BASKETBALL
Japan undefeated in Taipei
Japan’s national women’s team yesterday beat the Philippines 85-83 on day three of the William Jones Cup in Taipei, despite the Philippines’ Afril Bernardino putting up a leading 21 points. Japan remain on top of the table, having won all three of their games in the five-day tournament so far. In the two later games, Taiwan’s A team thrashed Malaysia 76-45, while Thailand edged Taiwan’s B team 77-76. Taiwan’s Yang Chia-chia led the scoring with 22 points.
BADMINTON
Taiwan duo place second
Taiwan’s Hsu Yin-hui and Lin Jhih-yun on Sunday placed second in the Yonex Canada Open in Calgary after losing their women’s doubles final against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-13, 21-13. The Japanese world No. 10 pairing took 52 minutes to beat the Taiwanese duo, who are ranked 45th in the world.
CYCLING
Vingegaard ‘scared: Pogacar
Tour de France overall leader Tadej Pogacar on Sunday voiced frustration with Jonas Vingegaard’s defensive tactics, saying that the defending champion was “scared,” after little-known Anthony Turgis of France won the ninth stage. The attack-minded Pogacar tried to break several times through the champagne vineyards, including dusty gravel roads for a first time, but finished alongside his title rivals Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel. “It’s a shame me, Remco and Jonas didn’t go for it together,” Slovenia’s Pogacar said. “I think it’s because of [Vingegaard’s team] Visma’s tactics. Otherwise, we’d have been the three of us on the podium. They are scared of me and just followed.” Second-placed Evenepoel agreed with Pogacar, but was less disappointed. “It’s a shame yes, we could have taken three or four minutes off the others,” Evenepoel said. “I had a good time though, I enjoyed it. You have to accept other team tactics.” Pogacar leads Belgium’s Evenepoel by just 33 seconds, and Vingegaard in third by one minute, 15 seconds. Vingegaard was seriously injured in March and was hospitalized for 12 days with a broken collarbone and ribs and a punctured lung.
MOTOGP
Bagnaia takes top spot
Francesco Bagnaia on Sunday capitalized on Jorge Martin’s cruel late crash to win the German MotoGP and take control of the world championship. Martin appeared to have the race wrapped up, but made a mistake and fell at turn one on the penultimate lap to hand the win to the double world champion. Marc Marquez, who is to be Bagnaia’s teammate next season on the factory Ducati, took second, with Alex Marquez, his younger brother, completing the podium. “I don’t know what happened,” Martin said. “It took me by surprise, I was pretty much in control, the pace was good, I was riding perfectly.” Martin’s dramatic departure from the Sachsenring stage gifted not only the race victory to Bagnaia, but also the riders’ standings. Bagnaia heads into MotoGP’s summer break 10 points clear of Martin. “It wasn’t easy,” said Bagnaia, who won his fourth successive grand prix after Assen, Italy and Catalunya. “I saw Jorge was starting to make some mistakes on the last two or three laps, then when he had his crash I just slowed down a lot. [I’m] very happy. It’s the first time I win here in Sachensring,” Bagnaia said.
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
‘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
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
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