GOLF
Kim A-lim hits ace
Kim A-lim of South Korea on Friday sank a hole-in-one on the par-three ninth and birdied the final two holes for a five-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Russia’s Nataliya Guseva at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii. “Calculate number and then chose line and then hit it,” said Kim, who used a nine-iron on the 140-yard ninth hole. “I think 99 percent lucky.” Taiwan’s Hou Yu-sang hit a 73 at the Hoakalei Country Club to go with her first two rounds of 70 and 74. She was 217 overall and in a share of 58th.
Photo: AFP
TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan’s Lin reaches semis
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju on Friday advanced to the semi-finals of the men’s singles at the WTT Champions Frankfurt in Germany. Lin defeated Hugo Calderanol of Brazil in the quarter-finals 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 4-11, 11-9), his third five-game match out of three at the tournament. He was to play after press time last night against China’s Lin Shidong, who beat Sora Matsushima of Japan 3-1 (11-2, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9) to make the last four.
Photo: AP
BASEBALL
Sasaki given MLB nod
Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki yesterday was given the green light to move to the MLB. Sasaki, widely regarded as one of the best players in Japan’s domestic league, would be posted for a potential move to the US, said his club, the Chiba Lotte Marines. That means MLB clubs will have the right to bid for the 23-year-old right-hander this off-season, in an agreement between the Japanese and US leagues. Sasaki threw a perfect game in April 2022 and was part of the Japan team who won last year’s World Baseball Classic. Sasaki said he had “nothing but gratitude” to the Marines for agreeing to post him. “You only get one baseball career and I don’t want to have any regrets,” he said.
SOCCER
OFC invites Australian clubs
Australian clubs have been invited to join the Oceania Football Confederation’s new OFC Professional League, almost two decades after the nation left the Pacific’s regional body to switch to Asia. The Auckland, New Zealand-headquartered OFC, which represents 11 full member associations and two associate members, on Friday issued the invitation to clubs from Australia ahead of the start of the new competition in 2026. “OFC’s consideration of an Australian based club reflects the strong Pacific communities across Australia and the ease of travel access to Pacific nations,” the body said on its official Web site. The proposed move would bring “significant benefits, including increased visibility and market reach, enhanced competitive standards, stronger economic and cultural links, and new development pathways for Pacific players,” the OFC 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
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
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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