■TENNIS
Skier to join playoff
US ski star Bode Miller will be among the entrants when the US Tennis Association launches a national playoff system in April that provides a chance at a wild card spot into US Open qualifying. The national playoffs announced on Tuesday will allow all players 14 and older the chance to compete in 16 sectional tournaments across the nation from April to June, with winners advancing to the playoff finals. Top prizes are places in the men’s and women’s qualifying tournaments Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 at the US Tennis Center with a lucky few earning spots in the main draw of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, which begins Aug. 30. Miller, a two-time World Cup overall champion and three-time world champion who twice took silver medals in the Olympics, will compete in one of the sectional tournaments. He was a 1996 Maine state prep school singles champion. USTA memberships and a US$125 entry fee are required and each sectional is limited to 256 players. There will be no seedings and players can only enter and play at one site. Registration begins on Monday.
■GOLF
Ken Green’s son found dead
Hunter Green, the son of former professional golfer Ken Green, was found dead in his room on the Dallas campus of Southern Methodist University last week, school authorities said. University officials said the body of a student was found around midday on Friday and the medical examiner’s office identified the student as 21-year-old Green. Officials said no foul play was involved and an investigation is under way. It’s the second family tragedy in the past year for Ken Green, who won five PGA Tour events between 1985 and 1989. Green had his lower right leg amputated after a recreational vehicle accident eight months ago. The accident killed his dog, brother and girlfriend.
■BASEBALL
Orioles sign Tejada
Miguel Tejada, a 35-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic, signed a one-year Major League Baseball deal worth US$6 million on Tuesday to return to the Baltimore Orioles. Tejada, named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2002, inked a six-year deal worth US$72 million to join the Orioles after the 2003 season, only to have the team continue to struggle before trading him in 2007. In March, Tejada will complete a one-year probation for misleading Congress after admitting he did not tell federal investigators about a former teammate’s use of a performance-enhancing drug when questioned in 2005.
■BOXING
Tianjin to open center
Tianjin, China, has signed an agreement with the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to set up Asia’s first boxing center, state media reported. The agreement on the center was signed on Tuesday and would see the city host WBO championship bouts, Xinhua news agency said. “It is the WBO’s biggest move in recent years to join hands with Tianjin to set up the boxing center. It will definitely boost the sport in China and Asia,” it quoted WBO president Francisco Valcarcel as saying. The center will contain four gymnasiums and host more than 50 “high-level tournaments” including WBO world title bouts and Asia-Pacific championships, as well as serve as a top training site. It quoted Valcarcel as saying the Tianjin complex would be the world’s third largest of its kind, after centers in Las Vegas and New York’s Madison Square Garden. Such fights would be broadcast live by networks ESPN, HBO and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the report said.
■SOCCER
Eagles left in a flap
Crystal Palace were left facing a 10 point penalty after the English second division side entered administration on Tuesday. Palace are currently ninth in the Championship table but the points deduction, mandatory under Football League, would leave them in a relegation battle. The South London club have twice been late in paying their players this season. Palace have reported debts of around £30 million (US$49 million) and were due in court yesterday to face a winding-up order from Britain’s tax collecting authority. Despite financial problems that have meant Neil Warnock has been unable to field a full substitutes bench at times this season, Palace were only two points outside of the play-off places ahead of yesterday’s match against leaders Newcastle. But now the Eagles face a battle to avoid dropping into English soccer’s third tier. The Football League have yet to impose the 10-point deduction as they have not yet received formal confirmation from either Palace or the administrators that the club have entered administration, but it is expected this will arrive with officials within the next couple of days.
■BADMINTON
Lee to quit after Olympics
World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei plans to retire in 2012, according to media reports yesterday which said he vowed to win the World and Olympic titles before bowing out. The 27-year-old Malaysian, who has topped the rankings since 2008, said he hoped to maintain top spot until he steps down after the 2012 London Olympics. “I am close to the end of my playing career and I don’t want to have any regrets after I retire, like not winning a single major title despite being the world No.1,” Lee was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times. “I have another three chances to win the World Championship but only one opportunity in the Olympic Games. This is why I have to be in my best form for the 2012 London Olympics. It will be my toughest challenge,” he said. Lee has yet to win a major despite being the world’s top player. He said he has not given much thought about his plans after retirement but is considering setting up an academy for young players.
■SOCCER
Fear of flying grounds striker
Hamburg striker Paolo Guerrero has not returned to the Bundesliga club from his home in Peru because of his fear of flying. The club said on Tuesday that Guerrero had boarded a flight three times within the past week, only to leave the aircraft before the takeoff from Lima. Guerrero’s fear of flying also made him cancel a trip to the US to see a knee specialist. The striker is recovering from torn knee ligaments. Hamburg said Guerrero was well ahead in his rehabilitation.
■SOCCER
Roma reach semi-finals
Daniele De Rossi scored with a blistering shot to send in-form AS Roma into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win over a brave Catania side that finished the tie with nine men on Tuesday. The Italy midfielder drilled home an unstoppable left-foot effort from the edge of the box in the 74th minute shortly after a last-man foul by Blazej Augustyn had left the visitors two players down. The Sicilians, third-from-bottom in Serie A, already had Giuseppe Bellusci sent off in the 58th for a second yellow card. Roma soon took command of the quarter-final tie but, with forward Luca Toni injured and captain Francesco Totti rested, the final pass frequently went astray in the first half. The Sicilians held out in the second period thanks to some excellent Campagnolo saves until De Rossi struck.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
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