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.
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
RSS