■BASEBALL
Kendall, Putz seal deals
Jason Kendall got a US$6 million, two-year contract from the Kansas City Royals and J.J. Putz agreed to a US$3 million, one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox on Friday. The Tampa Bay Rays finalized their trade with the Atlanta Braves, acquiring pitcher Rafael Soriano and agreeing to a US$7.25 million, one-year contract with the reliever. And the Washington Nationals completed their US$6 million, two-year contract with 14-time All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Soriano became a free agent after the season, then surprised the Braves this week when he accepted salary arbitration.
■ICE HOCKEY
Fetisov returns for a game
Slava Fetisov took to the ice for CSKA Moscow on Friday, then the 51-year-old said it was his last game. More than 11 years after ending his professional career and 21 years after his last appearance for CSKA, Fetisov became the oldest Russian to play in the Continental Hockey League. But after his team lost 3-2 to SKA St Petersburg, Fetisov said he did not intend to keep playing. “I think that was the only game for me to take part,” he said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. “We have plenty of young guys.” He admitted it was physically challenging, adding: “I tried to hold on, I tried to play to the maximum.” However, CSKA coach Sergei Nemchinov said Fetisov may join the team again. “He did it well today,” he told RIA Novosti.
■FOOTBALL
Police arrest Pats mascot
A man who acts as a mascot for the New England Patriots is among 14 people who have been arrested for prostitution-related crimes in Rhode Island since a new law went into effect that banned indoor prostitution. The bill signed into law last month made prostitution a misdemeanor crime regardless of where it occurs. Previously, indoor prostitution was allowed because of a legal loophole. State police say Robert Sormanti was among those arrested in an undercover sting at a hotel. The Providence Journal reported Sormanti is among the NFL team’s mascots. The Patriots said in a statement that multiple people wear the mascot costume and that the “individual in question” has been suspended. A phone message left at Sormanti’s home on Friday was not immediately returned.
■SWIMMING
Cseh breaks own record
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary beat his own world record in the men’s 400m individual medley at the European short-course swimming championships on Friday, while the Netherlands broke the world record in the women’s 4x50m freestyle. The wins brought the number of world records set at the championships to five. The event ends on Sunday. Cseh won in 3 minutes, 57.27 seconds to better his previous world record of 3:59.33, set two years ago in Debrecen, Hungary.
■BOXING
Zaveck wins title with TKO
Jan Zaveck of Slovenia relieved Isaac Hlatshwayo of his IBF welterweight title with a third-round technical knockout at Wembley Indoor Arena in Johannesburg on Friday. Hlatshwayo was knocked down once in the second round and twice in the third before US referee Kenny Chevalier halted the fight with 42 seconds left in the third. Asked when he took control of his first world title bout, Zaveck (28-1, 16 KOs) said: “With my first punch.” It was the first defense for South Africa’s Hlatshwayo (29-2-1, 10 KOs), who won the vacant belt with a split decision win over Delvin Rodriguez in August.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but