SOCCER
Croatian violence slammed
The Croatian Football Federation on Wednesday condemned violence that followed Dinamo Zagreb’s 1-0 win over Hadjuk Split in the Croatia Cup semi-finals. Spectators invaded the pitch after the final whistle and violence spilled out in and around the stadium. Local media said that 51 people were detained by police, while eight officers were injured in clashes with fans. The federation said in a statement that it condemned any form of violence in soccer. “We share the deep disappointment of the football community due to the unfortunate scenes that followed last night’s match, and we hope that each individual involved in the riots will be held accountable in accordance with the law,” it said.
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Chan Hao-ching eliminated
Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching on Thursday was eliminated at the Charleston Open, exiting in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. Makoto Ninomiya and Eri Hozumi of Japan def Chan and partner Veronika Kudermetova of Russia 6-4, 0-6, 10-5 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in South Carolina.
OLYMPICS
Diver falls at ceremony
French Olympic diver Alexis Jandard on Thursday said he was glad to have brought a smile to people’s faces after an embarrassing fall during the inauguration ceremony for an Olympic aquatics center that was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. Jandard slipped on a board just as he was about to dive alongside two other divers, before awkwardly bouncing off the board and into the water. In an Instagram story, the 26-year-old posted a photograph of himself with scrapes on his back. “I’m fine. I didn’t hurt myself, unfortunately these things happen,” Jandard told RMC Sport. “It happened at a time when I wasn’t expecting it at all. I’ve broken boards before, but the board had never broken me before. Now it has. I would have preferred this ceremony to have gone well from start to finish. There was that little hitch. If it made people smile a little, so much the better,” he said. “We know our sport. We know what it entails. We know that these things can happen... It had to happen in front of the president and the whole of France. I think we chose the right moment.”
BOXING
Ali’s shorts under hammer
The shorts worn by Muhammad Ali in his legendary “Thrilla in Manila” boxing match are up for grabs at Sotheby’s in New York. Bids — including the latest for US$3.8 million — have been rolling in since late March for the Everlast-brand shorts, which are white with black stripes and are signed by Ali. The auction is open until Friday next week. Sotheby’s said that, as of Thursday, the minimum price agreed to by the seller of Ali’s shorts had not yet been reached. Sotheby’s estimates the shorts could eventually fetch US$4 million to US$6 million. The 1975 fight against Joe Frazier was held in the Philippines. It went to 14 rounds before Frazier’s coach threw in the towel. Ali died in 2016.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Steve Smith yesterday announced his retirement from one-day international (ODI) cricket after captaining Australia to a semi-final exit at the ICC Champions Trophy, bringing down the curtain on a career in the format that included two ICC World Cup wins. The 35-year-old batsman, who was his team’s top scorer with 73 as Australia lost to India by four wickets in Dubai on Tuesday, said he would still be available for selection for T20 internationals and Test matches. “It has been a great ride and I have loved every minute of it,” Smith said in a Cricket Australia statement. “There have been so
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