■EAST ASIAN GAMES
Mixed day for Taiwan
Table tennis gold medal favorites China finished round-robin play undefeated yesterday to qualify for the semi-finals in the men’s competition in Hong Kong. The Chinese men beat Japan 3-0, closing out the round-robin stage without dropping a single match. In the semi-finals, they will face Hong Kong, who qualified by beating Taiwan 3-1. South Korea, who had two wins on Wednesday, will play either Japan or Macau in the other semi-final. The Chinese women qualified with two wins on Wednesday. Yesterday, they were joined by Japan, who defeated Macau 3-0. Hong Kong and Taiwan qualified in Pool B with one win each. In women’s basketball, Japan edged China 59-54, with Ryoko Utsumi scoring 18 points. Taiwan crushed Hong Kong 112-47. In men’s basketball, six Taiwanese players were in double digits in their 118-59 rout of Macau.
■CHINESE BOXING
Tournament starts today
This year’s Chinese boxing (San Da) tournament and the first national K-1 kickboxing competition will be held in Taipei today, with winners from the past few years competing for the title of the first K-1 king of Taiwan. The Chinese Boxing (San Da) Combat Association, which is organizing the event, has held four national San Da tournaments since it was established in 2003, but has not staged a national K-1 tournament before. The“K”in K-1 stands for karate, kickboxing, kung fu and other stand-up martial arts. San Da, also known as Chinese boxing, is basically kickboxing with throws and it combines techniques from kung fu, kickboxing and freestyle wrestling.
■BASEBALL
Chen gets a pay rise
Chen Wei-yin, a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) pitcher from Taiwan, re-signed on Wednesday with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan’s Central League for an annual salary of ¥110 million (US$1.15 million), a sharp rise from the ¥35 million he was offered last season, a Japanese newspaper reported on Wednesday. The pay rise came in the wake of Chen’s 1.54 earned run average last season.
■BOXING
Hopkins returns with a win
Bernard Hopkins of the US returned to the ring after a near 14-month absence to score a unanimous points decision victory over Mexican Enrique Ornelas in a non-title light-heavyweight bout on Wednesday. Hopkins, 44, the former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion, used his experience to land sharp counters and when Ornelas stood back, scored with lead right hands.
■GOLF
Appleby, Hend share lead
A three-putt bogey at the last dropped home favorite Stuart Appleby into a tie for the lead with compatriot Scott Hend on six-under after a blustery first round at the Australian Open yesterday. Former world No. 3 Adam Scott was just two shots back in a tie for fifth after an eagle three at the par-five 12th helped him to a 68.
■TENNIS
Mauresmo retires
Twice Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo announced her retirement yesterday. “I came here to announce the end of my career. I made this decision after careful consideration,” the 30-year-old told a news conference before bursting into tears. Mauresmo first topped the rankings in September 2004 and clinched her Grand Slam titles in 2006 when she won the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
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
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
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