Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova on Tuesday hailed the reduction of her two-year doping ban as one of the “happiest days” of her life, immediately targeting a return to action in April next year.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cut Sharapova’s ban to 15 months, saying she was not an “intentional doper,” after the 29-year-old tested positive for the banned medication meldonium at January’s Australian Open — throwing her glittering, money-spinning career into serious jeopardy.
“I’ve gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March, when I learned about my suspension, to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April,” said Sharapova, who has 35 WTA singles titles and more than US$36 million in career earnings.
Photo: AFP
Reducing the ban after she appealed, the Lausanne-based CAS “found that Ms Sharapova committed an anti-doping rule violation and that while it was with ‘no significant fault,’ she bore some degree of fault, for which a sanction of 15 months is appropriate.”
In the panel’s more detailed, formal decision, it said: “Under no circumstances ... can the player be considered to be an ‘intentional doper.’”
JAPAN OPEN
AP and Reuters, TOKYO
With temperatures soaring, Nick Kyrgios made sure an injured fan at the Japan Open had plenty of water.
The sixth-seeded Australian yesterday advanced to the second round by beating US qualifier Ryan Harrison 7-5, 6-2, but the match was suspended for about 10 minutes in the first set after a fan fell on some steps in the stands.
Kyrgios sent some water up to the injured spectator while temperatures rose to 31oC at the start of the second set.
Kyrgios next faces Czech veteran Radek Stepanek, who beat Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-1.
Second-seeded Gael Monfils also advanced, defeating Japanese wild-card entry Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1.
However, top seed and home favorite Kei Nishikori was forced to retire from his second-round encounter with Portugal’s Joao Sousa after he sustained a buttock muscle injury while leading the first set 4-3.
Having won the tournament in 2012 and 2014, the 26-year-old Nishikori was chasing his third Japan Open title, which would have put him one behind Stefan Edberg’s record four wins in Tokyo.
“It was hugely disappointing to have to retire from my match,” the world No. 5 said. “It is possible that the injury was due to an accumulation of fatigue and stress, but I came into this tournament with a lot of rest and feeling very ready. I will get examined and hope to recover in time for my next tournament.”
CHINA OPEN
Staff writer
Taiwan’s Chan sisters yesterday advanced to the third round of the women’s doubles at the China Open in Beijing, while Chuang Chia-jung and partner Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine were eliminated.
Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan defeated Vania King of the US and Romania’s Monica Niculescu 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 to set up a quarter-final against Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena and Oksana Kalashnikova of Georgia today.
Chuang and Bondarenko were beaten 6-1, 5-4 by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
In the women’s singles Angelique Kerber beat Barbora Strycova 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), while in the men’s singles David Ferrer defeated Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but