TABLE TENNIS
Lin Yun-ju makes final
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju made the final of the men’s singles at the T2 Diamond Singapore yesterday. Lin was to play Xu Xin of China, with the match to begin at about press time last night. The 18-year-old from Yuanshan Township in Yilan County reached the final at the Our Tampines Hub with a semi-final win over another Chinese player, defeating Lin Gaoyuan 11-6, 11-10, 11-8, 11-8 earlier yesterday. In the women’s singles at the “fast five” tournament, China’s Sun Yingsha beat Mima Ito of Japan 4-3.
Photo: CNA
SEA GAMES
Host apologizes for mishaps
Southeast Asian Games (SEA) host the Philippines yesterday apologized after some arriving athletes were left stranded for hours at the airport or were driven to the wrong hotel, a logistical mishap that drew criticism just days before the competition starts. Athletes have begun flying into Manila ahead of Saturday’s opening ceremony, but for Cambodia and East Timor’s soccer squads, the arrival was not what they were expecting. “We had to wait maybe like eight, nine hours to get our hotel,” Cambodia coach Felix Dalmas told a news conference, adding that they had also waited hours for the shuttle service. East Timor’s team were driven to the wrong hotel, complicating their arrival and training schedules. “All nations deserve respect and what happened yesterday was not so beautiful,” East Timor’s coach Fabiano Flora told reporters. The Philippines SEA Games organizing committee offered an explanation of the hiccups, putting the blame on a last-minute change in travel plans and the afternoon check-in time of the hotel. “We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests ... for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion,” the committee said in a statement. “We ... vow to do better.” Meanwhile, Thailand’s soccer team — who also waited for hours at the airport for the right documents — had to change their training plans because the hotel was too far from the venue. Coach Akira Nishino said they opted to work out in the streets near the hotel instead of spending hours traveling. The games, the first hosted by the Philippines since 2005, are expected to draw thousands of athletes, journalists and dignitaries over their nearly two-week run.
BOXING
Wilder floors Ortiz
Deontay Wilder floored Cuba’s Luis Ortiz in the seventh round to retain his World Boxing Council world title and preserve his unbeaten record in the resurgent heavyweight division. The 34-year-old Wilder landed a devastating right hand to end the fight and move one step closer to his goal of unifying all four heavyweight belts with an explosive finish at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Unbeaten in 43 fights and widely regarded as the most destructive puncher in the heavyweight division, the Bronze Bomber recorded his 10th straight title defense, joining Muhammad Ali who did it between 1974 and 1978.
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite