BADMINTON
Tai wins Hong Kong opener
World No. 4 Tai Tzu-ying yesterday launched her Li-Ning Hong Kong Open campaign with a swift victory over Isabelle Rusli. The top seed took just 24 minutes to beat Rusli 21-10, 21-12. If Tai wins a fourth title at this year’s tournament, she would become the most successful women’s singles player, BWF’s Web site said. She is the only former winner competing in this year’s edition. She next faces world No. 31 Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia, who advanced after beating Taiwan’s Sung Shou-yun. In men’s singles, Taiwanese world No. 9 Chou Tien-chen was last night to play Canada’s Sheng Xiaodong after press time, while compatriot Chi Yu-jen defeated Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 21-11. In men’s doubles, Taiwanese two-time Olympic champion Wang Chi-lin and new partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh beat Hong Kong’s Hung Kuei Chun and Lui Chun Wai 24-22, 21-8, while Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan defeated compatriots Chiang Chien-wei and Wu Hsuan-yi 21-18, 21-16. In mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Lu Ming-che and Hung En-tzu beat India’s Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-16, 22-20.
FIELD HOCKEY
Player banned for cocaine
Australian player Tom Craig has been banned for 12 months following his arrest during the Paris Olympics last month on suspicion of buying cocaine, Hockey Australia said yesterday. Craig would serve at least half of the ban, which began on Monday, with the remaining six months to be suspended if he met conduct requirements, a Hockey Australia statement said. The 29-year-old was released without charge, but was given a warning by a judge after French police detained him for allegedly trying to buy cocaine in Paris days after Australia lost their hockey quarter-final at the Games. “Craig is required to complete mandatory training and education programs as part of his sanction,” the statement said. Craig admitted that he had “made a terrible mistake” following his release from custody and apologized to his family, friends, teammates and the Australia Olympic team. “I have embarrassed you all and am truly sorry,” he said.
CRICKET
NZ-Afghan Test called off
Play in Afghanistan’s one-off Test against New Zealand was yesterday called off without a ball being bowled for a third consecutive day due to rain in India’s Greater Noida region. The area has been deluged by steady rain over the past two weeks and fresh showers early yesterday prompted match officials to abandon play with the toss yet to take place. The match is the first Test to be played at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex, which has only basic drainage systems, although it has hosted 11 “home” limited-overs matches for the Afghans. Afghanistan play their “home” matches abroad due to security concerns for touring teams. In response to criticism about the choice of venue, an Afghanistan Cricket Board official told local media it chose Greater Noida ahead of two other options in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made traveling from Kabul easier. It said in a statement that it had ruled out playing in the United Arab Emirates due to the extreme heat there. “It’s important to understand that the Future Tours Program is typically planned five years in advance, which makes it nearly impossible to predict future circumstances with complete certainty,” the board said.
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
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
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