■TENNIS
Lu triumphs in Tenerife
Top seed Lu Yen-hsun downed Dominik Meffert of Germany in straight sets on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Tenerife Challenger hard court tournament. The first set went to a tie-break that Lu won without dropping a point. The second set was also close but the Taiwanese No. 1 prevailed 6-4 over the 1.98m-tall world No. 216 to set up a third round clash with Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli. The Swiss defeated Andrea Stoppini of Italy 6-1, 6-4 in their second round match.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt’s BMW skids off road
Jamaican Olympic sensation Usain Bolt suffered only minor injuries on Wednesday when his BMW skidded off the road and overturned in a ditch. “I am good,” Bolt told fans as he limped away from hospital with small bandages on his feet. Bolt’s manager Norman Peart said the athlete’s feet were pricked by thorns when he exited the vehicle. “He was taken to the Spanish Town Public Hospital, where he was treated. He has been sent home for recovery,” Peart said. Bolt, 22, won gold medals in the 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m relay at the Beijing Games last August, setting world records in all three events. Police said Bolt’s vehicle was extensively damaged after apparently skidding on a rain-slicked road. He was treated in hospital along with his brother and a female companion. The leader of Jamaica’s parliament, Andrew Holness, said the country could breathe a sigh of relief. He was supported by the leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller, who expressed “joy that nothing happened to Usain.”
■FOOTBALL
Super Bowl MVP on charge
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Santonio Holmes was arraigned on a misdemeanor marijuana charge on Wednesday that stemmed from a traffic stop last year. Holmes’ lawyer, Robert Delreco Jnr, appeared at the brief court hearing, but Holmes, who was not required to attend, did not. DelGreco said he planned to challenge the constitutionality of the traffic stop, but gave no further details. Pittsburgh police said they found marijuana in Holmes’ car when he was pulled over on Oct. 23. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sidelined the receiver for a game in the wake of the incident, in which Holmes wasn’t arrested. In February, Holmes earned MVP honors in the National Football League title game against Arizona for his game-winning tip-toe touchdown catch that helped the Steelers to an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title.
■CYCLING
Armstrong finishes eighth
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong tested his surgically repaired collarbone on Wednesday and pronounced himself satisfied with his progress in the wake of a crash last month. “Better than I thought I would be,” Armstrong said of where he stands in his recovery after finishing eighth in the opening stage of the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico on Wednesday. Armstrong required surgery on his right collarbone after a fall in the Vuelta Castilla y Leon in Spain on March 23. The Texan had a stainless steel plate and 12 screws inserted to stabilise the bone. “There’s so much hardware in there, it’s not going to move,” he said. Armstrong rode largely in support of Astana teammate and stage winner Levi Leipheimer. Armstrong, Leipheimer and Chris Horner are riding in the event as independents.
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
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
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
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