■TENNIS
ATP supports Andy Murray
Tennis chiefs insisted on Monday that Andy Murray was within his rights to withdraw from this week’s Marseille Open. The British star was due to be the top seed at the tournament, but he won’t be playing in France after deciding to continue his recovery from the Australian Open, where his bid to win a maiden grand slam title ended with a defeat by Roger Federer in the Melbourne final. Tournament director Jean-Francois Caujolle was quoted on Monday in a British national newspaper calling for Murray to be suspended after missing the tournament for the second straight year, but said later he was merely “really disappointed” with the Scot. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said that, in any event, there were no grounds for suspending Murray. “There are clear rules and regulations in place with regard to player withdrawals and Andy Murray followed them,” it said in a statement. “We understand a situation like this can be frustrating for a tournament, but we are looking forward to a great week of tennis in Marseille with a strong field led by six of the world’s Top 20 players.” Earlier on Monday, Caujolle told Sky Sports News: “I never said that he should be suspended, but it’s true I was really disappointed because he was my top player. “There is a responsibility for the credibility of all the game when it’s a top player. Sometimes you have to force yourself and be responsible ... I understand he’s quite young and it’s not a huge tournament but it’s quite disappointing and we had the same last year. Last year he played in Rotterdam and was a bit injured and I understand that. He sent me an e-mail saying next year I will play,” Caujolle said.
■SOCCER
Celtic’s profit plummets
Celtic’s profits have dropped dramatically and its debts have increased following the team’s failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League. The Scottish Premier League club says its pretax profit for the six months ending Dec. 31 was down 85 percent to £1.27 million (US$1.99 million) and its bank debt increased more than threefold to £3.13 million. Celtic finished runner-up to fierce city rival Rangers last season and was beaten in Champions League qualifying in August by Arsenal. Club chairman John Reid said soccer and commercial success went hand in hand. Celtic trails Rangers by 10 points with about a third of this season remaining.
■SOCCER
Uruguayan great dies
Juan Carlos Gonzalez a member of the Uruguayan squad that won the 1950 World Cup, died on Monday aged 85, local media reported. Gonzalez, who also won the Uruguayan title with Penarol, played in two of the Uruguayan side’s matches, but did not play in the final where they beat Brazil 2-1. His remains will be transferred to the Olympic Pantheon in Montevideo and will be buried alongside other Uruguayan sporting heroes.
■BASKETBALL
Gasol wins European award
Spaniard Pau Gasol has been voted European player of the year for last year, winning the award for the second year in a row, the governing body FIBA Europe said on Monday. The 2.15m center won an NBA championship title with the Los Angeles Lakers and followed that up by helping Spain to win their first European championship gold medal in Poland in September. Gasol came in ahead of Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and Serbia’s Milos Teodosic in the voting by fans and a panel of experts.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
PROMISING TALENT: Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was pleased with youngster Gonzalo’s performance and compared him to former ‘Los Blancos’ great Raul Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday beat Juventus 1-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund, who edged Mexican side Monterrey. Serhou Guirassy struck twice for the German outfit as they scraped past Sergio Ramos’ side 2-1 in a tight last-16 clash in Atlanta, Georgia, and denied the former Real Madrid skipper a matchup against his former team. Youngster Gonzalo Garcia headed home his third goal of the tournament to help Madrid edge Italian side Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami earlier. It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side,
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