■FOOTBALL
QB accused of assault
A civil lawsuit has been filed in Nevada against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by a woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room last July. Roethlisberger’s lawyer, David Cornwell, said Roethlisberger denied the charge. According to the civil complaint filed last Friday in the Second Judicial District Court in Washoe County, Nevada, the woman accused Roethlisberger of assault while he was a guest at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, where she is an employee. The suit is also for libel and slander and is filed against nine defendants, including Roethlisberger. The eight others are reportedly employees at Harrah’s whom the woman accused of defaming her after the assault. Roethlisberger was in Lake Tahoe last July for a celebrity golf tournament. The woman said she was working on the penthouse floor at Harrah’s where Roethlisberger was staying when he assaulted her in his hotel room. She is seeking damages of at least US$390,000.
■FOOTBALL
Anthony buys Miami share
Singer Marc Anthony is the latest music star to join forces with the Miami Dolphins, with the team announcing on Tuesday that he will become a minority owner. Singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan, also bought a small stake in the club last month. New Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also began a partnership in May with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville enterprise, which includes Land Shark Lager. Buffett has yet to accept Ross’ invitation to become a minority owner, but the Dolphins’ stadium has been renamed Land Shark Stadium for this season. Buffett has also written a song for the team. Anthony is married to singer-actress Jennifer Lopez. He has sold more than 10 million albums and is also an actor.
■BASEBALL
MLB suspends Sveum
Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum has been suspended for three games and fined for aggressive actions toward the umpires following Sunday’s game against the Reds in Cincinnati, MLB said on Tuesday. After home plate umpire Kevin Causey called out Craig Counsell on strikes to end a 5-3 Reds win, Sveum berated Causey on his way to the umpires’ dressing room, prompting crew chief Derryl Cousins to step in.
■ICE HOCKEY
Coyotes re-acquire Vrbata
Right wing Radim Vrbata has been re-acquired by the Phoenix Coyotes from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade for left wing Todd Fedoruk and defenseman David Hale, the NHL teams said on Tuesday. “He [Vrbata] had a career year for us in 2007-08 and is a talented forward who can help us offensively next season,” Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said on the team’s Web site.
■BASKETBALL
Burks shot, hospitalized
Former NBA and Euroleague guard Antonio Burks was in critical condition at a Memphis hospital on Tuesday after being shot a day earlier during a robbery. The 29-year-old, a former player for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, underwent surgery on Monday night after being shot in the lower part of his torso, authorities at the Memphis Regional Medical Center said. Police said Burks and four other men were in a backyard when robbed by three other men, who shot Burks and another man who was not identitifed but was also in critical condition. Burks spent two seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 81 games from 2004 through 2006.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set