GOLF
Henderson leads at Meijer
Brooke Henderson on Saturday birdied the final three holes for a three-under 69 and a two-stroke lead over Annie Park at the Meijer Classic, with Lexi Thompson three shots back after a 62. Trying to break a tie for the Canadian victory record for both women and men, the 21-year-old Henderson had a 19-under 197 total at Blythefield Country Club. She opened with consecutive 64s, playing 30 holes on Friday after rain delayed the start on Thursday. Both Taiwanese at the tournament failed to make the cut, with Hsu Wei-ling shooting a pair of 72s and Chien Pei-yun shooting a 72 and a 73.
CRICKET
South Africa get first win
South Africa won their first match at the Cricket World Cup with a nine-wicket thrashing of Afghanistan under the DLS method at Sophia Gardens on Saturday. Quinton de Kock hit 68, including eight fours, and Hashim Amla was 41 not out in their 131-1 in 28.4 overs in reply to Afghanistan’s 125 all out in 34.1 overs. Captain Faf du Plessis was a happy man at the end. “Very relieved. Feel a little bit lighter, but I think all our cricket today was much better and much more competitive,” Du Plessis said. However, South Africa remained in the bottom half of the table with the West Indies, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but have played one more game. Afghanistan, have lost all four of their matches and remained last. In the top half, Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 87 runs to go to No. 1. Sri Lanka, whose top order threatened to overhaul Australia’s 334-7, were fifth.
SOCCER
Group E top two decided
The Netherlands and Canada ensured they would finish in the top two in Group E at the Women’s World Cup with victories. In Valenciennes on Saturday, Vivianne Miedema scored a brace as they saw off a spirited Cameroon 3-1, while Canada laid siege to the New Zealand goal in Grenoble to win 2-0.
SOCCER
Antuna scores hat-trick
Uriel Antuna went from not even being on Mexico’s roster to getting the start and scoring a hat-trick. The forward — who was a last-minute addition to the roster — scored three goals and had an assist as top-seeded Mexico cruised to a 7-0 rout over Cuba on the opening day of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. “I am very happy I was able to score, but the team played a great game, so I am very happy to be here,” Antuna said to CONCACAF.com after the game. Canada opened play with a 4-0 victory over Martinique in Saturday’s first game.
BASEBALL
Ruth jersey sets record
A New York Yankees jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth was sold at auction for a record-breaking US$5.64 million, a statement said on Saturday. Hunt Auctions said the jersey was the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. “The legacy and significance of Babe Ruth to the game of baseball and American popular culture is unmatched by any other figure in the history of this country,” Hunt Auctions president David Hunt said in a statement. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed. Saturday’s sale shattered the previous record for sports memorabilia of US$4.4 million, also for a Ruth jersey, set in 2012.
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
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two