On a rain-affected day, Taiwan's No.1 male tennis player Lu Yen-hsun fought off a ferocious challenge from Asian Games gold medalist Danai Udomchoke to move into the Japan Open second round yesterday.
Lu, ranked 96 in the world, fought back from a set down to win the next two and run out eventual winner 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (9/7), 6-1.
The Thai needed court-side treatment at 3-4 down in the second set for back pain.
But Danai dug deep and broke back to level at 5-5, and then went ahead 7-6 in the tie-breaker -- only to see Lu fire a service ace before hitting a forehand winner to level the contest at one-set all.
Danai, ranked 122 in the world, saved two break points in the fourth game of the final set, but Lu took the next to move 3-1 up and never looked back.
It was the first encounter on the ATP tour between the two players after having a 4-4 record in the Challengers and Futures series.
Taiwanese tennis stars Chuang Chia-jung (莊佳容) and Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) continued their winning streak over the weekend by capturing the Korea Open women's doubles title in Seoul on Sunday.
It was their second doubles title in as many weeks following their victory at the China Open on Sept. 23.
They defeated second seeds Eleni Daniilidou of Greece and Jasmin Woehr of Germany 6-2, 6-2 to win the the US$145,000 first prize.
Chuang and Hsieh stormed to a 4-0 lead in the first set before their opponents rallied to take the next two games. The Taiwanese pair then won the next two games to take the set 6-2.
The second set followed a similar pattern with the Taiwanese duo racing into a 3-0 lead before eventually winning 6-2.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and