BOXING
Taiwanese wins gold
Shen Shin-ai on Friday scored a points victory over Sila Bibolsynkyzy in the women’s light flyweight division (48kg) final to win Taiwan’s first gold at the Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan. The southpaw Shen won two out of three rounds, conceding only the final round to her opponent. Shen had already made history by becoming the first Taiwanese boxer to reach a final at the junior championships by defeating Palak Ajay Zambare of India in the semi-finals. Shen’s success might be the result of her participation in other sports, said Peng Chun-ming, director-general of Taiwan’s national boxing association. Peng told reporters that Shen practiced wushu when she was an elementary-school student and it was not until she was about to graduate that she started boxing. She even played badminton when she was in junior-high school due to the lack of boxing facilities, Peng added.
Photo: CNA
TENNIS
Sabalenka beats Rybakina
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a rain-disrupted group match on Friday to book a semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals. The Belarusian, who finished second in her group behind unbeaten American Jessica Pegula, kept her bid for the year-end number one ranking on track with a victory that took two days to complete. She had won the first set, but was trailing in the second when play was halted on Thursday after multiple rain delays. Swiatek downed sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-2 to finish top of her group with a perfect 3-0 record. US Open champion Coco Gauff closed out group play with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory over Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova and advanced to the semi-finals — her place secured after Swiatek’s win.
TENNIS
Djokovic reaches last four
Novak Djokovic on Friday edged out Holger Rune at the Paris Masters to reach the last four, while Stefanos Tsitsipas set up a meeting with Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic missed a match point in the second set, but eventually claimed a 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 win over Denmark’s Rune in the quarter-finals at Bercy Arena. Djokovic faces Andrey Rublev for a place in the final after the Russian defeated Alex de Minaur 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. “It was quite a similar match to last year’s final, it was anybody’s game in every set,” said Djokovic, referring to the match the two played last year, which the Serbian lost. “I played an awful tie-break in the second set, probably the worst one this year, but again credit to him for staying mentally tough and playing solid. We have similar games. Move well, defend well and all-round players.” The 36-year-old claimed his second career victory against Rune, who is now working with Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker, after suffering two successive defeats by the world No. 7.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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