BASKETBALL
McGrady lands in China
Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady has arrived in China to a raucous welcome from huge crowds ahead of his debut later this month in the country’s increasingly popular basketball league. The 33-year-old, who has signed a one-year deal for Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles, flew into his new home town on the eastern coast yesterday and was greeted by about 2,000 screaming fans, the China Daily reported. “For myself, I just want to go out and make my team better. I hope whatever we do, we can look back and say we gave it our all,” the state-run paper quoted him as saying. The 2.03m forward is the latest NBA player to choose China for a lucrative stint in their sunset years. Former NBA superstar Stephon Marbury led the Beijing Ducks to a first Chinese championship last season. Former All-Star Gilbert Arenas is also reportedly on the verge of signing a deal to play for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. McGrady is popular and well known to Chinese fans after his years playing alongside the now-retired Yao Ming — one of China’s most popular athletes — with the Houston Rockets.
OLYMPICS
Nationality bothers golfers
North Ireland’s Graeme McDowell says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should step in to resolve the growing debate over whether he and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy should represent Britain or Ireland at the 2016 Olympics. McIlroy in particular has found himself drawn into the controversy as to which nation he should compete for in Rio de Janeiro. There have also been suggestions the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) would offer McIlroy the chance to carry the Ireland flag into the opening ceremony in four years’ time if he competes for the republic. However, OCI president Pat Hickey earlier this week said he was misquoted with this offer to McIlroy. McDowell says he and McIlroy “have one foot on each team” and added that the IOC should step in and say “you guys are either playing for Ireland or you’re playing for Great Britain.”
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