■ TENNIS
Local favorite pulls out
Australian Samantha Stosur has withdrawn from January's Australian tennis open because she is not fit enough to play, she said yesterday. Stosur, 23, the top-ranked Australian woman, said she only resumed training three weeks ago after battling viral illnesses throughout this year, and that she was not ready for the Australian Open -- the first grand slam tournament of the year -- and other local events. Stosur was hospitalized in Florida in September with viral meningitis after earlier missing a Fed Cup tie and tournaments in the US because of an unrelated virus.
■ BASEBALL
Taguchi signs for Phillies
Japanese outfielder So Taguchi, who hit .290 for St Louis last season, signed a one-year contract with the Phillies on Sunday. The 38-year-old Taguchi led all National League pinch hitters with a .406 (13-32) batting average. A 10-year veteran with the Orix Blue Wave before moving to the US following the 2001 season, Taguchi played all three outfield positions for St Louis this year, starting 41 times in center field, 21 times in left field and twice in right. "Taguchi gives our team more defensive versatility in the outfield," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro said in a statement released by the team. "And he has proven over his career that he can get key hits in big situations."
■ RUGBY UNION
Gloucester stay top
Tries from Iain Balshaw and Olivier Azam and a rare off-day for Jonny Wilkinson's kicking helped Gloucester to a 20-13 win over Newcastle that keeps them top of the English Premiership. Newcastle will be disappointed after turning over lots of possession and Wilkinson missed two kicks at goal, including one straightforward second half opportunity. Wilkinson was on the mark with two penalties plus a conversion after Geoff Parling's try while Ryan Lamb kicked the rest of Gloucester's points with two conversions and two penalties of his own. Elsewhere Luke McAlister outshone New Zealand World Cup colleague Aaron Mauger as Sale edged a hard-fought encounter 20-14 to leapfrog opponents Leicester.
■ GERMANY
Politician slams athletes
A top German politician criticized professional athletes for getting "excessive" money and singled out Bayern Munich, the country's richest soccer club. Norbert Lammert, the president of the German parliament, made the remarks amid an ongoing debate in Germany about large salaries and bonuses for business executives. "The excessive salaries that we have seen for years in sports, especially soccer, upsets me considerably," Lammert was quoted as saying by weekly Bild am Sonntag on Sunday.
■ SOCCER
Rennes end losing streak
Rennes ended a six-match losing streak in the French league with a 0-0 draw against Toulouse on Sunday, in Guy Lacombe's first match as manager. Lacombe replaced Pierre Dreossi last week. Rennes have gone winless in 11 straight games since a 2-1 victory at Lens on Oct. 28. Also on Sunday, Peguy Luyindula scored to give PSG a 1-0 victory at Saint-Etienne. Their fifth win of the season pushed them into 16th place and out of the relegation zone. The matches were the last before the French league heads into its three-week winter break.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘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
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
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