BADMINTON
Taiwan’s Chou eliminated
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Madrid Spain Masters after losing to France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-15, 20-22, 21-18. Chou on Friday advanced to the semis by defeating Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao 21-16, 21-12 in 33 minutes in their first head-to-head. Wang Tzu-wei’s men’s singles semi against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore was just beginning at press time last night, as were Taiwan’s Chang Ching-hui and Yang Ching-tun in the women’s doubles against Japanese pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakaishi. They defeated Keng Shuliang and Zhang Chi 21-14, 21-16 on Friday. Also in the women’s doubles, Lee Chia-hsin and Teng Chun-hsun were soundly beaten 21-12, 21-7 by Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi of Indonesia.
RUGBY UNION
Savea endorses change
World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea has tentatively endorsed a suggested policy change that would allow players based outside New Zealand to be considered for All Blacks selection. New Zealand has opposed such a policy, despite several leading rivals allowing overseas-based players to be chosen for national teams. Savea is playing in Japan on a short-term basis with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers. He is to return to New Zealand later this year for a Test series against England and the latter stages of the Super Rugby Pacific season. “Times are changing,” he said in an interview from Kobe. “Things are moving fast. What worked five, 10, 15 years ago maybe can’t work now. We’ve just got to be innovative and smart around what we’re doing.”
SOCCER
Give Irankunda time: coach
Adelaide United coach Carl Veart on Friday urged Australian fans to be patient with emerging talent Nestory Irankunda after the Bayern Munich-bound striker became the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick in the A-League. The 18-year-old fired Veart’s side to a 4-1 win over Western United at Hindmarsh Stadium with his first three-goal haul in the professional game. “A lot of people think all he is is power and speed, but they don’t actually see or work with him every day,” Veart said. “He is technically very, very good and his understanding of the game is at a high level. He knows when to slow things down and go fast. It takes time for these young players.”
CRICKET
David Willey leaves IPL
English left-arm seamer David Willey has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons and is to be replaced by New Zealander Matt Henry at Lucknow Super Giants, organizers said yesterday. Willey quit international cricket after the ODI World Cup in India last year and missed Lucknow’s IPL opener against Rajasthan Royals last week.
FOOTBALL
Chiefs sign Rees-Zammit
Former Wales rugby union international Louis Rees-Zammit has been signed by Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL franchise said on Friday. The 23-year-old wing announced his decision to leave rugby in January. “Hi Chiefs Kingdom, Louis Rees-Zammit here. Just signed, can’t wait to go and see you all at Arrowhead,” he said in a video posted by the Chiefs on X.
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
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
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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