BADMINTON
Trio make semi-finals
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, Chou Tien-chen and Wang Tzu-wei kept their hopes of winning at the Korea Open alive, advancing to the semi-finals in Incheon, South Korea, yesterday. World No. 1 Tai won 24-22, 22-20 against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia in their women’s singles quarter-final and faces world No. 6 Ratchanok Intanon for a spot in the final. Chou, who is seeded third in the tournament, beat Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia 21-18, 21-9 in the men’s singles. The two started aggressively, remaining neck and neck until 8-8, when Chou seized the initiative by taking the next three points. The Taiwanese widened the gap with a separate five-point run and remained in front to close out the first game. In the second game, Chou gained the upper hand early and gave his opponent no chance to rally, losing only nine points before finishing the match in 39 minutes. In his semi-final, Chou faces Wang, who defeated Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 21-10, 15-21, 21-13.
GOLF
Hur Mi-jung leads Indy
Hur Mi-jung shot a nine-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Indy Women in Tech Championship. Hur had a bogey-free round at the Brickyard Crossing course in Indiana, the layout that features four holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. “I was trying to keep on being present,” Hur said. “That’s the key to play good today... If you think about the future, mess up everything. It’s really hard to do it, but that’s my goal for the whole year.” England’s Bronte Law was two strokes back alongside Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Japan’s Sakura Yokomine. Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun was in a share of 23rd after a three-under-par round of 69, while Hsu Wei-ling was below the projected cut with a 73.
SOCCER
Belotti brace guides Torino
Torino Skipper Andrea Belotti’s quick-fire second-half double, including a sensational overhead-kick in front of goal, sealed a 2-1 comeback win in Serie A over AC Milan on Thursday. Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek had put Milan ahead from the spot after 18 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico. However, in four-minute spell, Belotti sealed all three points for Walter Mazzarri’s side. “We didn’t want to lose a third in a row,” Belotti said.
SOCCER
FIFA mulls Iran trip
FIFA is weighing sending a delegation to Tehran to make sure female fans are admitted to the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Cambodia on Oct. 10. Former France World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff told reporters on Thursday that he would be part of any delegation. “Iran is a hot topic and I am organizing myself to be there on October 10,” Djorkaeff said. It was his first interview since his appointment a week ago as chief executive officer of the FIFA Foundation, whose objectives include making soccer more accessible to women in the Middle East. The presence of a delegation is important “to show that FIFA intervened there with conviction,” he said. On Sunday, Gianni Infantino, president of the governing body of world soccer, said he had been “assured” by Iran that women could attend the match. Iranian women have been banned from stadiums since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
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