■ Boxing
Bouncing boxer shot
Former Commonwealth Games medalist and British heavyweight champion James Oyebola was in critical condition in a London hospital on Tuesday after being shot in the face outside a nightclub where he worked as a bouncer. Oyebola was shot in the early hours of Monday morning after asking three men to stop smoking inside the club in London's Fulham district. Detective Chief Inspector Scott Wilson of the Metropolitan Police said three suspects, aged between 19 and 25, ran from the club in separate directions. "It is a horrible crime to happen anywhere but over nothing -- an incident such as smoking -- these people need to be caught," Wilson told the British Broadcasting Corp on Tuesday. Britain introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces on July 1.
■ Rugby Union
Cup bonuses for Wallabies
Australian players will get a cash bonus of A$137,000 (US$121,370) if they win the Rugby World Cup in France. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the Rugby Union Players' Association announced the deal yesterday, with cash incentives offered for reaching the semi-final and the final. All members of the 30-man squad will be paid A$10,000 for qualifying for the semi-finals, an additional A$42,250 for reaching the final and an extra A$84,750 if they win the title. "I think we have found the right formula for rewarding the players," ARU general manager Pat Wilson said in a statement. The players' union and the ARU had a long dispute about bonuses before the 2003 World Cup, but reached agreement months ahead of kick off this time. "The discussions were amicable and productive," Wilson said.
■ Soccer
Tevez saga goes to court
The Carlos Tevez transfer saga is to be settled in the British High Court after the Argentine striker's representatives launched legal action against West Ham. The 23-year-old has agreed to a move to Premiership champions Manchester United, but the deal has been held up because Media Sports Investments (MSI), the company owned by Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian, claims it owns the economic rights to the player rather than the Hammers. Tevez is registered as a West Ham player and the London club insisted that they ripped up a contract giving MSI the rights to any transfer fee during an investigation into the details of the former Corinthians star's move to Upton Park. As a result West Ham believe they are due the money and FIFA, world soccer's governing body, had on Tuesday recommended that the dispute be settled in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
‘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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