TENNIS
Chan, Olmos make quarters
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos on Monday progressed to the quarter-finals of the San Diego Open after beating Australia’s Daria Saville and Russia’s Anna Blinkova 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-5 in the women’s doubles. They next face either Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and her partner Guo Hanyu of China or US pair Emily Deming and Ann Li, depending on the outcome of their showdown today.
CRICKET
Neil Wagner retires
An emotional Neil Wagner yesterday announced his retirement from international cricket, after the fast bowler was left out of New Zealand’s team for the first Test against Australia this week. Wagner fought back tears as he told reporters he had decided to call time on a 64-Test career after New Zealand Cricket said he would not be in the side for tomorrow’s match in Wellington. “It’s never an easy time to do something like this, but the time has obviously come,” said the 37-year-old Wagner, who has taken 260 Test wickets. “It’s been amazing to represent the Black Caps. It’s been some of the proudest moments of my life,” he added. Fiery short-ball specialist Wagner said he would leave the squad before the start of next week’s second Test in Christchurch. “I’m looking forward to one final week in camp and will be doing everything I can to help prepare and support the boys,” he said. Wagner made his New Zealand debut in 2012 after arriving from his native South Africa four years earlier. “To the New Zealand public and the fans, I can’t thank you enough, for your support, for making me feel welcome, for making me feel like a Kiwi,” he said. Only Richard Hadlee, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori and Trent Boult have taken more Test wickets for New Zealand than Wagner.
CYCLING
Mechanic fakes being rider
A US women’s cycling team have been sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for fraudulent actions after a mechanic was told to disguise herself as a rider to satisfy race regulations. The sport’s governing body said a disciplinary commission found that Cynisca Cycling, a UCI Women’s Continental team, tried to circumvent rules that required five riders per team to start the Argenta Classic in Belgium in July last year. “Although only four riders were present and available to start the event, several members of the team had participated in a fraud ... by attempting to deceive the Commissaires’ Panel into believing that a fifth rider was present and could take part in the event,” the UCI said in a statement. The team’s sports director Danny Van Haute instructed riders Anna Hicks, Cara O’Neil, Katherine Sarkisov and Claire Windsor to lie about the whereabouts of a fifth rider who was unable to race because of illness, the UCI said. Having initially stated that the fifth rider was “present but ill” they were told the team would not be allowed to compete unless the fifth rider signed in and was ready to start. Van Haute then instructed team mechanic Moira Barrett to wear rider’s clothes and a mask and present herself at the start as the team’s fifth rider, the UCI statement said. Van Haute was fined and suspended from all cycling activity until Dec. 31, next year, while the four riders were reprimanded for their part in the saga. Barrett was banned until September and the team were fined and suspended from the next event on the UCI calendar.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
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
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
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