TENNIS
Granollers, Monaco in final
Marcel Granollers ended defending champion Robin Haase’s two-year unbeaten streak at the bet-at-home Cup in Kitzbuehel, Austria, on Friday, setting up a final against second-seeded Juan Monaco. The eighth-seeded Granollers beat Haase 7-6 (7-0), 3-6, 6-4. The Dutchman was 12-0 at the event going into the match, having won it in 2011 and 2012. In the other semifinal, Monaco defeated seventh-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain 7-6 (7-2), 7-5. Granollers has gone beyond the quarter-finals of an ATP event for the first time this season. The 53rd-ranked Spaniard is looking for his fourth career title and first since beating Monaco in the final at Valencia two years ago.
CYCLING
Atapuma wins sixth stage
Colombian Darwin Atapuma climbed to victory on the sixth stage of the Tour of Poland on Friday after 190km around Bukowina Tatrzanska. Atapuma edged out Christophe Riblon by two seconds in a sprint for the line, but the Frenchman’s consolation was taking over the leader’s yellow jersey from Spain’s Jon Izaguirre. Yesterday’s final stage was to see the riders tackle a 37km time-trial that finishes in Krakow. Nine riders are still within a minute of the leader, including two-time former Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso, in ninth at 40 seconds.
EXTREME SPORTS
Beijing hosts ‘vertical run’
Hundreds of runners in China sprinted their way up 82 floors and more than 2,000 stairs as the country’s first ever “vertical run” was held in a Beijing skyscraper yesterday. Thomas Dold of Germany emerged on top of the 330m tall China World Trade Center Tower 3, Beijing’s tallest building, just 10 minutes and 22 seconds after setting off from its ground floor to take the men’s title. “You have to run between three and four steps per second,” Dold said, adding that he had bounded up the building’s 2,041 stairs two at a time. About 600 runners took part in the competition, part of an international skyscraper racing circuit that sees races up some of the world’s tallest buildings, including New York’s Empire State Building and Taiwan’s Taipei 101.
SOCCER
Benitez’s funeral held
Thousands of fans filed past the coffin of Ecuadoran soccer hero Christian Benitez for a statesman-like farewell in Quito, Ecuador, on Friday after an autopsy confirmed he had died of heart failure in Qatar. The 27-year-old striker, who was eyeing next year’s World Cup, died suddenly after his first game with Qatari club El-Jaish on Sunday last week, shocking fans as far away as Mexico, where he played for Club America last season. His family wept as thousands of people stood in line to enter a sports arena where the man affectionately known as “Chucho” was lying in a glass-top coffin, partly covered by the Ecuadoran national flag. Before the funeral, his body underwent a second autopsy at the request of his wife and family, amid suspicion that he was not given adequate attention at a Qatari hospital after he complained of abdominal pains. Luis Chiriboga, president of the Ecuadoran Football Federation, said the examination concluded that Benitez was “destined to die” due to a coronary problem that “could only be detected after his death.” The soccer star’s body, accompanied by his wife Liseth Chala, landed outside Quito before dawn on Friday, with fire trucks welcoming him by spraying water over his airplane. Ecuadoran Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo Patino was at the airport, along with Ecuadoran national team players.
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
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
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care