■ SOCCER
Portsmouth book UEFA spot
Nico Kranjcar scored the only goal as Portsmouth won 1-0 at West Ham United to cement their hopes of sealing a spot in European soccer. The Croatian turned and shot from the edge of the box on the hour mark to keep them in sixth place, four points clear of Aston Villa and in line for a place in the UEFA Cup. West Ham created very little of note, with an attempt by Dean Ashton their only chance to talk about as David James fumbled his long-range effort. West Ham remain in 10th place, out of trouble but too far behind to win a European place.
■CRICKER
Proteas eager for hat-trick
A buoyant South Africa will be keen to capitalize on India’s form and fitness worries ahead of tomorrow’s third and final Test in Kanpur, India, to complete a hat-trick in the sub-continent.
The visitors lead 1-0 in the series following their crushing win by an innings and 90 runs in the second Test in Ahmedabad last Saturday after the opening match ended in a draw in Chennai. South Africa need only a draw to make it three-in-a-row in the sub-continent, having clinched Test series in Pakistan last year and in Bangladesh this year. Adaptability is the key to South Africa’s success in recent months in South Asia, where home spinners usually make merry on low, slow pitches. Graeme Smith’s South Africans look better prepared than most of the visiting teams as they have not allowed the home spinners to dictate terms with their determined batting. India’s spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, proven match-winners at home, looked below their best in the last two Tests while pacemen failed to match their South African counterparts.
■HOCKEY
Canada into women’s final
Sarah Vaillancourt scored a pair of goals in the second period yesterday as Canada defeated Finland 4-2 in Harbin, China, to advance to the final of the World Women’s Hockey Championship. Vaillancourt scored a powerplay goal 11:23 into the second period and added another 37 seconds later to give the Canadians a 3-1 lead. Canada, the US and Finland are playing in the round-robin playoffs. The teams with the two best records meet again for the gold medal on Saturday. Katie Weatherston made it 4-1 for Canada late in the second. Jayna Hefford scored in the first period for the Canadians. Finland upset the US 1-0 on Tuesday. The US needs a win today against Canada if they are going to play for gold again on Saturday. Finland, with two points in the group, can still earn a spot in the final. As long as the US earns no more than one point against Canada today, Finland and Canada will meet in the gold-medal game. Should the US win in regulation or overtime, they would be the second team in the final.
■ GYMNASTICS
Hypolito beats dengue fever
Gymnastics world champion Diego Hypolito was released from hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday, a day after being diagnosed with dengue fever. “My recovery process will continue from home,” Hypolito told reporters. “I’m optimistic. A mosquito will not get in the way of my preparation for the Olympics Games in Beijing.” Hypolito had been hospitalized at the Copa D’Or Hospital in Rio de Janeiro since last Thursday with symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease, which causes high a fever, severe headaches and joint pain. The 21-year-old Hypolito contracted dengue fever while recovering from right knee arthroscopic surgery on March 25.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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