■ BOXING
Diaconu wins shot at title
Romanian-born Adrian Diaconu improved to 24-0 on Wednesday night, stopping the US' Rico Hoye 42 seconds into the third round of their WBC light heavyweight elimination fight. With the victory, the Canada-based Diaconu became the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Chad Dawson, the undefeated American who won the title with a Feb. 3 decision over Poland's Tomasz Adamek. Hoye dropped to 20-2.
■ TENNIS
Long odds for Hewitt win
Australian punters have all but given up hope of Lleyton Hewitt winning this month's French Open, with bookmakers offering the extraordinary odds of 200-1 on the former world No. 1. When Hewitt was at the peak of his powers, Australians bet millions of dollars on him winning events, but no longer. The 26-year-old has not won a grand slam title in almost five years and has slipped to 20th in the world rankings. "He was an enormously popular player a few years back," Glenn Munsie, spokesman for bookmakers TAB, told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "Everyone from big punters to pub and club punters backed him consistently. He had the image of the little Aussie battler. But it's not hard to track the decline in his popularity."
■ SOCCER
Hammers rule out appeal
West Ham United will not appeal the ?5.5 million (US$11 million) fine imposed by the Premier League for contract irregularities over the signing of Argentine internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The London side were hit with the massive penalty following a two-day hearing last month. Controversially, however, the Hammers avoided a points deduction and have subsequently climbed out of the relegation places. New chairman Eggert Magnusson, who was not involved in last summer's signings, said in a statement: "I think it is now time to draw a line under this matter. The fine imposed on us was very significant but we accept that mistakes were made and it is now time to move on." West Ham's decision will come as little surprise, given that the punishment meted out to them was deemed lenient by their relegation rivals, who have threatened legal action.
■ BASKETBALL
Yao Ming plans new gym
Yao Ming plans to open a fitness center in China. The health club chain 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide announced the partnership with the National Basketball Association All-Star on Wednesday. The California Fitness-Yao Ming Sport Club will open in August. California Fitness currently operates 24 centers across Asia. "California Fitness/24 Hour Fitness is the best at what they do -- helping people improve their lives through health and fitness," Yao said. "Especially in the larger cities in China, people's lifestyles are changing and it's having an impact on their health. In order to achieve my personal goals, I spend a lot of time getting stronger through exercise. I want to lead by example and encourage people to live better by incorporating fitness into their daily lives." As part of the multiyear joint venture, Yao will be an equity partner. He will appear in advertising and make promotional appearances on behalf of the club.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
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