TABLE TENNIS
Taiwanese move up rankings
Taiwanese paddlers Lin Yun-ju, Cheng I-ching and Li Yu-jhun moved up in the world rankings due to their performances at the Singapore Smash, which ended on Sunday. Lin rose two spots in the ITTF rankings to world No. 6 in the men’s singles after reaching the semi-finals in Singapore. He earned 700 points after his 2-4 loss to China’s Liang Jingkun, taking him to a total of 3,106 points. Cheng and Li also moved up two positions to world No. 3 in the women’s doubles, despite losing 0-3 to Chinese duo Chen Meng and Wang Manyu in the final.
SOCCER
Chelsea, Lyon triumph
Chelsea hammered last-eight debutants AFC Ajax 3-0 while Olympique Lyonnais needed two second-half goals to claim a 2-1 win over SL Benfica in the opening first-leg quarter-final clashes of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday. Lauren James opened the scoring for Chelsea in their away win over Ajax, the England forward calmly rounding the goalkeeper to slot into an empty net. Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nusken then scored a goal in each half as Chelsea went on to dominate the match and put themselves in compete control before the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes called her team’s performance “really professional.” “We defended solidly, as we have been doing, and then once we started to attack the spaces down the sides, we got good opportunities: four crosses, two goals in the first half,” Hayes said. “Outstanding performance from [Kadeisha] Buchanan and Nusken in particular, but the team as a whole, you could see they were confident and delighted to get the third goal.” In Lisbon, Andreia Faria scored her first Champions League goal to hand Benfica the lead against Lyon, the most successful club in the women’s competition. However, the French side’s pressure in the second half paid off, with Delphine Cascarino and Sara Dabritz each scoring to hand Lyon control of the two-leg tie.
OLYMPICS
No parade for Russians
Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be allowed to take part in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday. The opening ceremony on July 26 is to have thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several kilometers toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium. The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals would have a chance only “to experience the event” — likely watching from near the river. Russia and Belarus are barred from team sports at the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting procedure for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status. Those athletes must first be approved by the governing body of their individual sport and then by an IOC-appointed review panel. Neutral athletes must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. The IOC on Tuesday said it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Games.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
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