■RUGBY UNION
France star hospitalized
France center Mathieu Bastareaud’s problems worsened on Monday when his club president Max Guazzini revealed that he had been hospitalized because of serious psychological problems. The 20-year-old Stade Francais star admitted last week that he had invented a story about being assaulted outside his hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, following a 14-10 defeat in the second Test. Guazzini said that instead of going on a holiday to the West Indies as had been planned Bastareaud — cousin of Arsenal and France defender William Gallas — had instead been admitted to hospital and would stay there for at least a fortnight. Guazzini, though, said that the massive press interest had affected the player. “He is completely devastated, he has to be left alone,” Guazzini said.
■RUGBY UNION
Star sentenced in absentia
A Fijian player was sentenced in absentia to three weeks in jail for assaulting a police officer when he was in Hong Kong for a Rugby Sevens tournament, a news report said yesterday. The sentence overturned an earlier fine of HK$500 imposed on Paula Maisiri for his part in a mass brawl in Hong Kong’s nightclub district in March. Maisiri grabbed a police constable by the throat and punched him in the face as police tried to disperse a brawl involving rugby players, security guards and other bar-goers, according to court testimony. The Department of Justice called the original light sentence “manifestly inadequate” and ordered a review by Hong Kong’s Eastern Court. At Monday’s hearing, the fine was set aside and replaced by a three-week jail term and an arrest order, the South China Morning Post reported. The hearing took place in Maisiri’s absence and the jail term is only likely to be put into effect if he returns to Hong Kong, the newspaper said.
■SOCCER
‘I wasn’t informer’: Popescu
Gheorghe ‘Gica’ Popescu, one of Romania’s best-known sportsmen, denied newspaper claims on Monday that he was an informer for the country’s secret police during the 1980s. The defender was part of a Romania side that qualified for three consecutive World Cups starting in 1990 and two European Championships. The 41-year-old said he once signed a document promising to “defend the national interests” during the regime of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. “I signed a very general thing. My conscience isn’t clear, it’s very clear,” he said at a news conference. “I didn’t inform on anyone.” Newspaper Adevarul reported that Popescu had been an informant from 1986 until the regime was toppled three years later. Popescu called the report “a big lie.”
■SKIING
Former champ hurt in crash
Former world champion Luc Alphand has been seriously injured in a crash during a motorcycle rally, his agents said on Monday. The 43-year-old Frenchman sustained injuries to his spine while competing in the Rand’Auvergne rally in central France on Sunday and underwent an operation on Monday. “We think that he fractured his spine,” Alphand’s manager Philippe Poincioux said. “Mentally it’s a big blow for him knowing that he will be unable to move for some time. He is really down even though he knows he has been lucky it was not worse,” he said. The hospital later issued a statement saying that the operation had been successful but that Alphand would have to remain in hospital for up to 10 days. Alphand was the overall ski World Cup winner in 1997.
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday fought through a second-set slump to post a roller-coaster 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set, but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third set as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a roller coaster,” said the second
Taiwan’s men’s basketball team on Monday clinched a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup quarter-finals with a 78-64 win over Jordan in Saudi Arabia, securing their best finish in the tournament since placing fourth in 2013. The win was sweet revenge for Taiwan, who were denied a quarter-final spot by Jordan at the same stage of the previous Asia Cup in 2022 after blowing a nine-point lead in the final minute and losing 97-96 on a half-court buzzer-beater. “History is part of the journey,” Taiwan head coach Gianluca Tucci said when asked about the 2022 collapse of the team, who he did
NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
Leicester City on Sunday launched their quest for an immediate return to the English Premier League with a 2-1 win at home to crisis club Sheffield Wednesday after the visitors’ supporters protested against Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri. Wednesday are under several English Football League embargoes for a range of financial breaches, with payments of wages to players and staff delayed for the past three months. Owls fans made their feelings toward Thai businessman Chansiri clear by delaying their entry to their seats and the away end was empty as the players came onto the pitch at the King Power Stadium, with a
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