BADMINTON
Chou falls in first round
Taiwanese ace Chou Tien-chen was upset yesterday in the first round of the men’s singles at the YONEX French Open. The world No. 4 battled for 76 minutes against Rasmus Gemke of Denmark before falling 21-11, 18-21, 21-12. Chou, who had won all three of his previous matches against Gemke in two games, might have been feeling the effects of his second-place performance at the Denmark Open last week. Four of the five matches he played during the tournament lasted for more than an hour and three of them went over 70 minutes. Chou had been vying for his fourth title of the year after winning the German, Singapore and Korea opens.
SOCCER
Dozens hurt on escalator
More than 20 people, mainly Russian soccer fans, were injured on Tuesday when an escalator in a metro station in central Rome collapsed, firefighters said. Most of those hurt, one seriously, sustained leg injuries after getting entangled in the escalator’s mechanics, Italian media reported. A video shows the descending escalator at Repubblica Station suddenly pick up speed with dozens of people on it, many screaming as they piled on top of one another at the foot of the stairway. Media said that witnesses spoke of seemingly drunk soccer fans jumping and dancing on the escalator just before its collapse, but supporters denied this ever happened. The events took place just more than an hour before the kickoff of a Champions League match between AS Roma and CSKA Moscow. One Russian supporter, the subject of a stadium ban, had been stopped at the airport as he tried to enter, but according to Italian media, this did not prevent an assortment of incidents around the stadium. One Russian fan was stabbed and two others were hurt in clashes with other supporters.
BASKETBALL
Rondo spit ‘not intentional’
Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo remains steadfast that he did not intentionally spit at Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul on Saturday last week, which led to a brawl and suspensions for both players and Lakers forward Brandon Ingram. “This is the only time I’m going to address this,” Rondo told ESPN on Tuesday. “I had a mouthpiece in my mouth and I [was] exasperated because I was about to tell him to get the [expletive] out of here.” Rondo was critical of Paul and the league’s decision. “Of course, the NBA went with [Paul’s] side because I got three games and he got two,” Rondo said. “Everyone wants to believe Chris Paul is a good guy. They don’t know he’s a horrible teammate. They don’t know how he treats people.”
FOOTBALL
Carr denies crying on field
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr rejected the assertion that he cried on the field after taking a hit during their game against the Seattle Seahawks in London on Monday last week. A report from the Athletic on Monday detailed what has been termed a “fractured relationship” between Carr and his teammates and made reference to game film that appears to show Carr crying after being sacked. Carr rejected the report on Tuesday on Twitter, writing: “On the ground I yelled get me up get me. Then I got to the sideline and yelled again. Not one tear. Not one time. There is the Truth. People will click on it because it sounds crazy. But stop playing with me.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and