CRICKET
Proteas on top in Hobart
Luck deserted Australia in their desperate bid to salvage the second Test, with South Africa snaring the vital wicket of David Warner in unfortunate circumstances in Hobart yesterday. Warner, who was seeking redemption after his reckless dismissal in the opening over of the first innings, lost his wicket while at the forefront of the hosts’ fightback. At stumps on the third day Australia were hanging in at 121-2, still 120 runs behind the Proteas, who have been in control of the Test since routing Australia for 85 on Saturday. Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 56, with skipper Steve Smith 18 not out. Warner flung his head back in despair when a ball from Kyle Abbott hit his hip and ricocheted off his elbow onto the stumps when he was on 45. It gave the Proteas a huge fillip after Warner and Khawaja had recovered the innings with a 79-run stand after the loss of Joe Burns in the first over.
GOLF
Ciganda wins in Mexico
Four weeks after winning her maiden LPGA Tour title in South Korea, Spaniard Carlota Ciganda added a second with a two-shot victory at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City on Sunday. One stroke off the pace heading into the final round, Ciganda eagled the par-five second and birdied two of the next four holes on her way to a four-under 68 as she broke clear of a tightly bunched leaderboard. The 26-year-old from Pamplona posted a 13-under total of 275 in the event featuring 35 players. Austin Ernst, the overnight leader, closed with a 71 to share second place with fellow American Angela Stanford (69), England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff (67), Karine Icher of France (69) and Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith (70). Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung was a shot further back tied for seventh place after a 68.
GOLF
Noren claims Sun City title
Alex Noren produced the “round of my life” to card a scintillating 63 for a tournament total of 14-under and a fourth European Tour victory of the season at the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, on Sunday. The Swede, who started his final round six shots behind overnight leader Wang Jeung-hun, managed eight birdies and an eagle for the lowest round of the tournament as he claimed victory by six shots from the stuttering South Korean. After a faultless third-round display on Saturday when he carded a 64, Wang was full of nerves and errors and could manage only a 75 to close. “It’s huge,” Noren said. “It was one of those rounds, the round of my life.”
GOLF
Perez wins his second title
Pat Perez fired five birdies in a four-under 67 on Sunday to win the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico, claiming his second PGA Tour title seven years after the first. The 40-year-old American was playing just his third tournament since returning from an eight-month absence recovering from shoulder surgery. “I was really calm,” Perez said. “I just had a lot of confidence when I came back.” He was two shots in front of overnight leader Gary Woodland, who closed with a 70 for 265. Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung was tied for 46th place on seven-under 277 after a 70.
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