TABLE TENNIS
Taiwanese pair advance
Taiwanese paddlers Cheng I-ching and Li Yu-jhun yesterday dominated Romania’s Elizabeta Samara and Andreea Dragoman 3-0 to advance to the women’s doubles quarter-finals at the Singapore Smash. The world No. 5 pairing of Cheng and Li handily beat the world No. 20 Romanians 11-4, 11-9, 11-3 in a brisk 14 minutes, 47 seconds. They are next to play the world No. 8 duo of Adina Diaconu of Romania and Maria Xiao of Spain. In the mixed doubles quarter-finals, Taiwan’s Chen Szu-yu and Lin Yun-ju edged Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4. In the men’s singles round-of-32, Taiwanese Kao Chen-jui fell to China’s Wang Chuqin 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, while Taiwan’s Chuang Chih-yuan lost 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 to South Korea’s Cho Daeseong. In the women’s singles round-of-32, Chen lost 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 to Japan’s Miwa Harimoto, while Cheng lost 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 12-10 to South Korea’s Suh Hyowon and Taiwan’s Chien Tung-chuan was defeated 11-5, 11-9, 11-1 by China’s Wang Yidi.
CYCLING
Champion in court over death
Australian former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis yesterday appeared in court after being charged following the road death of his Olympian wife. Melissa Hoskins, a retired track cyclist who represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, died in an Adelaide hospital in late December last year from serious injuries. The bailed Dennis, 33, made no plea when he faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court, which adjourned the case until Aug. 6, court documents said. Following his wife’s death, police charged Dennis with “causing death by dangerous driving” and “driving without due care and endangering life.”
SURFING
Australian to surf for Japan
Australian-born pro surfer Connor O’Leary is off to this summer’s Paris Olympics with Japan having switched allegiances last year to his mother’s homeland. The 30-year-old, who hails from the Sydney suburb of Cronulla, was picked as Japan’s third and final representative in their men’s surfing team for the Games, the Nippon Surfing Association said. O’Leary’s mother, Akemi Karasawa, is a former Japanese surfing champion, while his father is Australian. “So excited to officially announce that I will be representing Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics!” O’Leary told his 70,000 followers on Instagram. “Tahiti here we come!” He reportedly switched to representing Japan to bolster his chances of getting to the Olympics. “To be able to qualify for Australia would be great as well, but with where I am at in my career, [representing Japan is] such a great way to expand my horizon,” O’Leary told SBS Japanese last year.
SOCCER
Police raid AC Milan office
Italy’s finance police on Tuesday raided the headquarters of AC Milan as part of an investigation into the sale of the Serie A giants to US investment fund RedBird. The club confirmed the raids reported by Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI and said that the team itself was not being investigated, but that current CEO Giorgio Furlani and his predecessor Ivan Gazidis were. The club added that the pair were being probed for “incorrect communication” to supervisory bodies and that Milan were “cooperating fully with the investigative authorities.”
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
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
FINAL WEEK LOOMS: PSG rose to 22nd place to set up another tense challenge against 24th-placed Stuttgart, while Man City require victory against Club Brugge Manchester City are on the brink of a humiliating UEFA Champions League exit after a stunning loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Real Madrid is no longer at risk after routing Salzburg. Man City blew a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-wealthy underachievers that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, who could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of games next week. Only the top 24 in the 36-team standings are to advance. Man City, the 2023 champions, are in 25th place, but could squeeze into the knockout playoffs round by beating Club Brugge. “We will
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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