SOCCER
Spurs fire Cristian Stellini
A day after a 6-1 loss against Newcastle United, Tottenham Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on Monday announced the departure of interim manager Cristian Stellini and the appointment of another temporary fix in Ryan Mason. “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable,” Levy said in a statement. “It was devastating to see. We can look at many reasons why it happened and whilst myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.” Spurs are fifth in the Premier League, six points behind Manchester United and Newcastle, who have played fewer games.
RUGBY UNION
Kolisi in doubt for Cup
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi could miss his country’s Rugby World Cup title defense in France later this year after being advised to have surgery on a knee injury, South Africa’s Independent Online reported. The loose forward, who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan four years ago, sustained the injury playing for the Durban-based Sharks against Irish province Munster in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday. The Independent, citing a source “with knowledge of the injury,” said he had sustained a partial tear to his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged the meniscus on both sides of the joint.
CRICKET
Mark Chapman kept on
Mark Chapman’s red-hot T20 form in Pakistan has revived the New Zealand batter’s one-day international career in a World Cup year, but the 28-year-old is taking nothing for granted. Initially selected only for the T20 leg of the Black Caps’ tour, Chapman had checked out of his hotel room in Rawalpindi and was preparing to leave for home after helping his team draw the series 2-2 on Monday. Then came the news he was staying on for the five-match ODI series starting in Rawalpindi on Thursday. “I had to check back into my room,” Chapman said. “I already had paid my bill and checked out. I got back here, had to get another room key... Same room, thankfully. So, it feels like home.” Chapman was dismissed only once in five innings and racked up 290 runs — a record tally for a five-match T20 series — and was named Player of the Series. He hit 104 off 57 balls on Monday to secure New Zealand’s six-wicket win in the final match.
CRICKET
Stand named for Tendulkar
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday honored India batting great Sachin Tendulkar on his 50th birthday by naming a stand after him. The venue in the United Arab Emirates held a ceremony for the former India captain, announcing that the West Stand had been renamed the Sachin Tendulkar Stand. Tendulkar smashed 143 runs against Australia at the stadium in April 1998 in a one-day international dubbed “Desert Storm” after play was disrupted for 25 minutes due to a sand storm. His knock guided India to the tri-series final against Australia, which India won by six wickets with Tendulkar striking 134 runs on his 25th birthday. “I can’t forget his birthday celebrations,” Sharjah Cricket chief executive officer Khalaf Bukhatir said. “It mesmerized the whole audience and I feel lucky to have been there.”
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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