SOCCER
Mechelen held by Leuven
Taiwan international Xavier Chen’s KV Mechelen were held 2-2 at home by OH Leuven on Boxing Day. Jordan Remacle opened the scoring for the visitors 12 minutes after a mix-up between Chen and fellow defender Boris Pandza, but David Destorme pulled one back for the hosts after 29 minutes and the sides went in at halftime level. Leuven went ahead again a minute after the break when Derick Ogbu converted, but Destorme added a second for Mechelen in the 71st minute to grab a share of the points. Mechelen remain in 10th place in the Belgian Jupiler League, while Leuven are 11th. Chen played the full 90 minutes.
BASEBALL
Cubs sign right-handers
The Chicago Cubs bolstered their bullpen by signing right-handers Manny Corpas and Andy Sonnanstine to one-year contracts, the Major League Baseball team said on Monday. Sonnanstine, who spent all or parts of the last five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, has a career record of 28-31 with one save and a 5.26 earned-run average. His best season was in 2008, when he was 13-9 in 32 starts, helping Tampa win the American League Championship. Corpas, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, has spent his entire career with the Colorado Rockies posting a record of 12-16 with 34 saves and 51 holds in all or part of five Major League seasons.
FOOTBALL
Peterson out for season
The Minnesota Vikings hope to have running back Adrian Peterson, who tore two ligaments in his left knee in a game on Saturday, back early in next year’s NFL season, coach Leslie Frazier said on Monday. “I’m pretty optimistic that’s a realistic goal,” Frazier said in a press conference at the team’s headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The team’s head athletic trainer, Eric Sugarman, said Peterson had already begun rehabilitation aimed at reducing swelling to prepare for surgery within a fortnight. Typically, he said, recovery time is eight to nine months and, like Frazier, he said he expected Peterson’s work ethic to see him through the difficult rehabilitation. “I think if anyone can get better quickly and safely in that time period, it would be Adrian Peterson,” Sugarman said. In September, Peterson signed a US$100 million seven-year contract extension. He was hurt when he was hit during the Vikings 33-26 victory over Washington.
RUGBY UNION
Sharks make play-offs
Nick Macleod kicked the Sale Sharks back into the Premiership play-off places as his impressive efforts inspired a 27-19 win over the bottom-of-the-table Newcastle Falcons on Monday. Sale had taken a 16-0 lead after 24 minutes through three Macleod penalties and a converted Tom Brady try, but Newcastle mounted a comeback. After Macleod and Jimmy Gopperth had traded further three-pointers, substitute Jeremy Manning went over to reduce the gap to 19-10 at halftime. Gopperth continued to boot the Falcons back into the game and narrowed the gap to three points before England wing Mark Cueto touched down to effectively seal the win. In the other Boxing Day game, Jonny May and Olly Morgan both scored two tries as Gloucester demolished Wasps 39-10 at Kingsholm. Gloucester thrilled a packed stadium with a dynamic display and Wasps had no answers to the power of the Gloucester pack and the potency of their backs. As well as Morgan and May’s four tries, Luke Narraway and Henry Trinder crossed for Gloucester.
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