BADMINTON
Tai eases past first round
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday thrashed her opponent 21-11, 21-8 on the second day of the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur. The world No. 2 took just 24 minutes to beat World No. 46 Sim Yu-jin of South Korea in their round-of-32 match. World No. 4 Chou Tien-chen took significantly longer in his men’s singles match, beating World No. 29 Sameer Verma of India 10-21, 21-12, 21-14 in 52 minutes. Wang Tzu-wei slogged through a 1 hour, 33 minute game to beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 16-21, 21-18, 27-25. In the men’s doubles, Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei beat China’s He Ji-ting and Zhou Hao-dong 18-21, 21-13, 21-18. In the mixed doubles, Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang progressed due to a walkover, while Lee Jhe-huei and Hsu Ya-ching lost their match.
ATHLETICS
Shoes trip up Yulimar Rojas
Venezuelan triple jump world record-holder Yulimar Rojas will not compete in the long jump at this month’s world championships after her qualifying mark of 6.93m was deemed invalid due to unapproved shoes. The back-to-back triple jump world champion surpassed the long jump qualifying standard at the Reunion de Atletismo Ciudad de Guadalajara last month, but was wearing triple jump shoes, which are not allowed in the event, World Athletics said. “Ms Rojas had intended to compete in the long jump after this event, with approved shoes, to qualify for the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022, but injury prevented this,” World Athletics said in a statement. The approved sole thickness limit for shoes in the long jump is 20mm and for the triple jump is 25mm.
SOCCER
‘Impractical’ scores probed
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has launched an investigation into two first-division matches that finished with scorelines of 91-1 and 95-0, describing them as “impractical” results. The West African country’s soccer governing body said it was investigating officials and players who were involved in the two fixtures, in which Gulf defeated Koquima Lebanon 91-1 and Kahula Rangers beat Lumbenbu United 95-0. The SLFA said it has zero tolerance for match manipulation or anything of the sort. “The general public is therefore assured that the said matter will be thoroughly investigated and anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” it said in a statement. If confirmed, the two scorelines would rank among the highest recorded in soccer history. The highest is thought to have occurred in Madagascar in 2002 when AS Adema beat SO l’Emyrne 149-0. The SO l’Emyrne players intentionally scored one own-goal after another in protest against refereeing decisions with which they disagreed.
BASEBALL
Mets mar Scherzer return
The New York Mets on Tuesday wasted a stellar performance by Max Scherzer in his return from an oblique injury, losing 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Mike Moustakas’ game-ending sacrifice fly. Scherzer struck out 11 while pitching six innings of two-hit ball in his first big league start since May 18. Throwing mostly fastballs, Scherzer —who turns 38 in three weeks — allowed only one runner to reach third, and he responded by striking out Matt Reynolds to get out of the second inning.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,