government agreement
After these developments, on 31 May 2018 Di Maio, Salvini and presumptive Prime Minister Conte met in Rome to discuss a new list of government ministers.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Final government agreement
Later in the afternoon, all parties announced publicly that they have agreed upon the composition of a new government with Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister and Professor Giovanni Tria newly proposed as Minister of Economy in place of Paolo Savona, who was instead destined to be the new Minister of European Affairs (a minister without portfolio); it was also confirmed national-conservative right wing party Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni and League's ally in the March election, would abstain from voting (switching from their previous intention to be part of the opposition) in order to help the government formation even further.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Final government agreement
Following this agreement, Cottarelli resigned from his mandate to form a government, and Conte was again formally invited by President Mattarella to form a government, which he promptly announced following his meeting at the Quirinal Palace. The Conte Cabinet, with Di Maio and Salvini as joint deputy prime ministers, was formally sworn in on 1 June 2018.


2018 Italian government formation, Post-election developments, Investiture votes
On 5 June 2018, the Conte Cabinet was granted the confidence of the Senate by receiving 171 votes in favor and 117 votes against (25 senators abstained; 7 senators did not vote, among which 6 were absent). Senators for life Elena Cattaneo, Mario Monti and Liliana Segre abstained while senators for life Carlo Rubbia, Renzo Piano and Giorgio Napolitano did not vote. On 6 June 2018, the Government of Change received the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies by receiving 350 votes in favor and 236 votes against (35 deputies abstained; 8 deputies did not vote, among which 5 were absent).


2018 Italian local elections
The 2018 Italian local elections were held on different dates; most on  10 June, with a second round on 24 June. In Italy, direct elections were held in 720 municipalities: in each comune were chosen mayor and members of the City Council. Of the 783 municipalities, 21 were provincial capitala and only 112 had a population higher than 15,000 inhabitants (10,000 for Sicily).


2018 Italian local elections
In Friuli-Venezia Giulia the elections were held on 29 April with a second ballot on 13 May; while in Aosta Valley they were held on 20 May, and in Trentino Alto-Adige on 27 May.


2018 Italian local elections, Voting System
All mayoral elections in Italy in cities with a population higher than 15,000 use the same voting system. Under this system voters express a direct choice for the mayor or an indirect choice voting for the party of the candidate's coalition. If no candidate receives at least 50% of votes, the top two candidates go to a second round after two weeks. This gives a result whereby the winning candidate may be able to claim majority support, although it is not guaranteed.


2018 Italian local elections, Voting System
The election of the City Council is based on a direct choice for the candidate with a preference vote: the candidate with the majority of the preferences is elected. The number of the seats for each party is determined proportionally.


2018 Italian local elections, Results
Majority of each coalition in the 112 municipalities (comuni) with a population higher than 15,000:


2018 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2018 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 2018 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Mugello Circuit in Scarperia on 3 June 2018.


2018 Italian regional elections
Regional elections in Italy took place during 2018 in six regions out of twenty including Lazio and Lombardy (4 March), Molise (22 April), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (29 April), Aosta Valley (20 May) and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (21 October).


2018 Ivorian senatorial election
The 2018 Ivorian senatorial election were the first senatorial election in Ivory Coast, held on 24 March 2018.


2018 Ivorian senatorial election, Electoral system
On 14 February 2018, the government of Ivory Coast ruled that the first senatorial election would be held on 24 March 2018. The government also established new rules on appointing senators, who will be elected by National Assembly members, members of municipal, autonomous districts and regional councils. Each region and autonomous district will have two elected senators. The Senate will have a total of 66 elected senators.


2018 Ivorian senatorial election, Campaign
The campaign was held from 19 to 22 March 2018. With the opposition boycotting this election, it's expected it'll be widely won by the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace, which will present 33 lists of candidates, competing with a dozen of Independent lists of candidates.


2018 Ivorian senatorial election, Campaign
On 13 March 2018, the Independent Electoral Commission announced 58 lists of candidates were selected for the senatorial election. These list has to be approved by the Constitutional Council.


2018 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series
The 2018 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series was held at Yale Field on May 22 and May 23, 2018. The series matched the top two teams from the Ivy League's round robin regular season, Yale and Columbia. Columbia swept the series and claimed the Ivy League's automatic berth in the 2018 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2018 Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Ivy League of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held on March 10 and 11, 2018 at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Penn defeated Harvard in the championship game to win the tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Harvard earned an automatic bid to the 2018 National Invitation Tournament.


2018 Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
Only the top four teams in the Ivy League regular-season standings qualify for the tournament and were seeded according to their records in conference play, resulting in a Shaughnessy playoff.


2018 Ivy League Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2018 Ivy League Women's Basketball Tournament is a women's college conference tournament held March 10 and 11, 2018, at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Princeton defeated Penn, 63–34, in the championship game to earn the Ivy League's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.


2018 Ivy League Women's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
Only the top four teams in the 2017–18 Ivy League regular-season standings participated in the tournament and were seeded according to their records in conference play, resulting in a Shaughnessy playoff.


2018 Ivy League football season
The 2018 Ivy League football season was the 63rd season of college football play for the Ivy League and was part of the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The season began on September 14, 2018, and ended on November 17, 2018. Ivy League teams were 18–6 against non-conference opponents and Princeton won the conference championship, compiling a perfect 10–0 record.


2018 Ivy League football season, Season overview, Preseason polling
The preseason media poll results became public on August 20, 2018, with Yale predicted to win the Ivy League. Yale won 11 of 17 first place votes in the poll.


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open
The 2018 J&T Banka Prague Open was a professional tennis tournaments played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 9th edition of the tournament, and part of the International category of the 2018 WTA Tour. It took place at the Sparta Prague Tennis Club in Prague, Czech Republic, from 30 April to 5 May 2018.


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open, Finals, Singles
This was Kvitova's 23rd WTA title and first on home soil. It was also her third title of the year and first International since Linz 2011.


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open – Doubles
Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Květa Peschke were the defending champions, but chose not to participate together. Grönefeld was scheduled to play alongside Raquel Atawo, but the pair withdrew due to Atawo's abductor injury. Peschke teamed up with Nicole Melichar and successfully defended the title, defeating Mihaela Buzărnescu and Lidziya Marozava in the final, 6–4, 6–2.


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open – Singles
Mona Barthel was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Antonia Lottner.


2018 J&T Banka Prague Open – Singles
Petra Kvitová won the title, defeating Mihaela Buzărnescu in the final, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3.


2018 J.League Cup
The 2018 J.League Cup (2018 Jリーグカップ), or officially the 2018 J.League YBC Levain Cup (2018 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ), is the 43rd edition of the Japanese football league cup tournament and the 26th edition under the current J. League Cup format.


2018 J.League Cup
The winners earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018 Copa Sudamericana in the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship.


2018 J.League Cup, Format
After the play-off stage where eight teams are active, quarterfinals (two-legged), semifinals (two-legged) and the final (single match) are played.


2018 J.League Cup, Group stage, Tiebreakers
To determine the ranking of a group, teams with the same points are ranked by the following criteria:


2018 J.League Cup, Group stage, Tiebreakers
To determine the best third-placed teams (if needed), teams with the same points are ranked by the following criteria:


2018 J.League Cup, Play-off stage
In each tie (two-legged tie) of play-offs, quarterfinals or semifinals, away goals rule is applied for goals in the regular playing time, but not in the extra time.


2018 J.League Cup Final
2018 J.League Cup Final was the 26th final of the J.League Cup competition. The final was played at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama on October 27, 2018. Shonan Bellmare won the championship. The winners earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018 Copa Sudamericana in the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship.


2018 J1 League
The 2018 J1 League, also known as the 2018 Meiji Yasuda J1 League (2018 明治安田生命Ｊ１リーグ, 2018 Meiji Yasuda Seimei J1 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of J1 League, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1993.


2018 J1 League, 2018 season clubs
A total of 18 clubs contested the league. The 2017 J2 League champion Shonan Bellmare and the winner of the promotion play-offs Nagoya Grampus returned to the top flight a year after being relegated from J1 in the 2016 season. V-Varen Nagasaki, J2 runner-up in 2017, played in the J1 League for the first time.


2018 J1 League, Foreign players
The total number of foreign players is restricted to five per club. Clubs can register up to four foreign players for a single match-day squad, of which a maximum of three are allowed from nations outside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions.


2018 J1 League, Foreign players
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.


2018 J1 League, Attendances
Updated to games played on 1 December 2018Source: Notes:† Promoted from J2.


2018 J2 League
The 2018 Meiji Yasuda J2 League (2018 明治安田生命J2リーグ) season was the 47th season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 20th season since the establishment of J2 League.


2018 J2 League, Foreign players
The total number of foreign players is restricted to five per club. Clubs can register up to four foreign players for a single match-day squad, of which a maximum of three are allowed from nations outside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions.


2018 J2 League, Promotion–Relegation Playoffs
Because Machida Zelvia did not own a J1 license for the 2019 season, they were ineligible to participate in the play-offs. Thus, Yokohama FC, finishing third in the season, received a bye into the second round, from which the winner will play the team finishing 16th in J1.


2018 J2 League, Attendances
Updated to games played on 17 November 2018Source: Notes:† Relegated from J1.‡ Promoted from J3.


2018 J3 League
The 2018 J3 League (referred to as the 2018 Meiji Yasuda J3 League (2018 明治安田生命J3リーグ) for sponsorship reasons) was the 5th season of J3 League under its current name.


2018 J3 League, Clubs
2017 J3 League 2nd placed Tochigi SC gained promotion to J2 League after another runners-up season; this time, unlike 2016, it was enough to clinch direct promotion. Defending champions are Blaublitz Akita, which became the first club not to gain promotion after winning the championship since J3's inception. Thespakusatsu Gunma was the new entry for the league: it was their first third division season since 2004, when they were promoted to J2 from JFL.


2018 J3 League, Clubs
No promotion from Japan Football League came this time. This was another first for the J3 League since its inception.


2018 J3 League, Attendances
Updated to games played on 2 December 2018Source: Notes:† Relegated from J2.


2018 JBA season
The 2018 JBA season was the only season of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), an American men's professional basketball league. The JBA was designed as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), allowing high school and junior college players to immediately play professionally. The season began on June 21 and concluded with the JBA Finals on August 12, 2018. After the season concluded, the JBA selected many of its top players to take part in what was originally a 28-game international season against teams from various countries in Europe and Asia. However, an incident in Lithuania lead to a shortening of the event, with teams dropping out of matches and Asian teams cancelling their matches for late 2018 and early 2019 altogether.


2018 JBA season, Teams
The 2018 JBA season consisted of eight teams, with each representing an American city and having the nickname "Ballers." Teams did not occupy a specified home arena; instead, every team faced each other in ten different arenas across the United States.


2018 JBA season, All-Star Event
On August 3, 2018, the JBA hosted their inaugural All-Star Event at the Quest Multisport in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to the All-Star Game, the league hosted a Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. Two days before the event, event contestants and All-Star Game selections were officially revealed to the public.


2018 JBA season, All-Star Event, Game
LiAngelo Ball of the West All-Stars was named co-most valuable player (MVP) along with Deon Lyle of the East All-Stars. Ball recorded 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Lyle scored a game-high 51 points. LaMelo Ball also recorded a double-double with 42 points and 17 assists.


2018 JBA season, Playoffs, Championship bracket
Venue: Eagle's Nest Arena (Los Angeles, California), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, California)


2018 JBA season, International season
After the JBA Finals, the league selected 14 players to play for the JBA USA Team, which will take part in 28 exhibition games against international competition. The international season began on September 22, 2018, when the JBA USA Team faced the Svendborg Rabbits from Denmark. Los Angeles Ballers head coach Doyle Balthazar served as the JBA USA Team head coach, with Los Angeles assistant coach Rasul Salahuddin and Seattle Ballers head coach Charles O'Bannon assuming assistant roles. The international season was expected to continue in 2019.


2018 JBA season, International season
However, due to a fight LaMelo Ball was involved with against Dzūkija Alytus on October 1, some of the teams that were previously scheduled for the event dropped out of the event, with the international event concluding earlier than the league anticipated. LaMelo later left the team and the league to enter his senior year of high school. In addition to him, a few other also left the team during the tournament.


2018 JBA season, Media
For the 2018 season, the JBA aired games through Facebook Live, including All-Star festivities and playoff matches. Allen Bell and Brandon Williams were the official commentators for the season.


2018 JC Ferrero Challenger Open
The 2018 JC Ferrero Challenger Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Alicante, Spain between 2 and 7 April 2018.


2018 JC Ferrero Challenger Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 JC Ferrero Challenger Open – Doubles
Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak won the title after defeating Guido Andreozzi and Ariel Behar 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


2018 JC Ferrero Challenger Open – Singles
Pablo Andújar won the title after defeating Alex de Minaur 7–6(7–5), 6–1 in the final.


2018 JEGS 200
The 2018 JEGS 200 was the 5th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, May 4, 2018 in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1 mile (1.6 km) oval-shaped permanent racetrack.


2018 JEGS 200
The race was extended from the scheduled 200 laps to 210 laps due to a late race caution including Noah Gragson, Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing would be able to hold off the field on the final restart to take the win, the 19th of his career and the 2nd of the season. To fill out the podium, Matt Crafton of ThorSport Racing and Justin Haley of GMS Racing would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.


2018 JEGS 200, Background
Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1 mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.


2018 JEGS 200, Background
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.


2018 JEGS 200, Practice, First practice
First practice was held on 2:05 PM EST. Stewart Friesen of Halmar Friesen Racing would set the fastest time with a 23.107 and an average speed of 155.797 miles per hour (250.731 km/h).


2018 JEGS 200, Practice, Second and final practice
Final practice was held on 4:05 PM EST. Brett Moffitt of Hattori Racing Enterprises would set the fastest time in practice with a 22.773 and an average speed of 158.082 miles per hour (254.408 km/h).


2018 JEGS 200, Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, May 4, at 1:05 PM EST. Since Dover International Speedway is under 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.


2018 JEGS 200, Qualifying
Noah Gragson of Kyle Busch Motorsports would set the fastest time in Round 3 and win the pole with a 22.834 and an average speed of 157.660 miles per hour (253.729 km/h).


2018 JEGS 200, Qualifying
Todd Peck of Beaver Motorsports would be the only driver not to set a lap time, due to the team wanting to have the entry to be a "start and park". He would eventually park and retire the car very early in the race, after the team realizing that the #74 of Harmon would stay out, saying to Peck "Alright [Todd], we appreciate you bud, take it back to the hauler.” He would finish last out of a 32 car field.


2018 JLT Community Series
The 2018 JLT Community Series was the Australian Football League (AFL) pre-season competition played before the 2018 home and away season. It featured 18 matches across 16 days, reducing each team's games played from three to two, seemingly to create space for AFLX events. For the fifth year in a row, the competition did not have a grand final or overall winner. 2018 was also the first pre-season competition played without the nine-point super goal, since its inception in 2003. The competition continued under JLT Sport as a sponsor. All matches were televised live on Fox Footy as well as on the AFL Live app.


2018 JPV Marikina F.C. season
The 2018 season is JPV Marikina's 2nd season in the top flight of Philippines football.


2018 JPV Marikina F.C. season, Squad, League squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana
The 2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the twenty-third edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Champaign, Illinois, United States between November 12 and November 17, 2018.


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as an alternate:


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Doubles
Leander Paes and Purav Raja were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Doubles
Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith won the title after defeating Hans Hach Verdugo and Luis David Martínez 6–4, 4–6, [10–8] in the final.


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Singles
Tim Smyczek was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2018 JSM Challenger of Champaign–Urbana – Singles
Reilly Opelka won the title after defeating Ryan Shane 7–6(8–6), 6–3 in the final.


2018 Jackson State Tigers football team
The 2018 Jackson State Tigers football team  represented Jackson State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers were led by second-year head coach Tony Hughes and played their home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi as members of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).


2018 Jackson State Tigers football team, Previous season
The Tigers finished the 2017 season 3–8, 3–4 in SWAC play to finish in fourth place in the East Division.


2018 Jackson State Tigers football team, Preseason, SWAC football media day
During the SWAC football media day held in Birmingham, Alabama on July 13, 2018, the Tigers were predicted to finish third in the East Division. They did not have any players selected to any of the Presason All-SWAC Teams.


2018 Jacksonville Dolphins football team
The 2018 Jacksonville Dolphins football team represented Jacksonville University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Ian Shields and played their home games at D. B. Milne Field. They were members of the Pioneer Football League (PFL). they finished the season 2–8, 1–7 in PFL play to finish in last place.


2018 Jacksonville Dolphins football team, Previous season
The Dolphins finished the 2017 season 7–4, 5–3 in PFL play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.


2018 Jacksonville Dolphins football team, Preseason, Preseason All-PFL team
The PFL released their preseason all-PFL team on July 30, 2018, with the Dolphins having two players selected.


2018 Jacksonville Dolphins football team, Preseason, Preseason coaches poll
The PFL released their preseason coaches poll on July 31, 2018, with the Dolphins predicted to finish in sixth place.


2018 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2018 season was the Jacksonville Jaguars' 24th in the National Football League and their second under head coach Doug Marrone. This was their first season in new uniforms, which were revealed in April 2018. The Jaguars had hopes of matching or improving on their 10–6 campaign from the year prior, but despite a 3–1 start, the Jags fell into a 7 game losing streak and failed to improve on their 10–6 record after a Week 11 loss to the Steelers. After they lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, the Jaguars fell to 4–9 and were officially eliminated from postseason contention. They finished 5–11, in last place in the AFC South.


2018 Jacksonville Jaguars season, Preseason
The Jaguars' preseason opponents and schedule were announced on April 11. Exact dates and times were finalized on April 19, when the regular season schedule was announced.


2018 Jacksonville Jaguars season, Regular season, Schedule
On January 11, 2018, the NFL announced that the Jaguars would play host to the Philadelphia Eagles at Wembley Stadium in London, England, as part of their commitment to the London Games. The game occurred during Week 8 (October 28), and was televised in the United States.


2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
The 2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach John Grass and played their home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 7–1 in OVC play to win the conference championship for the fifth consecutive year. They received the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they defeated East Tennessee State in the first round before losing in the second round to Maine.


2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team, Previous season
The Gamecocks finished the 2017 season 10–2, 8–0 in OVC play to win the conference championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Gamecocks received the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 3 overall seed, marking their fifth straight trip to the FCS playoffs. After a bye, they were upset by Kennesaw State in the second round.


2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team, Previous season
On October 14, the Gamecocks won their 27th straight OVC conference game, setting the conference record for consecutive games won.


2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team, Preseason, OVC media poll
On July 20, 2018, the media covering the OVC released their preseason poll with the Gamecocks predicted to win the OVC championship. On July 23, the OVC released their coaches poll with the Gamecocks also predicted to become OVC champions.


2018 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team, Preseason, Preseason All-OVC team
The Gamecocks had six players selected to the preseason all-OVC team. Defensive lineman Randy Roberinson was also selected as the preseason defensive player of the year.


2018 Jalisco Open
The 2018 Jalisco Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the eighth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Guadalajara, Mexico between 16 and 22 April 2018.


2018 Jalisco Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Jalisco Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw as alternates:


2018 Jalisco Open – Doubles
Santiago González and Artem Sitak were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2018 Jalisco Open – Doubles
Marcelo Arévalo and Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela won the title after defeating Brydan Klein and Ruan Roelofse 7–6(7–3), 7–5 in the final.


2018 Jalisco Open – Singles
Mirza Bašić was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2018 Jalisco Open – Singles
Marcelo Arévalo won the title after defeating Christopher Eubanks 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(7–4) in the final.


2018 Jamaican Athletics Championships
The 2018 Jamaican Athletics Championships was the year's national outdoor track and field championships for Jamaica. It was held from 21–24 June at the Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica. The national junior championships were staged alongside the senior events.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team
The 2018 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Mike Houston and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium. They were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 9–4, 6–2 in CAA play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Delaware in the first round before losing to Colgate in the second round.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team
On December 7, 2018, Mike Houston was formally announced and hired as the next coach of East Carolina, alongside nine staff members.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team, Previous season
The Dukes finished the 2017 season 14–1, 8–0 in CAA play to become CAA champions. They finished the regular season undefeated for the second time in school history (the other being 1975, before the Dukes joined the NCAA). In the FCS Playoffs they defeated Stony Brook, Weber State, and South Dakota State to advance to the FCS National Championship Game for the second consecutive year. They were unable to defend their 2016 National Championship, falling in the 2017 title game to North Dakota State.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team, Preseason, CAA Poll
In the CAA preseason poll released on July 24, 2018, the Dukes were predicted to win the CAA championship.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team, Preseason, Preseason All-CAA Team
The Dukes had six players selected to the preseason all-CAA team, including cornerback Rashad Robinson being selected as preseason defensive player of the year.


2018 James Madison Dukes football team, Game summaries, at Norfolk State
Due to inclement weather, the JMU–Norfolk State game was mutually ended after the first quarter.


2018 James Madison Dukes men's soccer team
The 2018 James Madison Dukes men's soccer team represented James Madison University during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the university's 51st season fielding a men's varsity soccer program, and the university's 40th in the Colonial Athletic Association.


2018 James Madison Dukes men's soccer team
The season was highlighted by the Dukes winning both the CAA Regular season as well as the 2018 CAA Men's Soccer Tournament, making it their sixth tournament championship, and their seventh regular season championship. The Dukes earned an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, where they had their best run in program history, reaching the quarterfinals (Elite Eight) of the competition.


2018 James Madison Dukes men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Japan Football League
The 2018 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第20回日本フットボールリーグ, Hepburn: Dai Nijikkai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu) was the fifth season of the fourth tier in Japanese football, and the 20th season since the establishment of Japan Football League. The season ran from 11 March to 18 November 2018.


2018 Japan Football League, Clubs
Sixteen clubs participated in this season of Japan Football League. The list was announced on 15 January 2018.


2018 Japan Football League, Change in rules
This season was the last to use the two-stage format, similar to the one J.League had in its early years and used in 2015 and 2016. Two single round-robin stages were held, and winners of each stage determined the champion in the post-season home and away championship playoffs. After five seasons, the JFL reverted to a one-stage double round-robin starting in 2019.


2018 Japan Golf Tour
The 2018 Japan Golf Tour season was played from 18 January to 2 December. The season consisted of 25 official money events, mostly in Japan, as well as the four majors. One event was played in Singapore, and one in Myanmar, both co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.


2018 Japan Golf Tour, Schedule
The table below shows the 2018 schedule. The number in parentheses after each winner's name is the number of Japan Golf Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Japan Golf Tour members (does not include the four major golf championships).


2018 Japan Open (badminton)
The 2018 Japan Open (officially known as the Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo, Japan, from 11 to 16 September 2018 and had a total prize of $700,000.


2018 Japan Open (badminton), Tournament
The 2018 Japan Open was the sixteenth tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour and also part of the Japan Open championships, which had been held since 1977. This tournament was organized by Nippon Badminton Association, and sanctioned by the BWF.


2018 Japan Open (badminton), Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo, Japan.


2018 Japan Open (badminton), Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.


2018 Japan Open (badminton), Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$700,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2018 Japan Open (table tennis)
The 2018 Japan Open was the sixth event of the 2018 ITTF World Tour. It took place from 8–10 June in Kitakyushu, Japan.


2018 Japan Series
The 2018 Japan Series was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Pacific League's (PL) Climax Series champion and defending Japan Series champions, and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the Central League's (CL) Climax Series champion. The Hawks defeated the Carp, 4–1–1, in six games, to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship and their fifth in eight years.


2018 Japan Series
The Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place in the Pacific League. They advanced to the Japan Series after defeating the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Climax Series. The Carp finished in first place in the Central League for the third consecutive year, earning a bye in the first stage of the Climax Series. They defeated the Yomiuri Giants in Climax Series to reach the Japan Series.


2018 Japan Series
At Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, the Hawks and Carp tied in Game 1, and the Carp won Game 2. The Hawks then won the next four games, including Games 3 through 5 at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome in Fukuoka, to win the series. Takuya Kai won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.


2018 Japan Series, Climax Series
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place behind the Saitama Seibu Lions, securing them a place as host team for the First Stage of the Climax Series, a best-of-three series against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. After defeating the Fighters 2–1, SoftBank advanced to the Final Stage where they competed against the PL pennant winning Lions. The series is best-of-six and the Lions were awarded a one-win advantage as well as home field advantage for the entire series. The Hawks defeated the Lions 4–2 to advance to the Japan Series.


2018 Japan Series, Climax Series
Since the Climax Series' creation in 2007, it was only the second time a Pacific League team that didn't win the pennant advanced to the Japan Series and only the fourth time between both leagues. For the third year in a row, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp won the Central League, giving them a First Stage bye and advancing them directly to the Final Stage. They swept the third place Yomiuri Giants in three games securing them a place in the Japan Series.


2018 Japan Series, Series notes
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the 2017 Japan Series and defeated the Saitama Seibu Lions in the 2018 Pacific League Climax Series to return to the Japan Series in 2018. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp won their third consecutive Central League pennant. They lost in the 2016 Japan Series to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and lost in the 2017 Central League Climax Series.


2018 Japan Series, Series notes
During the annual managers' meeting where Japan Series rules are discussed and set, managers Koichi Ogata and Kimiyasu Kudo agreed to announce who their starting pitcher would be the day before each game. Starters are announced early during the regular season, however both teams need to agree to the practice in the Japan Series. Additionally, it was decided that games in the series would only last through 12 innings and if a game was still even after that, it would result in a tie game.


2018 Japan Series, Series notes
Previously, Japan Series games would last through 15 innings before resulting in a tie, however this change brought the series in line with the format used during both the regular season and the Climax Series. For the fifth year in a row, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is sponsoring the event and it is officially known as the "2018 SMBC Japan Series".


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Daichi Osera started Game 1 for the Carp and Kodai Senga started for the Hawks. Hiroshima scored two runs in the first inning on a home run by Ryosuke Kikuchi and a run batted in (RBI) single by Ryuhei Matsuyama. Osera then went on to strike out six of the first thirteen batters he faced and did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. SoftBank capitalized and scored two in the inning when pinch hitter Alfredo Despaigne drove in a run by singling to second baseman Kikuchi.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Kikuchi's throw to first base was off target and resulted in a throwing error that allowed a second runner to score. Both teams had scoring chances during the remainder of the game, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the eleventh inning for the Hawks, but each team's relief pitchers kept the game tied through the twelfth. With the postseason now using the same innings limit as the regular season (after 12 innings instead of 15 in the past), the game ended in a 2-2 tie after twelve innings. This Japan Series tie game was the first since the 2010 Japan Series and the first to open a Japan Series since 1986.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In Game 2, the Hawks started Rick van den Hurk. For the second straight game, the Carp scored in the first inning. With no designated hitter, Despaigne was playing left field for only the fifth time all season when leadoff hitter Kosuke Tanaka hit a ball his way. Tanaka was able to stretch a single into a double due to questionable fielding by Despaigne. Tanaka went on to score after a sacrifice bunt moved him to third base and Seiya Suzuki' single drove him home.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Hiroshima added to their run total when they scored two unearned runs in the third inning. After a throwing error by Keizo Kawashima allowed runners to safely reach second and third base, Yoshihiro Maru drove one in on a sacrifice fly while the second run scored on an RBI single by Ryuhei Matsuyama. In the fifth inning, the Carp scored twice from a two-run single by Suzuki. Hiroshima starter Kris Johnson allowed only one run on four singles and a walk through seven innings. He struck out seven batters. SoftBank's only run of the night came from a Nobuhiro Matsuda RBI single in the seventh inning.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 3
With the series moving to Fukuoka for Game 3, the Hawks started Ariel Miranda while the Carp started Aren Kuri. The Hawks scored first; in the fourth inning, Kuri issued two walks and then allowed Akira Nakamura and Kenta Imamiya to each single in a run, giving the Hawks their first lead of the series. After pitching four scoreless innings, Miranda gave up a solo home run to Tomohiro Abe, cutting the lead in half.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the bottom half of the same inning, however, the Hawks scored a run scored off of a throwing error by Alejandro Mejía and scored again after Kuri was taken out of the game. The Carp scored two runs in the next inning, one from a solo home run by Seiya Suzuki. After Akitake Okada retired the first two batters in the bottom half of the inning, three consecutive Hawks' singles gave them another run before Alfredo Despaigne opened up a five-run lead with a three-run home run.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 3
A solo home run by Hiroaki Takaya in the seventh inning gave the Hawks just enough runs to fend off a Carp comeback in the eighth inning. Suzuki led off the inning with his second solo home run of the game and then two singles and a walk set the stage for a grand slam by Abe, also his second home run of the game. Hawks reliever Yuito Mori worked a scoreless inning to preserve the win and earn a save. The win was the Hawks’ tenth straight victory at home in the Japan Series, dating back to 2011. The Carp lost the game with 16 hits, the biggest number of hits made by the losing team in a single match, although it was also the biggest number of hits ever made in a single match by the Carp in the Japan Series history .


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 4
The starting pitchers for Game 4 were Nao Higashihama for the Hawks and Yusuke Nomura for the Carp. In the first inning, SoftBank prevented an early lead by Hiroshima when Ryosuke Kikuchi was thrown out at home plate. Kikuchi attempted to score from first base on a double by Yoshihiro Maru, but was thrown out on a relay throw from center field. Higashihama went on to pitch through five innings and allowed only one run on four hits.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 4
The sole run scored by the Carp came from a home run in the fourth inning by Suzuki, his third of the series. Nomura was charged with the loss for the Hawks. He lasted 4⅓ innings and gave up a two-run home run to Seiji Uebayashi in the third and allowed Despaigne to hit his second home run of the series in the fourth. The Hawks closed out their scoring with pinch hitter Yuya Hasegawa driving in a run with a hit in the sixth inning. With the win, SoftBank extended their consecutive wins-at-home streak in the Japan Series to eleven, breaking the previous record of ten held by the 1970–73 Yomiuri Giants.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Osera and Senga started Game 5, in a rematch of the opening game of the series. For the first time since Game 2, Hiroshima scored first when Tsubasa Aizawa's single scored Ryuhei Matsuyama. SoftBank pulled ahead in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Nakamura and went on to load the bases that same inning, however Osera was able to pitch out of the inning with no further runs being scored. The next inning, Liván Moinelo relieved Senga and promptly gave up a two-run home run to Maru, once again giving the Carp the lead.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Hawks started the bottom half of the same inning with two singles, one of which was upheld on a replay review. After the runners being bunted over to second and third base, Johnny Hellweg was brought out of the bullpen to relieve Osera. The next batter, Yurisbel Gracial, was hit by pitch to load the bases setting the stage to allow a run to score on a groundout by Yanagita.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Aizawa broke the tie and gave the Carp the lead in the sixth inning but the Hawks tied it up again in the seventh when Akashi hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Yuki Yanagita won the game with a walk-off home run off of Carp closing pitcher Shota Nakazaki. The win extended the Hawks' record-setting home winning streak to twelve, and the Pacific League's home winning streak in the Japan Series to fifteen.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The series shifted back to Hiroshima for Game 6. Rick van den Hurk shut out the Carp for six innings. Tetsuro Nishida drove in a run for SoftBank in the fourth inning with a squeeze bunt that scored Yuki Yanagita. Yurisbel Gracial hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Relief pitchers Shota Takeda, Shinya Kayama, and Yuito Mori completed the shutout of the Carp, as SoftBank repeated as Japan Series champs. Hawks' catcher Takuya Kai, who set a Japan Series record with six consecutive caught stealings, won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.


2018 Japan Series, Game summaries, Composite line score
2018 Japan Series (4–1–1): Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) beat Hiroshima Toyo Carp (CL).


2018 Japan Women's Open
The 2018 Japan Women's Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the tenth edition of the Japan Women's Open, and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2018 WTA Tour. It was held at the Regional Park Tennis Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan, from September 10 through September 16, 2018. This is the first year that the tournament was held in Hiroshima.


2018 Japan Women's Open, Point distribution, Prize money
1 Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money2 Per team


2018 Japan Women's Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Japan Women's Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following player entered the singles main draw with a protected ranking:


2018 Japan Women's Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2018 Japan Women's Open – Doubles
Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan were the defending champions, but Yang chose not to participate. Aoyama played alongside Duan Yingying, but lost in the semifinals to Eri Hozumi and Zhang Shuai.


2018 Japan Women's Open – Doubles
Hozumi and Zhang went on to win the title, defeating Miyu Kato and Makoto Ninomiya in the final, 6–2, 6–4.


2018 Japan Women's Open – Singles
Zarina Diyas was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Zhang Shuai.


2018 Japan Women's Open – Singles
Hsieh Su-wei won her first title in six years, beating Amanda Anisimova in the final 6–2, 6–2.