TENNIS
Taiwan complete rout
Taiwan completed a 5-0 whitewash of Indonesia yesterday in their Davis Cup playoff to retain their spot in Asia/Oceania Group I. In the reverse singles in Greater Kaohsiung, world No. 228 Huang Liang-chi rallied to defeat world No. 505 Christopher Rungkat 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, while world No. 239 Chen Ti cruised past world No. 1,306 David Agung Susanto 6-3, 6-4.
TENNIS
Erakovic to face Safarova
New Zealand’s No. 6 seed Marina Erakovic and third seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic advanced to the final of the WTA Bell Challenge in Quebec with victories on Saturday. Croatian-born Erakovic defeated Christina McHale of the US 6-4, 6-3, while Safarova rallied to eliminate fifth seed Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The final is a rematch of a second-round encounter at the 2009 Australian Open in which Safarova edged Erakovic 9-7 in the third set. That was their only prior matchup.
GOLF
Luiten grabs one-shot lead
Dutchman Joost Luiten mastered wet and windy conditions on Saturday to shoot a four-under 66 and take a one-shot lead after the third round of the KLM Open in Zandvoort, Netherlands. Luiten, aiming to become the first home winner of the tournament since Maarten Lafeber won the then-Dutch Open in 2003, chipped in twice during a round that featured six birdies and two bogeys. He had a 10-under total of 200 going into yesterday’s fourth round. Overnight leader Miguel Angel Jimenez slipped to second with a 70 at the Kennemer Golf and Country Club. Blustery winds and heavy rain made conditions tough on the links course on the North Sea coast west of Amsterdam. Jorge Campillo of Spain followed his course record-equaling 63 on Friday with a 79 to slump out of contention.
SAILING
Oracle get much-needed win
Billionaire Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA scored a desperately needed win in the America’s Cup on Saturday, chipping away at Emirates Team New Zealand’s extensive lead after the Kiwis nearly capsized their yacht. New Zealand began the eighth match in the best-of-17 Cup with a lead over Oracle, but in a maneuver during an upward leg skipper Dean Barker briefly lost control when the boat’s hydraulically controlled wing sail got stuck. The AC72 catamaran teetered on one hull for several seconds, before dropping back in the water. That gave Oracle a chance to get out in front and they went on to win the race by 52 seconds, just their second victory in the 17-match series in San Francisco Bay. “We didn’t get the hydraulics and if the wing doesn’t tack when the boat does, you’re in trouble,” Barker said. “Fortunately, the boat came up and no collision with the other guys.” Due to rising winds, organizers abandoned a second scheduled race, which New Zealand had been winning.
MOTOGP
Lorenzo wins in San Marino
World champion Jorge Lorenzo won the San Marino Grand Prix for Yamaha yesterday, but Marc Marquez extended his overall lead to 34 points after finishing second. Lorenzo’s second win in a row left the Spaniard level with Honda-riding compatriots Dani Pedrosa on 219 points and Marquez, the 20-year-old rookie who had taken the season by storm, on 253. Pedrosa finished third at the Misano Marco Simoncelli circuit in eastern Italy, with local hero Valentino Rossi ending up fourth for Yamaha for the fourth race in a row.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
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