ICE HOCKEY
Panthers beat Bruins
Aleksander Barkov on Wednesday had two goals and two assists, while Sam Reinhart added four assists as the Florida Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 6-1 to tie their NHL Eastern Conference second-round playoff series at 1-1. Brandon Montour had a goal and two assists, while Steven Lorentz, Gustav Forsling and Eetu Luostarinen also scored. The Panthers chased Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman early in the third period after four straight goals, then added two more against Linus Ullmark. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 14 saves for the Panthers. Charlie Coyle had the goal for the Bruins, who lost to Florida for the first time in six meetings this season. In Vancouver, Conor Garland broke a tie with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left as the Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in Game 1 of their Western Conference series. Garland took a short pass from Dakota Joshua, faked a slap shot at the right circle, sped in on Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner and slipped a wrist shot between his legs from a sharp angle for Vancouver’s second goal in 39 seconds.
Photo: AFP
OLYMPICS
Flame starts France relay
The French leg of the Paris Olympic flame relay began yesterday in the southern port city of Marseille, a day after it arrived from Greece on a 19th-century ship. Former France soccer star Basile Boli carried the torch from a majestic cathedral overlooking the city and handed it over to 83-year-old Colette Cataldo. The event drew dozens of spectators including Marseille archbishop Jean-marc Aveline. “That really makes the heart beat fast and it’s fantastic,” said Boli after handing over the torch. “It’s the Olympic flame, it’s the symbol of sport and of living together.” The event marked the start of a 12,000km torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories, terminating at the opening ceremony on the Seine in Paris on July 26.
ICE SKATING
Shoma Uno retires
Two-time figure skating world champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan yesterday said that he is retiring from competition. Uno, 26, won a second consecutive world title last year despite an ankle injury. “My skating life started when I was five, and I am very grateful that I was able to continue for 21 years and lead a fantastic life in competition,” the Nagoya native wrote on Instagram. Uno, who was born prematurely weighing just 0.9kg, was the world’s first skater to successfully land a quadruple flip in competition.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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