Taiwan out of Futsal Cup
Taiwan was swept out of the qualifiers for the Asia Futsal Cup on Monday after its match with Lebanon ended in a 1-1 tie. Taiwan took the lead when Tseng Tai-lin (
Baseball up and running
The CPBL spring training schedule got under way on Monday when the Brother Elephants played the Macoto Cobras and the Chinatrust Whales matched up against the Sinon Bulls. After revamping their lineup following a disappointing season last year, the Elephants overcame a shaky start by lefty Nicholas Bierbrod to squeak by with a 6-5 win on an errant throw in the bottom of the ninth by Cobras shortstop Kuo Ming-jen (郭銘仁). The Whales-Bulls match turned into a pitchers' duel, ending in a 1-1 tie after nine innings.
Cobras to continue in 2007
Lin Chih-kuang (林致光), owner of the Macoto Cobras, yesterday announced that the team would retain the name for 2007 after a proposed deal to sell off the team finally fell through. Lin said that despite the pressure on him running the team, he would continue to do so over the coming season rather than disband it. The aborted deal to rename the team the Chiuho Dragons will reportedly cost it more than NT$3 million.
Wang's half-million bargain
Yankees pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民) yesterday agreed to a one-year deal with the team worth around US$500,000. Though much higher than Taiwanese salaries, the deal is a bargain for the Yankees. Wang's big payday will come this off-season, however, when he becomes eligible for arbitration.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set