TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan’s Li, Cheng advance
Taiwan’s Li Yu-jhun and Cheng I-ching yesterday won their quarter-final in the doubles at the WTT Finals Women Nagoya. Li and Cheng defeated Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu of Hong Kong 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-2) in 22 minutes at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena in Japan to earn a semi-final against Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki of Japan, who beat South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-3) at the US$340,000 event.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Messi to play in Tokyo
Lionel Messi’s world tour with Inter Miami next year on Friday added Tokyo as a stop, with the Major League Soccer club announcing plans to face Japan League champions Vissel Kobe. The Argentine superstar is to lead Inter Miami into the match at the 60,000-seat Japan National Stadium on Feb. 7 as part of an MLS pre-season tour that also features matches in Hong Kong and Riyadh. “Tokyo is an inspiring destination with a fervent football community that we’re looking forward to getting acquainted with,” Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said.
SOCCER
MLS teams shun Cup
Major League Soccer teams will not compete in next year’s US Open Cup, the league instead sending second-tier development clubs to the nation’s oldest soccer tournament, MLS announced on Friday. The single-elimination competition, which dates to 1914, is open to all US clubs, but MLS teams have dominated the event since the league’s 1996 debut. MLS said its club owners voted to have MLS Next teams compete in the Cup, adding in a statement that “MLS will coordinate with US Soccer regarding participation in the tournament.”
MOTORSPORTS
Button to race in Porsche
Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button is to drive a Jota Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship next year. Button, 43, is set to race in the world’s top hypercar category, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours race. “I’m still at the top of my game. I’ve got a pass from my wife,” Button told the BBC, adding that the machinery is “more technologically advanced than F1 cars.”
RUGBY UNION
Black Lion beat Scarlets
Newcomers Black Lion of Georgia on Friday beat Welsh side Scarlets 23-7 in Llanelli to claim their first-ever victory in the Challenge Cup. Lion’s fly-half Luka Matkava kicked 13 points, while Miriani Modebadze and Beka Mamrikashvili scored tries on either side of halftime to cap off a dream result for Lion, who were founded just two years ago. “I thought we were poor, to be honest, in certain elements of the game,” Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said. “We were taught a lesson at scrum time and got penalized at almost every one.”
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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