■ Hockey
Robitaille moves to Kings
Free agent Luc Robitaille signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, as he returns for a third stint with the NHL team. Robitaille is the highest-scoring left winger in hockey history with 631 career goals. He played the last two seasons for the Detroit Red Wings. But the 37-year-old scored just 11 goals and 20 points with the Red Wings last season, after a 30-goal effort during Detroit's Stanley Cup season in 2001.
■ Basketball
Kidd re-signs with Nets
The New Jersey Nets made an official announcement on Thursday that free agent guard Jason Kidd had re-signed to a multi-year contract. Kidd had visited the San Antonio Spurs, but the Nets said on July 11 that he would stay with the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions. That statement was ratified by Thursday's announcement. The team did not release contract details, but reports have the deal being for six years worth between US$99 and US$103 million. "We are obviously delighted to re-sign Jason to a long-term contract," Nets president Rod Thorn said.
■ Soccer
Newcastle reign in Asia
Goals from captain Alan Shearer and Shola Ameobi gave Newcastle United 2-1 win over 10-man Birmingham City in Thursday's opening game of the Football Association Premier League (FAPL) Asia Cup. Shearer converted a penalty in the 37th minute after City's Ireland defender Kenny Cunningham was dismissed -- and now faces a suspension -- for having felled Wales forward Craig Bellamy in the box. Birmingham's goal also came from a penalty, converted by substitute Paul Devlin in the 73rd minute, just two minutes before substitute Ameobi's header booked his side into Sunday's final against either Chelsea or Malaysia's national side.
■ Golf
Langer gets Ryder charge
Bernhard Langer was Thursday named as captain of the European Ryder Cup team that will defend the trophy against the US in Michigan next year. The highly respected German, 45, succeeds Sam Torrance. Last year, Torrance led Europe to victory by 15-1/2 points to 12-1/2 at The Belfry but did not want to be considered again. "It's a fabulous honor to be named European captain," Langer said. "I've never made a secret of how much I enjoy being part of the Ryder Cup, and to be captain makes me very proud, especially as the first German golfer to hold this prestigious honor." The Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept.17 to Sept. 19 at Oakland Hills, Michigan. The US team will be captained by Hal Sutton.
■ Athletics
Mom wins Death Valley race
A 42-year-old mother from Arizona won a 217km, 28-hour-plus ultramarathon in temperatures that reached 51?C. Pam Reed defended her title on Wednesday in a race that begins at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and ends halfway up 4,348m Mount Whitney -- the highest point in the contiguous US. Reed finished the ultramarathon in 28 hours, 26 minutes and 52 seconds -- ahead of the first male finisher. "God was very good to us today -- we had less sun," Reed said. Dean Karnazes, 40, finished first among men in 28:51.26. "It was as close to hell as I ever want to get," said Karnazes, of San Francisco.
■ Motor racing
Jaguar hunt driver
Jaguar are still looking for a Formula One test and reserve driver after Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia rejected the offer, team bosses said on Thursday. Rookie Pizzonia was replaced as a regular race driver by Briton Justin Wilson this week after a disappointing 11 starts without a point. He turned down a reserve role. Jaguar managing director David Pitchforth said the door was still open for the 22-year-old but Jaguar was looking for someone to fill the role.
■ Soccer
Mexico joins Brazil in finals
Rafael Marquez banged in a 45m strike on Thursday to give Mexico a 2-0 win over Costa Rica and secure a CONCACAF Gold Cup finals berth. Mexico will play Brazil in the final tomorrow. Brazil advanced on Wednesday with a 2-1 overtime victory against the US in Miami. Because Brazil is an invited guest to this tournament, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, Thursday's win earned Mexico a berth in the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany. Costa Rica earned a shocking 2-1 victory over Mexico in the qualifying rounds for last year's World Cup.
■ Basketball
China denies Yao injury
China's basketball association yesterday denied reports that Houston Rockets center Yao Ming broke a bone during practice with his homeland's national team, saying he suffered only a cut eyebrow. "It's just a cut," said Xu Minfeng, a spokesman for the association. "The bone was not broken." State newspapers on Wednesday quoted a doctor for the Chinese team as saying the 22-year-old Yao suffered "some fractures" in a bone above his left eye in a collision this week with another player. The doctor said Yao would need a week to recuperate.
‘SU-PENKO’: Hsieh and Ostapenko face a rematch against their Australian Open final opponents, the same duo Hsieh played in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday survived a near upset to the unseeded duo of Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, setting up a semi-final showdown against last year’s winners. Despite losing a hard-fought opening set 7-6 (7/4) on a tiebreak, the fourth seeds turned up the heat, losing just five games in the final two sets to handily put down Cirstea and Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Nicknamed “Su-Penko,” the pair are next to face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in a reversal of last
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner, Jelena Ostapenko, advanced to the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Friday, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in straight sets. The fourth-seeded duo bounced back quickly after losing their opening service game, capitalizing on frequent unforced errors by their opponents to take the first set 7-5. Maintaining their momentum in the second set, Hsieh and Ostapenko broke serve early and held their lead to close out the match 6-4. They are set to face the eighth-seeded pair of Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens
Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, has continued to grow this week, along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston today, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The English Premier League champions intend to honor their teammate in the best way they know how. It would be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale Stadium for what is certain to be a hugely
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