TABLE TENNIS
Taiwanese pair victorious
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Chen Szu-yu were victorious in the mixed doubles final at the World Table Tennis Contender Muscat yesterday, defeating Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Sora Matsushima 3-1. After a strong start in the first game, Lin and Chen led 6-1, but they faced stiffer competition for the remainder of the game, at one point falling behind by two points. However, Lin’s strong forehand prevailed and the Taiwanese pair took the first game 11-7. They lost the second game 16-18, despite having a 10-7 lead, but bounced back to cinch the third game 11-8 and the fourth 11-4.
Photo: World Table Tennis
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Wu loses
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday exited in the semi-finals at the Korea Open at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center. Wu and partner Irina Khromacheva of Russia were beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic at the US$259,303 hardcourt tournament. Mattek-Sands and Bouzkova face Thai pair Peangtarn Plipuech and Luksika Kumkhum in today’s final.
SOCCER
Three teams qualify
Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored twice on Friday to help France and Portugal secure spots at next year’s European Championship, with Belgium also clinching a berth in Germany. The three European powerhouses all needed a win to qualify for the tournament and their star strikers made sure they got them. France beat the Netherlands 2-1 in Group B, Portugal beat Slovakia 3-2 in Group J and Belgium defeated Austria 3-2 in Group F. In other games, Azerbaijan beat Estonia 2-0, Greece downed Ireland 2-0, Iceland and Luxembourg drew 1-1, and Bosnia and Herzegovina downed Liechtenstein 2-0.
CRICKET
Argentina demolish Chile
Argentina openers Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan on Friday combined for 350-run partnership as Chile’s bowlers took a hammering in the first of three women’s T20Is in Buenos Aires. The home side rampaged to 427-1 in 20 overs batting first, the highest score in T20Is for men or women. The next-highest women’s total was Bahrain’s 318-1 against Saudi Arabia last year. Taylor made 169 from 84 deliveries before she was bowled by Jessica Miranda (1-64), while Galan finished unbeaten on 145 off 84. Maria Castineiras scored 40 from 16. Argentina hit no sixes, but were gifted 73 extras from a bye, eight wides and 64 no-balls. Florencia Martinez, one of Chile’s seven debutants in the match, conceded 52 runs in her only over, which contained 17 no-balls. Constanza Oyarce went for 92 runs in four overs. Esperanza Rubio (0-57) was the most economical. With the bat, Miranda (27) was the only Chile player to make double figures, while Argentina added 29 to the tally of extras as the visitors were bowled out for 63 in the 15th over, losing by 364 runs. The second match is scheduled for today.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
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