TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan exit in Busan
France yesterday beat Taiwan 3-1 in the semi-finals at the ITTF World Championships Finals Busan in South Korea, earning a final against China today. In Match 1, Felix Lebrun beat Chuang Chih-yuan 3-1 (5-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6) on Table 1 at the BEXCO Convention Center. Lin Yun-ju scored Taiwan’s only win, beating Lebrun 3-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-5) in Match 2. Simon Gauzy made it 2-1 in Match 3 with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-6) win over Kao Cheng-jui before Lebrun got his revenge against Lin in Match 4 with a 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-8) victory.
Photo: Reuters
TENNIS
Norrie reaches semi-finals
Defending champion Cameron Norrie on Friday beat Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Rio Open. The second seed next faces Argentina’s Mariano Navone, who overcame Brazilian 17-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Francisco Cerundolo beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to earn a semi against compatriot Sebastian Baez, who beat Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
RUGBY LEAGUE
NRL eyes Super League
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) is considering buying the English Super League, a report said yesterday, a move that would have ramifications for teams and players in both competitions. The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that the NRL had begun investigating the financial viability of taking control of the English game as part of its bid to grow the sport, which is hugely popular in Australia. It comes as the NRL prepares to open its season next weekend in Las Vegas — the first time competition games have been played in the US. The Daily Telegraph said that a third party had approached NRL bosses regarding the potential purchase of the English Super League. Should the takeover be successful, the best players could potentially move between competitions and countries within a single season.
FOOTBALL
Golden Richards dies
Golden Richards, the former Dallas Cowboys receiver known for his flowing blond hair who famously caught a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl, died on Friday of congestive heart failure at his home in Murray. He was 73. Richards’ nephew Lance Richards confirmed the death in a Facebook post. “My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning,” Lance Richards wrote. “I will forever remember going hunting and talking Dallas Cowboy football. He was a kind and sweet soul and I’m so happy he’s not suffering anymore.” The former star for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, spent seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago and Denver, and is best known for his five-plus seasons as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. He twice averaged more than 21 yards per catch, finishing his time in Dallas with an 18.3 career mark. That was especially evident in the 1978 Super Bowl against Denver. With the Cowboys ahead 20-10 in the fourth quarter, fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Richards, who got behind the defense to all but assure the Cowboys of their second championship. Richards finished his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 TDs before injuries prompted him to retire in 1980.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
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