ICE HOCKEY
Blues’ streak reaches five
Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the third round of the shootout to help the St Louis Blues stretch their winning streak to five games with a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers in the NHL on Monday. Tarasenko, who had a goal and an assist in regulation, fired a shot past Cam Talbot to end the game and give the Blues their eighth win in their last nine visits to New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lost at home in a shootout for the second straight game, following a 1-0 defeat against Winnipeg on Saturday. Alexander Steen also scored in the shootout, and Patrik Berglund and Jay Bouwmeester added goals in regulation for the Blues, who lost a 2-1 lead in the third period before tying it at 3. Brian Elliott made 36 saves.
TENNIS
Konjuh aces first round
Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh rallied to beat fourth-seeded Annika Beck 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in the first round of the inaugural Limoges Open in France, part of the WTA 125K series. Konjuh hit seven aces in a nearly two-hour match featuring 10 breaks of serve. Regarded as one of the most promising young talents, the 16-year-old Konjuh has improved to 90th in the WTA rankings from 274th at the end of last season. The sixth-seeded Alison Van Uytvank of Belgium also progressed to the second round after routing Italian qualifier Gioia Barbieri 6-0, 6-1. In an all-French encounter, wild-card entry Oceane Dodin ousted eighth-seeded Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (7/5), 6-2. Tournaments in the WTA 125K series are a step below full tour level.
BASEBALL
Kershaw wins two awards
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was voted the player of the year in balloting by his fellow Major League Baseball players. The players’ union on Monday said that Kershaw also won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award. Kershaw was 21-3 with an MLB-best 1.77 ERA. He was voted the National League’s outstanding pitcher and became the first player to win three Players Choice awards in one season since voting began in 1992. Voting was conducted on Sept. 16. That was before Kershaw went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA in a pair of postseason starts against St Louis. The Miller award is for a player who most inspires others through his efforts on and off the field. Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, funded construction of homes for homeless children in Zambia. Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton was voted the NL’s outstanding player and the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout was selected the American League’s outstanding player. Seattle’s Felix Hernandez was voted the AL’s outstanding pitcher.
BASKETBALL
NBA fines Kevin Martin
The NBA on Monday fined Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin US$15,000 for what officials deemed a “lewd gesture” in celebrating a three-point shot. After hitting a long-range shot that gave Minnesota a 102-100 lead with 1:37 to play against Chicago on Saturday, Martin gestured with cupped hands near his crotch while looking toward the bench. It is a gesture that was popularized by former Timberwolves guard Sam Cassell, but NBA officials apparently want to stamp it out. They have fined Marco Belinelli, Andray Blatche, Caron butler and Jameer Nelson for similar demonstrations. Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press called Martin’s celebratory move “the most enjoyable moment” of the game, but the league did not see any entertainment value in it. Martin scored a season-high 33 points for the game, but the Bulls won 106-105.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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