FENCING
U-17 team win title
Taiwan’s male under-17 fencers successfully defended their team epee title after defeating South Korea at the 2025 Asian Cadet Fencing Championships in Kuwait. The team clinched the gold with a 45-40 win in Sunday’s final. Chen Bing-jyun got his revenge against Choi Chan-young, who had beaten Chen in Friday’s individual epee final. Joining Chen on Taiwan’s gold-winning team were Lin Mao-xiang, Lee You-chen and Su Min-yi. Coach Ding Hong-kai lauded the young fencers for their boldness in attacking and resilience throughout the competition despite their inexperience. “Even when our athletes made mistakes, they were able to correct them immediately and capitalize on delayed actions to turn the bouts in their favor,” Ding said.
TABLE TENNIS
Lin Yun-ju ends in fourth
Taiwan’s top male paddler Lin Yun-ju lost 4-0 on Sunday to China’s Lin Shidong, world No. 1, in the men’s singles third-place match at the Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament in China. Lin Yun-ju’s bid for a medal in the tournament ended with a 1-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 defeat in the match, which lasted 35 minutes. It was his seventh consecutive loss to the 19-year-old Chinese player in seven tries. Despite his loss, Lin Yun-ju’s fourth-place finish was a personal best in the Asian Cup and earned him a ticket to the Table Tennis World Cup tournament in April. Meanwhile, in the tournament’s title match, China’s Wang Chuqin, who beat Lin Yun-ju in the semi-finals earlier in the day, defeated his compatriot Liang Jingkun to take the gold.
SOCCER
Van Persie confirmed
Feyenoord have confirmed Robin van Persie as their new coach, a return to the club where he started and ended his illustrious playing career, after a deal was reached to release him from his position at Heerenveen. The 41-year-old Dutchman has signed a contract until June 2027 and would be joined by assistant coach Rene Hake, who briefly worked under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United earlier this season before the latter was sacked. “Everyone knows how special my bond with Feyenoord is,” Van Persie told the club’s Web site.
TENNIS
Williams declines invitation
Former world No. 1 Venus Williams would not compete at next month’s Indian Wells tournament despite the WTA 1000 event giving the 44-year-old American a wild card. Williams, who played only two tournaments last season, said at a speaking event in Denmark that she had not been told of the wildcard before the tournament announced it on Wednesday last week and added that she was unable to compete due to prior commitments. “I found the announcement super amusing because, I don’t know, people seem to be happy, so I was like: ‘Maybe I’ll just go with it, I don’t know,’” Williams said at the event in the city of Naestved. “I’m actually not going. I’m going to be overseas.” Williams boycotted the event for 15 years after fans booed and heckled her younger sister Serena during her 2001 final victory over Kim Clijsters, apparently in response to Venus withdrawing injured from their semi-final.
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
BRING THE NOISE: Brazil’s Fonseca attracted a boisterous crowd that brought such dominant soccer-style energy the referee switched to Portuguese to ask for quiet Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and soccer-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with blistering forehands and a partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet. However, De
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