■TENNIS
Taiwanese duo loses final
Japanese duo Kimiko Date-Krumm and Rika Fukiwara defeated Taiwan’s Chan Chin-wei and Chen Yi in straight sets to claim the doubles title at the women’s hardcourt tournament in Tokyo yesterday. The No. 3 seeds won 7-5, 6-3 against 23-year-old Chan and 21-year-old Chen, who were the top seeds. Ayumi Morita of Japan defeated Slovakia’s Jarmila Gajdosova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to claim the singles title. The No. 3 seed outlasted the winner of last month’s OEC Taipei Ladies Open title to earn her first singles title of the year.
■SOCCER
Nationalism fuels violence
More than 50 people were injured in nationalistic-fueled violence at a match in southwestern Slovakia. Thirty-one people were arrested in Saturday’s rioting — 18 fans for the home team in Dunajska Streda, one of the most important centers for Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian minority, and 13 from the away team from Bratislava, a police spokeswoman said. Violence had been feared ahead of the championship game between AC Dunajska Streda and Slovan Bratislava as hundreds of hooligans and neo-Nazis from Hungary were expected to travel to the match. Nationalistic tensions have intensified between Hungary and Slovakia recently and have been fuelled by nationalists from both sides through provocative public statements. Police numbers were increased to provide security for the match, that Bratislava won 4-0, but violence broke out between both sets of fans and with the police. A police spokeswoman said that fans from the home team had hurled stones while internet forums accused police of targeting Hungarian fans. The most serious injuries occurred in a crush of Hungarian fans that developed after a police intervention, television reports said.
■RALLYING
Loeb clinches record title
Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb clinched a record fifth world title in a row after surviving a late spin to finish third in the Japan Rally yesterday. Rival Mikko Hirvonen led Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford one-two but it was not enough to keep the title race alive. A spin on the penultimate stage almost cost the Frenchman third place and his hopes of glory in Sapporo as torrential rain made conditions treacherous. Hirvonen won by 31.1 seconds from fellow Finn Latvala. The Frenchman had wanted to secure the title in Japan in order to drive flat-out in the last race in Britain later this month in a bid to break his own record of 10 wins in a season.
■SOCCER
River horror run continues
Titleholders River Plate slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Lanus on Saturday, extending their winless domestic run to an unprecedented 11 games. The defeat guaranteed beleaguered coach Diego Simeone’s team, who have nine points from their 13 games, would finish the weekend bottom of the Apertura championship. Simeone made nine changes from the team that drew 1-1 with Newell’s Old Boys on Wednesday but saw his side fall behind after only five minutes to a goal from Diego Lagos. Maximiliano Velasquez added a second early in the second half to lift Lanus to fourth in the table. River’s next match is a Copa Sudamericana quarter-final second leg tie away to Mexican side Guadalajara on Thursday and Simeone is expected to face the sack if his side fail to overturn their 1-0 deficit. The only consolation for River, one of Argentina’s biggest clubs, is that they are in no danger of relegation, which is decided over three seasons.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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