■ GOLF
Goosen pulls out of Masters
Defending champion Retief Goosen has withdrawn from the Qatar Masters because of eye problems. The South African golfer underwent corrective laser surgery 10 days ago and said his vision in one eye began to blur during practice on Tuesday. He traveled to Dubai for further treatment, but returned to Doha on Wednesday saying he had to pull out of the European Tour event. "I am obviously very sad that I am unable to defend my title," Goosen said. "I came all this way to play but unfortunately the eye is causing a problem." Goosen has been replaced in the field by Sweden's Henrik Nystrom.
■ SKIING
Karbon breaks her thumb
Giant slalom star Denise Karbon broke her thumb in training on Wednesday but the Italian Skiing Federation said it would not stop her from competing. Karbon has been in fine form this season, winning the first four World Cup giant slalom events. But she slipped on the snow during her warm-up routine on the Pozza di Fassa slopes at Trentin in northeast Italy and fractured a bone in the thumb of her left hand. Her doctor, Herbert Schoenhuber, told Ansa news agency that the injury should not stop her from competing in the sixth giant slalom of the season at Ofterschwang in Germany tomorrow.
■ BOXING
Calzaghe to fight in Vegas
Undisputed super-middle weight champion Joe Calzaghe of Wales will fight American Bernard Hopkins in a non-title light-heavyweight bout in Las Vegas on April 19. A win would propel the WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight title holder, who turns 36 in March and has admitted he is close to retiring, into a possible career finale against Roy Jones Jr or Jermain Taylor. Calzaghe has already intimated that he would love his swansong to take place at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York where his Italian heritage would secure a rapturous reception.
■ OLYMPICS
Beijing protesters detained
Chinese police detained more than 20 people after "scores" of protesters blocked a major Beijing road in a rally against a power station being built for the Olympic Games, state press said yesterday. The protest took place late on Wednesday on the city's fourth ring road, near the site of the August Games, the Beijing News said. Law enforcement officials were immediately dispatched to the scene, with 24 police vehicles surrounding the protesters and police detaining more than 20 demonstrators, who were placed under investigation, the paper said.
■ BASEBALL
MLB to play games in China
Major League Baseball games are visiting China for the first time, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to play exhibition games on March 15 and March 16 at the baseball venue for the 2008 Olympic Games. Baseball is eager to crack the huge potential market in China. Unlike soccer and basketball, baseball and football are invisible on playgrounds in China and absent from TV coverage. "Hopefully we can help you develop a love for the game as we love it in the United States," San Diego Padres vice president Dave Winfield said at yesterday's announcement in central Beijing which was also attended by new Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. She is No. 17 in the pickleball rankings and constantly appears on the main court at events because she is always a big draw. However, just to be absolutely clear, she is not retired from tennis. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist still practices on the tennis court, still competes at tennis events and still has a Women’s Tennis Association ranking (No. 1,288). The Canadian standout just has a new sport that has caught her attention. Bouchard is one of several familiar tennis names — like Jack Sock and Donald Young — crossing over to
The Philippines curling team has been rocking it in Harbin, claiming the tropical nation’s first Asian Winter Games medal yesterday with a victory in the men’s final against South Korea. The team of Marc Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister and alternate Benjo Delarmente took gold with a 5-3 win at Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena. The Philippines Olympic Committee was quick to celebrate with a post on Instagram to mark the historic gold. “This is the first-ever medal for the Philippines at the Asian Winter Games, and the highest achievement for a Southeast Asian athlete in the Games’ history! What an incredible
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien on Tuesday dumped compatriot and second seed Hsieh Su-wei out of the women’s doubles at the Qatar Open to set up another potential Taiwanese showdown, while world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat in the second round. Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu, who earlier this year won the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Hobart International, defeated Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 10-5 in 1 hour, 29 minutes on Grandstand Court 3 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Wu and Jiang on Sunday advanced to the round-of-16 with a 7-6 (7/7),