TENNIS
Taiwanese to play today
Wu Fang-hsien of Taiwan today is to play in the women’s doubles quarter-finals at the WTA Thailand Open after she and her Slovenian partner won their round-of-16 match on Monday. Wu and Tamara Zidansek face Chinese pair Jiang Xinyu and Guo Hanyu at True Arena Hua Hin in the US$267,082 hard-court tournament for a place in the semis following their 6-4, 6-4 win over Swiss-German pair Conny Perrin and Julia Lohoff in the opening round. The other Taiwanese in the tournament, Liang En-shuo, exited in the round-of-16 after she and partner Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand lost 6-2, 3-6, 10-3 to Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands and the Czech Republic’s Anna Siskova.
TENNIS
Murray to battle on
Andy Murray hit back at suggestions he could “damage his legacy” if he continues his career after the 36-year-old Scot suffered a third straight first-round exit to start the season. After first-round exits at Brisbane and Melbourne Park, Murray’s defeat by Frenchman Benoit Paire in Montpellier on Tuesday prompted a BBC reporter to ask: “At what point does bravely soldiering on start to damage his legacy?” Murray wrote on X: “Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favour. I’m in a terrible moment right now I’ll give you that. Most people would quit and give up in my situation right now. But I’m not most people and my mind works differently. I won’t quit. I will keep fighting and working to produce the performances I know I’m capable of.” Former US Open champion Andy Roddick said that nothing could detract from Murray’s achievements. “Can’t take legacy away. Accomplishment lives forever,” he wrote on X.
CRICKET
England mull spin storm
Ben Stokes’ England side could go with an all-spin bowling attack against India with the second Test to begin in Visakhapatnam tomorrow. Rohit Sharma’s side suffered only their fourth home defeat in 47 Tests since 2013 last week in Hyderabad as England came from 190 runs behind on first innings to record a stunning 28-run victory. The pitch is expected to turn sharply from the start. Uncapped England spinner Shoaib Bashir joined his teammates on Sunday after a visa delay and coach Brendon McCullum hinted that Bashir could start if England go “quids-in” with a four-pronged spin attack. “We won’t be afraid to play all our spinners,” McCullum told SEN Radio as England look to extend their series lead to 2-0.
MOTORSPORTS
F1 may return to Malaysia
Oil company Petroliam Nasional, or Petronas, is looking to bring Formula One races back to Malaysia in 2026 after a nine-year hiatus, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. Malaysia hosted a leg of the F1 world championship at its Sepang International Circuit from 1999, but staged its most recent race in 2017 due to declining ticket sales and rising costs of hosting the event. The plan to bring back the F1 race was revealed during a company townhall led by the firm’s president and chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz, the sources said, declining to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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
“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
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
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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