■TENNIS
Stepanek takes a break
Radek Stepanek is suffering from a fatigue syndrome and has to rest for about two months. Czech Republic Davis Cup team spokesman Karel Tejkal said on Wednesday it was not clear whether the 31-year-old could recover in time for the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf, Germany, next month, and could miss the French Open which begins on May 23. Stepanek, ranked 18th, could even be in doubt for the Davis Cup quarterfinals in July in Chile.
■SOCCER
Maradona said ‘good night’
Maradona’s personal doctor said on Wednesday the Argentina coach required 10 stitches to his mouth after being bitten by one of his pet dogs when he put his face close to the animal’s face to say good night. “He [Maradona] told me that it’s common he gets close to the dog like this before he goes to bed,” Alfredo Cahe said. “[He] said the dog moved suddenly. He said the dog had never behaved like this in the three years he’s had her.” Maradona was bitten on the upper lip on Tuesday by his pet Shar Pei.
■MOTORSPORT
Andretti, Petty team up
Two of the biggest names in US motorsport — Andretti and Petty — will join forces to enter a car in this year’s Indianapolis 500, the two teams said on Wednesday. Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti and NASCAR great Richard Petty will combine behind a car in the May 30 race at the famed Brickyard that will be driven by John Andretti, cousin of team boss Michael. For two races, including a warmup in Kansas, John Andretti will join the Andretti Autosport stable of drivers alongside cousin Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay. “Richard is a legend and has millions of fans worldwide and hopefully a few of them are going to become Andretti Autosport fans after the month of May,” Michael Andretti said on a conference call to announce the partnership.
■COMMONWEALTH
Fiji ban upheld
Fiji’s National Olympic Committee said it could not understand the basis of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision upholding its ban from October’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Fiji appealed the ban to the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, and urged its athletes to stay in training for the games, but the court yesterday rejected its appeal. Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth last September when military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, refused to bow to demands to hold elections next year.
■RUGBY UNION
All Blacks schedule changes
The All Blacks will now start their quest for a third Grand Slam in five years against England later this year after the Rugby Football Union (RFU) agreed to a date change for their test match. Graham Henry’s side had originally been scheduled to play England at Twickenham as the last of their four tests on Dec. 4, but the RFU have agreed to shift the fixture to the start of the tour on Nov. 6. “We indicated to the RFU that, if possible, we would have preferred to play the match earlier in November to allow our players the chance to get home earlier,” New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said in a statement yesterday. The All Blacks will also meet Scotland in Edinburgh on Nov. 13, Ireland in Dublin on Nov. 20 and Wales in Cardiff on Nov. 27.
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
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘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
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5