■TENNIS
Mario Ancic withdraws
Mario Ancic of Croatia withdrew from the Beijing Olympics yesterday, and Canadian players Frank Dancevic and Frederic Niemeyer were both added to the men’s draw. Niemeyer replaced the 25th-ranked Ancic, while Dancevic replaced Denis Gremelmayr of Germany. Rainer Schuettler of Germany, who got his spot in Beijing by winning an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, replaced Dudi Sela of Israel in the draw. Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who withdrew last week, was replaced by Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic. The Olympic tennis tournament starts Sunday, two days after the opening ceremony, and will finish Aug. 17.
■WEIGHTLIFTING
India drops weightlifter
Monica Devi, India’s lone competitor for weightlifting in the Beijing Olympics, dismissed charges of doping against her and said she was innocent at a press briefing yesterday. Devi was withdrawn from the Indian squad hours before she was to board the flight to Beijing on Tuesday night after she tested positive for an anabolic steroid, the Indian Express newspaper reported, quoting unnamed sources. The test was conducted on June 28. In the pre-Olympic trial conducted by the Indian Weightlifting Federation last month, P Shailaja performed better than Devi, but Devi was chosen because she had won a silver and two bronze at the Asian Championships in Japan this year.
■SOCCER
Dunga: Brazil needs to win
Dunga knows there won’t be many excuses if Brazil fails to win the Olympic gold again. He admits anything but the title will be considered a disappointment, and that it’s time Brazil comes through to clinch the only significant tournament it is yet to win in soccer. “The pressure to win always exists in the national team,” Dunga said. “We have won the World Cup, the Copa America and other important tournaments, but we are missing the Olympic medal. Everyone here wants to leave their mark and win this tournament, which has eluded several generations of Brazilian players.”
■BASKETBALL
Nowitzki to carry flag
Basketball player Dirk Nowitzki will carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Friday. The 30-year-old Dallas Mavericks forward will lead Germany’s basketball team at Beijing, after the team missed out the past two Olympics. The German Olympic Sports Union said yesterday that it chose Nowitzki to be the flag bearer because “he embodies the Olympic idea like hardly anyone else.” “It has for years been a dream for Dirk Nowitzki to be at the Olympics,” senior German Olympic official Michael Vesper said in a statement, adding that Nowitzki offers “a great example for young sportspeople.”
■BOXING
Hopes high for boxing twins
Most 12-year-old boys in Puerto Rico play video games, watch movies or go to the beach for fun. The Arroyo twins were drawn to the boxing ring. McJoe and McWilliams Arroyo, 22, have become among the best fighters in Puerto Rico, and sporting officials expect them to return with medals from the Beijing Olympics starting Friday. Never mind that the twins grew up in the northern coastal towns of Luquillo and Fajardo, which boast of some of the island’s most popular beaches. The ring still held more attraction that the waves and sun. “When we started boxing at 12 years old, it was more like a hobby,” McJoe 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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care