CRICKET
‘Little Master’ quits IPL
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying it was the “right time” to stop playing the Twenty20 tournament. “This is my last IPL. This has been a fantastic season,” Tendulkar said in a TV interview after his team, the Mumbai Indians, won the final on Sunday. Tendulkar is the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day internationals. “I think this is the right time to stop playing the IPL. I am 40. Got to accept it. This is the best point to say thank you very much to all the supporters and well-wishers,” he said. Dubbed the “Little Master,” Tendulkar has scored 15,837 runs in 198 Tests with 51 centuries, and 18,426 runs in 463 one-day internationals with 49 centuries.
SOCCER
Celtic clinch the double
Gary Hooper’s brace helped Celtic clinch the double as the Hoops swept to a 3-0 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Sunday. Hooper struck twice in the first half and Joe Ledley’s late goal completed a record-extending 36th Scottish Cup triumph for Celtic, and their first league and cup double since 2007. “I felt so nervous this morning and all the way during the game really, because of the weight of expectation riding on the game, but the players today were excellent. They controlled the game, and played with great maturity and scored three very special goals. To win the double as a player was great, but to win it as a manager is just fantastic,” Celtic manager Neil Lennon said.
SOCCER
America claim 11th title
Ten-man America beat Cruz Azul 4-2 on penalties to win a record-equaling 11th Mexican league title on Sunday, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat after two late goals forced extra-time. The Eagles trailed 1-0 from the first leg of the final and were quickly a man down at the Azteca after midfielder Jesus Molina was sent off in the 14th minute. They fell behind on the night, and 2-0 on aggregate, to a 20th-minute goal by Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez and looked set for defeat, before staging a miraculous late salvo from two corner-kicks. Colombian centerback Aquivaldo Mosquera headed America’s equalizer in the 89th minute from Argentine Rubens Sambueza’s corner. Then, in the third minute of stoppage-time, America goalkeeper Moises Munoz came up for another corner and his header was deflected into the net by defender Alejandro Castro.
SOCCER
Vitoria rally to clinch Cup
Vitoria SC came from behind to beat favorites SL Benfica 2-1 and clinch their first Portuguese Cup on Sunday at the end of a terrible season for the Lisbon club. Vitoria seized a memorable win thanks to a mix of hard work at the back and effectiveness up front, while defeat for Benfica meant they ended the season without a trophy. Late goals from Soudani and Ricardo prevented Benfica from finding some solace after losing the championship to Porto and the Europa League final to Chelsea in the space of just a few days.
SOCCER
IFK win shootout, lift Cup
IFK Gothenburg beat Djurgardens IF to claim the Swedish Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout after the final finished 1-1 after extra-time. Tobias Hysen poked home from close range to give Gothenburg the lead after just five minutes, before Djurgardens midfielder Daniel Amartey equalized with a header seven minutes into the second half.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to