■ Briatore woos Alonso
Fernando Alonso has reportedly been offered a return to Renault, the Formula One team where he won the 2005 and last year's world championships. "I have presented a project for the future to Fernando," Renault boss Flavio Briatore was quoted as saying on Saturday on the Web site of Gazzetta dello Sport. "If his desires coincide with ours, it can happen." Alonso quit McLaren on Friday after only one season with the British team following clashes with boss Ron Dennis and teammate Lewis Hamilton. Alonso finished third overall, behind champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and Hamilton.
■ Rugby League
Britain thrash New Zealand
Britain scored eight tries to beat New Zealand 44-0 on Saturday and clinch the three-match rugby league Test series with one game remaining. Seven different players touched down at the KC Stadium for Britain to win their first series since 1993, when they beat New Zealand 3-0. The score was also a record win for Britain over New Zealand, beating their 38-12 win over the Kiwis two years ago in Huddersfield, England. Britain began scoring after only 74 seconds when captain Jamie Peacock pushed through several Kiwi tackles for a try. Kevin Sinfield added the first of his five conversions.
■ boxing
Marquez defends title
Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez defended his World Boxing Council super featherweight title with a 12-round decision over US fighter Rocky Juarez in Tuscon, Arizona, on Saturday. Marquez (48-3-1 35 KOs) won on all three judges scorecards, 118-110, 117-111, 120-108. He is hoping his victory leads to a rematch with Filipino fireball Manny Pacquiao. Juarez (27-4, 19 KOs) suffered a cut over his left eye in the first round and couldn't stop the bleeding for the entire fight. Juarez won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. "I had great preparation for this fight," Marquez said. "I have worked very hard for four months, and now I want Manny Pacquiao, but he doesn't want to fight me."
■ Rugby union
White in talks with England
World Cup-winning South Africa coach Jake White has held talks with England rugby chiefs, his agent told the Sunday Times newspaper. White guided South Africa to a 15-6 victory over England in the World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris on Oct. 20 and announced on Wednesday that he would quit his post next month, accusing Springbok bosses of bouncing him out of the job. "They [England] have been in touch," White's agent Craig Livingstone told the Sunday Times. "England are busy with the [post-World Cup] review process and then they will make a decision."
■ soccer
CS Sfaxien take first leg
Two goals in the first four minutes led Tunisians CS Sfaxien to a 4-2 win at Sudan's Al Merreikh in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup final on Saturday. Congolese international Lelo Mbele and Blaise Kouassi of the Ivory Coast scored early before Kouassi struck his ninth goal of this year's competition in the 18th minute to make it 3-0. Al Merreikh rallied in the second half with goals from Brazilian Paulino and captain Faisal Agab (penalty) but sandwiched inbetween was a fourth goal for Sfaxien by Mbele. The second leg in Tunisia is on Nov. 24.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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