RUSSIA
Ovechkin, Kirilenko engaged
NHL star Alex Ovechkin used Twitter to trumpet his engagement to tennis star Maria Kirilenko on Monday, posting a picture of the Russian sports power couple. “We are engaged!!!!!!” tweeted 27-year-old Ovechkin, a star for the NHL’s Washington Capitals who is playing in his home country during the lockout that has idled the North American league. The accompanying photograph showed the pair, both wearing skates, posing arm in arm on a patch of outdoor ice. Kirilenko, who will turn 26 this month, is a five-time winner on the WTA Tour who has been ranked as high as 12th in the world. The two have been dating since late last year, and Ovechkin was on hand in July at the All England Club, when Kirilenko reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.
SOCCER
Carrico to join Reading
Reading have agreed a deal to sign Sporting Lisbon captain Daniel Carrico, the English Premier League club said on Monday. The 24-year-old Portuguese has agreed an initial contract to 2015, according to Reading’s Web site. Carrico, a former Portugal Under-21 international, is a defender who has also operated as a defensive midfielder. Reading are second from bottom in the Premier League, five points from safety.
soccer
Cudicini to move to Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy have agreed to sign Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini from Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer, the Major League Soccer club said on Monday. Cudicini, the 39-year-old former Chelsea player, has spent nearly four years at Spurs, but has appeared in just one game so far this English season, in the League Cup. Cudicini, who began his career at AC Milan in 1992, joined Chelsea in 1999, initially on loan, and was part of their Premier League--winning squads of 2005 and 2006. After signing for Spurs, he suffered a motorcycle accident in 2009, fracturing his wrists and injuring his pelvis. Although he recovered fitness, the club’s acquisition of Frenchman Hugo Lloris this year pushed Cudicini down to third-choice at White Hart Lane behind Lloris and the American Brad Friedel.
BASEBALL
Former MVP Tejada returns
Former AL Most Valuable Player Miguel Tejada says he has reached a deal with the Kansas City Royals and is ready to return to the majors. The 38-year-old infielder said that he has a one-year contract for US$1.1 million and another US$400,000 in performance bonuses. The six-time All-Star last played in the big leagues in 2011 with San Francisco, hitting .239 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 91 games. Tejada played 36 games in Triple-A for Baltimore last season, batting .259 with no homers and 18 RBIs, and was released in late June. Tejada has been playing for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Republic Winter League. He says he lost 6.8kg during the summer. Tejada spent 15 seasons in the majors and was the 2002 AL MVP with Oakland.
SOCCER
PSG deny interest in Cole
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo on Monday said the club had no interest in signing Inter’s Dutch wideman Wesley Sneijder or Chelsea defender Ashley Cole. “We have never spoken with Ashley Cole, there has never been any contact. [PSG coach] Carlo [Ancelotti] was his coach at Chelsea, that’s why that story is doing the rounds,” Leonardo said. “Sincerely, we have never contacted Wesley Sneijder to come to PSG — we have five players in his position already.”
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