TENNIS
Taiwan’s Hsieh exits
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday exited at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium were beaten 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 at King Saud University by the US’ Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in a match they had to win to advance to the semi-finals of the US$15,250,000 hardcourt event. Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez defeated Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-1, 6-3. In the singles on Wednesday, Zheng Qinwen of China defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-1 and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
GOLF
Chien Pei-yun trails Kim
South Korea’s Kim A-lim on Wednesday shot a six-under-par 66 to gain a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Lotte Championship at Ewa Beach in Hawaii, while Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun was in a five-way share of second. The other four players in second after carding five-under 67 at the Hoakalei Country Club were Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines, China’s Liu Ruixin, Polly Mack of Germany and France’s Perrine Delacour. Three other Taiwanese were further down the leaderboard: Hou Yu-sang was in a share of 21st after shooting a two-under 70, Min Lee was even-par with 72 for a share of 57th and in a share of 88th was Cheng Ssu-chia, who carded a 74.
FORMULA 1
Hamilton rumors denied
Lewis Hamilton is to drive for Ferrari next year, but rumors that the seven-time champion is exiting Mercedes before the end of this season reportedly were denied by Mercedes. Rumors of Hamilton making an immediate split with his current team arose after his poor showing last week in Brazil, where he placed 11th in the sprint on Saturday and 10th in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the racing that instead of driving in the final three events of the year, he “could happily go and take a holiday.” However, media reported on Wednesday that Mercedes confirmed that Hamilton would remain behind the wheel at Las Vegas on Nov. 24; in Lusail, Qatar on Dec. 1; and in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 8.
BOXING
Benn suspension lifted
Conor Benn said he was eager to return to the ring after his provisional suspension over two failed drugs tests in 2022 was lifted following a decision by the National Anti-Doping Panel. Benn had been scheduled to take on Chris Eubank Jr before the bout was called off when he returned a finding for trace amounts of fertility drug clomifene. The 28-year-old was cleared of intentional doping last year, but had a provisional suspension reimposed in May after successful appeals by British anti-doping authorities and the British Boxing Board of Control. However, the British authorities on Wednesday said they had received the panel’s decision and that Benn’s provisional suspension had been lifted. Benn, who has a 23-0 record, said on Instagram that he was ready to move forward. “As someone who is so passionate about boxing and an advocate for clean sport, I hope now I have been cleared it can be understood why I have maintained my innocence so strongly throughout,” he said.
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner. On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams. MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For
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