GOLF
Baddeley wins in Alabama
Aaron Baddeley held a victory party as his 24-foot birdie putt turned in toward the cup for a sudden-death Barbasol Championship playoff win over Kim Si-woo in Alabama on Sunday that ended a five-year title drought. The Australian raised his arms, hurled his cap, and hugged his wife and four children as they spilled onto the green on the fourth extra hole after he and Kim had both parred the par-four 18th twice and the par-three 17th, before returning to 18 for the climax. “It’s been a long five years,” Baddeley, 35, told the Golf Channel on the green after celebrating his fourth PGA Tour victory and first since winning the 2011 Northern Trust Open. “It’s been tough at times, but this year has been really good, I’ve played really well. I felt I had a good chance today even though I was starting three back. I felt so good, I was driving the ball as good as I’ve ever driven it.”
GOLF
Lydia Ko claims 14th title
New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko earned her 14th career LPGA Tour title at the Marathon Classic on Sunday, defeating Ariya Jutanugarn and Lee Mi-rim on the fourth extra hole. The 19-year-old world No. 1 won the event for the second time in three years as she shot a final-round two-under 69 at the Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. Ko got to 14-under 270 in regulation as she rallied to catch the leaders and get into the playoff with Lee, who shot 65, and Ariya, who had a 68. Ko birdied the fourth extra hole, while Ariya had a par and Lee made bogey. “I think we were all getting a little bit physically and mentally tired as we were continuing to play the same hole,” Ko said. “I just tried to keep being patient. Just seeing a putt drop for birdie kind of got my emotions going. I’m not really a huge fist pump kind of person, but I think it’s probably the biggest fist pump I’ve ever done.” Cheng Ssu-chia finished tied for 38th place on even-par after a 71, while fellow Taiwanese Min Lee was five shots further back after a 74.
TENNIS
Halep blitzes Sevastova
World No. 5 Simona Halep raced to the Bucharest Open title in just 47 minutes on Sunday with a 6-0, 6-0 blitz of Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova. It was a second title of the season for top seed Halep after the 24-year-old also triumphed on the clay in Madrid and the 13th of her career. Victory came just two days after Halep pulled out of the Olympics because of fears over the Zika virus. “I think I’ve never won 6-0, 6-0 in a WTA event,” Halep said. “I knew she was a tough adversary and I never dreamed of winning this way. Today, I think I was more solid, I fought for every ball, I was aggressive and I managed to finish the points very quick.”
TENNIS
Golubic beats Bertens
Viktorija Golubic won her first WTA Tour title on Sunday, beating French Open semi-finalist Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Ladies Championship Gstaad final. The 23-year-old Swiss, who was unseeded, raised her game against world No. 26 Bertens to win all seven break points she created. Golubic’s breakthrough season has peaked at home. In April, she won two singles rubbers in a Fed Cup semi-final in Lucerne that Switzerland lost to two-time defending champions the Czech Republic.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was