TENNIS
Taiwanese rise in rankings
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Monday moved up two spots to world No. 8 in the WTA’s women’s doubles rankings after she and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday finished as runners-up in the Dubai Tennis Championships. Hsieh — who has seven women’s doubles Grand Slam titles, most recently last year’s Australian Open — previously held the No. 1 spot for 59 weeks starting in May 2014, the longest for a player from East Asia and the second-longest for an Asian player. Compatriot Chan Hao-ching moved up one spot to No. 12, while Wu Fang-hsien, who last week soared 17 spots to a career-high world No. 31 after making it to her first WTA 1000 final at the Qatar Open, slipped three spots to No. 34. In women’s singles, Mirra Andreeva rose to a career-best No. 9 in the tennis rankings on Monday, making the Russian the first 17-year-old in the WTA’s Top 10 since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007. Andreeva moved up five spots thanks to her title Saturday in Dubai.
Photo: Reuters
GOLF
TLPGA tourney starts tomorrow
The 2025 Foxconn Ladies Professional Golf Association of Taiwan (TLPGA) Players Championship is set to begin in Taoyuan tomorrow, featuring 12 of the world’s top 100 female golfers. The tournament at Orient Golf & Country Club from tomorrow to Sunday features a total prize purse of US$1.5 million — the highest ever for a golf tour event in Taiwan. This year’s tournament is to feature 40 golfers ranked among the world’s top 200, including two former world No. 1 players: Yani Tseng of Taiwan and Shin Jiyai of South Korea. Holding the top ranking for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013, Tseng was the youngest player to complete a Grand Slam. Tseng said she and Shin, who have known each other for 20 years, played a nine-hole practice round together on Monday morning. Tseng, 36, said that many of the younger players in the upcoming Taiwan tour are unfamiliar to her. “I see in them the same desire and passion for golf that I had when I was young,” she said. “I think they can help me rediscover the joy I felt when I first started playing.”
Photo: CNA
SOCCER
Mourinho accused of racism
Galatasaray SK have accused Fenerbahce SK manager Jose Mourinho of making “racist statements” following a 0-0 draw between the bitter Istanbul rivals. It was not immediately clear what comments Galatasaray were referring to and former Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur coach Mourinho has not responded publicly to the allegation. Speaking following Monday’s league draw at Galatasaray, the Portuguese coach reportedly said the home bench had been “jumping like monkeys.” In its statement, Galatasaray said it would launch criminal proceedings against the 62-year-old Mourinho.
Photo: Reuters
FOOTBALL
‘Tush push’ under review
The NFL could vote to ban the “tush push” — the trademark play of the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, a league official told reporters on Monday. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said an unnamed club had submitted a proposal to outlaw the move, the Washington Post reported. In the move, the quarterback lines up with two teammates behind him who push him to the required distance on short yardage plays. The Eagles’ success with it has led to it being dubbed the “Brotherly Shove.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
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
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
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