TENNIS
Hsieh wins Prague opener
Taiwanese star Hsieh Su-wei and partner Tsao Chia-yi on Monday won the women’s doubles opener at the Prague Open as they prepare for the opening of the Paris Games. The third seeds defeated the Czech Republic’s Miriam Kolodziejova and Jesika Maleckova 5-7, 6-1, 10-4 to advance to the quarter-finals. The Taiwanese are to face the winners of yesterday’s match, Estelle Cascino of France and Tang Qianhui of China against Elixane Lechemia of France and Astra Sharma of Australia. Women’s Olympic doubles start on Saturday, the day after the Prague Open ends. Chan Hao-ching and her sister, Latisha Chan, are also to compete in Paris.
OLYMPICS
Snoop Dogg to carry torch
US rapper Snoop Dogg is to be among the torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame in the final stretch before the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday. Snoop Dogg, 52, is to carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the underprivileged northern Paris suburb that is home to the Stade de France Olympic Stadium, Saint-Denis Mayor Mathieu Hanotin wrote on X. “Saint Denis: last step before the Eiffel Tower. An international cast @SnoopDogg for the last stretch of the Olympic Flame,” Hanotin wrote. The rapper, who is also contributing to NBC coverage of the Games, is better known in the sports world for his Snoop Youth Football League. The championship game is called the “Snooper Bowl.” Other torchbearers in Saint-Denis on Friday include French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar.
BASKETBALL
Miami win Summer League
Pelle Larsson on Monday broke a tie by scoring from the lane in overtime to give Miami a 120-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies and hand the Heat their first NBA Summer League championship. “Coach [Dan Bisaccio] drew up a great play we’ve run in practice a bunch of times,” Larsson said. “They did a good job guarding it. We have shooters everywhere and they want to help, and I just made it.” It was the highest-scoring game in championship history and just the second one to go into overtime. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in 2017 had the previous record for total points in the Summer League final. Just the year before, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 84-82 for the only other final to reach OT. Under Summer League overtime rules, both teams played to a target score rather than under a clock. That score was set at 120 points.
CYCLING
No more Tours: Cavendish
British cyclist Mark Cavendish has confirmed that he has competed in his last Tour de France, having finally broken the all-time record for most stage wins at the Tour. Cavendish had been level on 34 stage wins with Eddy Merckx since 2021, but this year he sprinted to victory on stage five to make the record his own, and now the 39-year-old can bow out in style. “I think now it’s time. I’ve done 15 Tours de France and I’ve created some incredible memories of the Tour de France,” Cavendish said. “This race has given me a life I could only dream of. It’s given me the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.”
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
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
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