GOLF
Taiwan’s Chien finishes 5th
Taiwan Chien Pei-yun on Sunday ended her admirable run at the LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship with a fifth-place finish in Cincinnati, Ohio. After taking a four-stroke lead in the second round on Friday with an eight-under round of 64, Chien, who was making her 140th start on the LPGA tour and chasing her first title, lost her 36-hole lead on Saturday to finish second. She started the third round with a double bogey, answered with two straight birdies, but then lost ground with three bogeys over four holes to close out the front nine. That included a three-putt bogey on No. 9 that put her one shot behind for the first time all day. On Sunday, she recorded three bogeys and a birdie in the front nine to finish tied at fifth with an 11-under-par 277.
CYCLING
Van Aert wins 2nd UK title
Wout van Aert on Sunday won the Tour of Britain for the second time in three years as the Belgian took the title by three seconds. The Team Jumbo-Visma rider held onto his overnight advantage on the eighth and final stage to secure the title in an event he last won in 2021. Ineos Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodriguez won the eighth stage from Margam County Park to Caerphilly. The Spaniard would have needed to recover a 39-second deficit to pip Van Aert to the title, but could only finish 11 seconds ahead of his rival. Uno-X’s Tobias Halland Johannessen finished second overall, with Australian Damien Howsen of Q36.5 third in the general classification.
MOTORSPORTS
Dixon wins season finale
New Zealand’s Scott Dixon rallied to win the IndyCar season finale at central California’s Laguna Seca, but despite the victory and a season turnaround, he was unable to beat teammate Alex Palou on points for the championship. It was still good enough to affirm Dixon’s legacy as the greatest driver of his generation. Sunday’s win was the six-time IndyCar champion’s first at the permanent California road course, 56th of his career and third in the final four races of the season. His turnaround last month ensured that Dixon’s streak of 19 consecutive seasons with at least one win remaining intact. Palou became the first driver in nearly 20 years to clinch the IndyCar title before the season finale with his victory in Portland the previous week. “It’s just a shame that Palou decided to lead the championship by too many points, and it became a bit boring on the championship side,” Dixon said.
SAILING
Ainslie wins France SailGP
British star Ben Ainslie on Sunday sent his foiling catamaran flying past three-time defending champion Tom Slingsby and Team Australia halfway down the final full leg to win the France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez and end a two-and-a-half-year victory drought. Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time and a former America’s Cup champion, skippered Emirates Great Britain to its first win since the opening regatta of Season 2 in Bermuda in April 2021. “It’s been a long time coming, but it was great to be in one of those all-classic finals with the Aussies, who are the great champion team, and look, a huge amount of respect to them,” Ainslie said. “But for us to come out, get through them and overtake them, we’ll take that.”
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
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