■GOLF
Chi Chi Rodriguez robbed
Chi Chi Rodriguez was robbed inside his home on Wednesday by three assailants who stole cash and jewelry worth US$500,000, police said. Masked men woke Rodriguez and his wife at around 1:45am and tied them up inside their apartment at the Legado Golf Resort the Puerto Rican town of Guayama, said Maria Morales, the golfer’s publicist. She said the couple was not injured. “They are a little shaken, up but they are fine,” Morales said. The 74-year-old golfer, known for his showmanship and victory dances, is the winner of eight PGA tournaments and has 22 senior tour victories.
■TENNIS
US wins doubles Cup
Bob and Mike Bryan gave the US a 2-1 win over Spain on Wednesday by winning the decisive doubles at the World Team Cup. It was the Americans’ second straight group stage victory, and they will play the Czech Republic for a spot in tomorrow’s final.
■SOCCER
Del Neri to coach Juventus
Luigi Del Neri was confirmed as the new coach of Juventus on Wednesday, days after leading Sampdoria to Champions League qualification. Juventus officials agreed to hire Del Neri at a board meeting, and he signed a two-year contract. Del Neri was to be officially presented as the new coach yesterday. Del Neri helped Sampdoria to wins over Inter, AC Milan, AS Roma and Juventus and held off the challenge of Palermo to finish fourth in the Serie A. He replaces Alberto Zaccheroni, who was appointed caretaker coach after Ciro Ferrara was fired earlier in the season.
■BASEBALL
Bradley Harman banned
Bradley Harman, who was on Australia’s roster at the 2007 and 2009 World Baseball Classics and briefly played with the Philadelphia Phillies, has been banned for 14 months by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) over the whereabouts rule. ASADA said yesterday that Harman violated anti-doping rules for failing to inform drug-testing officials of his location three times in an 18-month period. Second baseman Harman can resume competing on May 26, 2011.
■SOCCER
Advocaat to coach Russia
It was almost inevitable for Dutchman Dick Advocaat to become Russia’s national team coach, given the way that his career has long been intertwined with that of compatriot Guus Hiddink. This week, the 62-year-old Advocaat replaced Hiddink, signing a four-year contract with the Russian FA (RFU). Hiddink, 63, led the Russians to the Euro 2008 semi-finals, but opted out of renewing his contract after failing to guide the team to this year’s World Cup finals.
■CRICKET
Pakistan officials summoned
The leaking of video showing Pakistan team management raising suspicions about match fixing has resulted in Pakistan Cricket Board officials, coaches and players being summoned to appear in front of a parliamentary committee. The match fixing suspicions and parliamentary probe are the latest fallout from Pakistan’s woeful tour of Australia early this year when Pakistan lost three Test matches, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international. The committee has summoned PCB chief Ijaz Butt, chief operating officer Wasim Bari (also head of the inquiry committee), Younis Khan, manager Yawar Saeed and the then chief selector Iqbal Qasim for a May 25 meeting.
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