South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon and Kim Hyung-tae won the Fortis International Challenge by three strokes yesterday to earn a World Cup slot.
Bae and Kim carded a superb six-under-par 66 in the final round foursomes at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club to overhaul Angelo Que and Mars Pucay of the Philippines, who carded a 70.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari shot a 68 to pip the luckless Nigerian duo of Oyebanji Gboyega and Odoh Andrew Oche for the third and final ticket to the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China in November.
Hosts Malaysia and Singapore finished joint fifth after rounds of 69 and 71 respectively.
The Koreans were thrilled to qualify for their first World Cup after a performance in which they sank six birdies against no bogeys for a four-day score of 20-under-par 268.
“We’re very happy. Yesterday, my putting was bad but Kim gave me a tip and told me to slow down my tempo and have the confidence when I’m hitting the putts,” Bae said.
“We are looking forward now to China. I think we’ve got a good chance to play well. There was pressure out there but Kim is always very happy and that helps,” he said.
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
RSS