TENNIS
Taiwan’s Jung claims silver
Taiwan’s Jason Jung won a silver trophy in the men’s singles on the ATP Challenger Tour in Vancouver on Sunday after being defeated by Richard Berankis of Lithuania in the final. Jung, champion of the Gwangju Open in May last year in South Korea, was the first Taiwanese tennis player to reach the Vancouver Challenger men’s singles final, but lost to Berankis 3-6, 7-5, 4-6. Jung, a US-born professional who represents Taiwan, came into the spotlight after winning gold in the men’s singles at the Taipei Universiade in 2017. The 30-year-old is competing at the US Open qualifying tournament, with his first match today against Donald Young of the US.
GOLF
Cheng Ssu-chia wins title
Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia won the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Michigan, for her first Symetra Tour title. She finished with a four-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Milagros Chaves (70) and Paula Reto (71). Cheng jumped to No. 3 on the money list, with the final top 10 getting LPGA Tour cards.
SOCCER
Neymar-less PSG lose
Still missing Brazil forward Neymar, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain lost 2-1 against Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 on Sunday. PSG went ahead in the 36th minute when Edison Cavani took advantage of a poor back pass by Rennes defender Damien da Silva. M’Baye Niang leveled with a stunning effort shortly before the interval and Romain del Castillo was left unmarked to head in what turned out to be the winner early in the second half. Neymar, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid and Barcelona, missed the game, with PSG manager Thomas Tuchel saying that he was not fit to play. Elsewhere on Sunday, AS Saint-Etienne drew 1-1 against Stade Brestois 29 and RC Strasbourg Alsace drew 0-0 against Stade de Reims.
SOCCER
Union start in silence
Life in the Bundesliga began in silence for Union Berlin with a 15-minute protest by the club’s fans against opponents RB Leipzig. A minute after Union fans finally unleashed their support on Sunday, it was the visiting supporters making all the noise after Leipzig scored the opening goal in a 4-0 rout of the first team from the former East Berlin to play in Germany’s top flight. The home fans stayed quiet for the opening 15 minutes, answering a call from Union group Wuhlesyndikat, which had urged supporters to protest Leipzig, which they called “a constructed club that has absolutely nothing to do with our idea of football.” Red Bull-backed Leipzig have been unpopular among rival fans since the club’s formation in 2009.
SOCCER
Chelsea, Leicester draw
Frank Lampard’s return to Chelsea as manager ended in a draw on Sunday as the former player saw Leicester City fight back to earn a 1-1 draw in the Premier League. “It’s very early for us,” Lampard said after his first home match in charge of Chelsea. “We have to be patient as we are working toward something.” Chelsea could not hold on to the lead given to them by Mason Mount’s seventh-minute goal. Elsewhere on Sunday, Sheffield United beat Crystal Palace 1-0.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB