■ SOCCER
Dortmund end losing streak
Borussia Dortmund snapped a three-match losing streak in the Bundesliga on Friday, getting a goal midway through the second half from Giovanni Federico to beat VfL Bochum 2-1 despite playing a man down. Captain Christian Woerns was sent off in the 59th minute after being shown his second yellow card, but Federico scored the winner 11 minutes later to delight a home crowd of 72,700. Tinga put Dortmund ahead in the 17th minute, while Marcin Mieciel equalized in the 35th for Bochum, who extended their winless streak to six matches with their fourth loss in that span.
■ SOCCER
Nancy win to go top
Brazilian forward Kim scored a goal in each half as Nancy upset Monaco 3-1 on Friday to take the provisional lead in the French league. The victory was Nancy's fourth in five games and moved them three points clear of Lyon, who play at Bordeaux today. Kim opened the scoring in the 31st minute, surging at the near post to deflect in a curling free kick from Benjamin Gavanon. Nancy doubled their lead in the 39th on a counterattack as Sebastien Puygrenier connected with Issiar Dia, who beat goalkeeper Flavio Roma with a diagonal shot. Kim sealed the win in the 47th, dribbling past two defenders before firing a powerful strike into the top corner. Czech forward Jan Koller scored Monaco's lone goal in the 73rd, heading in a cross from Juan Pablo Pino.
■ SOCCER
Kaka named player of year
AC Milan forward Kaka was named FIFPro World Player of the Year on Friday for inspiring his side to a seventh European Cup win in May. More than 45,000 professional soccer players throughout the world, members of the players' union FIFPro, were invited to vote in the annual awards. The 25-year-old Brazilian was instrumental in Milan's Champions League triumph, ending up top scorer with 10 goals including three in the semi-final win over Manchester United. Kaka was also a driving force in helping Milan to finish fourth in Serie A last term despite an eight-point deduction for match-fixing. Last year, Barcelona forward and fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho was named FIFPro World Player of the Year. "I am humbled to receive such an honor," Kaka told reporters. "To follow my good friend and such a great player as Ronaldinho makes this a very special award for me. To be recognized by my fellow professional players worldwide is amazing."
■ TENNIS
McEnroe beats Borg
John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg 7-6, 7-6 in a veterans' tour match on Friday just over 26 years after defeating the Swede in the Wimbledon final. Both players showed all of their old magic, skill and determination in a thrilling clash in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, with McEnroe saving set points in both sets before battling to victory. It was their first meeting on the Tour of Champions for five years after Borg, winner of 11 grand slams, returned to competitive action in August following a six-year absence. "The greatest matches I've ever played in my life have been against Bjorn, and I just want to say to him, welcome back to the Tour of Champions," McEnroe was quoted as saying in a news release issued by the organizers. "He's a freak of nature. He's still so fit and I was getting a little nervous at the end because it's a huge crowd here and any time I play Bjorn you don't know you've won until the end," McEnroe said.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two