TENNIS
Mladenovic wins first title
France’s Kristina Mladenovic won her maiden WTA Tour singles title on Sunday, overcoming Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the final of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Mladenovic, ranked 51st in the world, won a tough three-setter 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 in 2 hours, 36 minutes to earn a 3-2 lead in her head-to-head record with 22-year-old Putintseva. “It was a very difficult week with plenty of close matches,” Mladenovic said. “Today it was also tough as Yulia is such a big fighter. I couldn’t relax and couldn’t find my rhythm. All the match it was up and down, and I tried really hard to stay calm and composed. Finally I did everything right to win my first title and now I’m super-glad.”
BASKETBALL
Teary Pierce bids farewell
Isaiah Thomas stole the spotlight from Paul Pierce on Sunday, scoring 28 points to lead the Boston Celtics to their seventh straight victory, a 107-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Pierce’s final game at the Garden. Al Horford had 13 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the Celtics, who brought Pierce to tears with a first-quarter highlights video. Thomas also had eight assists. Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored 23 apiece, while DeAndre Jordan had 16 rebounds for Los Angeles, who lost for the sixth time in eight games. Pierce’s only points came on a three-pointer after checking in with 19 seconds left and the game out of reach. The 39-year-old Pierce, a former Celtics captain, plans to retire after the season.
CRICKET
Cook quits Test captaincy
Alastair Cook has stepped down as England’s Test captain, but plans to carry on as a player, the England and Wales Cricket Board said yesterday. Cook, who was appointed captain in 2012, led England in 59 Tests, including Ashes victories at home in 2013 and 2015, as well as series wins in India and South Africa. “Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision, but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team,” Cook said in a statement. “I’ve had time to reflect after the India series and this weekend I spoke to Colin Graves, the chairman, to explain and offer my resignation.” The 32-year-old has scored more Test centuries than any of his predecessors and is also England’s most prolific Test batsman with 11,057 runs in 140 matches.
GOLF
Matsuyama edges Simpson
Japan’s red-hot Hideki Matsuyama maintained his sizzling run of form, successfully defending his Phoenix Open title with a gripping playoff victory over Webb Simpson of the US at the TPC Scottsdale in Arizona on Sunday. Matsuyama clinched his fifth win in his past nine starts worldwide when he sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole, the par-four 17th, where Simpson could only par.
GOLF
Garcia wins in the desert
Sergio Garcia won the Dubai Desert Classic, his 12th European Tour title, after a final-round 69 on Sunday kept him three shots clear of Ryder Cup teammate Henrik Stenson. The Spaniard finished with a bogey-free round to move to 19-under for the tournament, ahead of Swede Stenson, with Britain’s Tyrell Hatton and Denmark’s Lasse Jensen a further two shots adrift in third.
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