BADMINTON
China’s Wang defeats Tai
China’s Wang Shixian overcame Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan 21-23, 21-12, 21-15 to reach her first All-England Open Badminton Championships final in two years. Wang had a 6-2 winning record over her opponent prior to their semi-final, but Tai sensed an upset when she produced a delightful backhand drop to take the opener. However, Wang rallied to create pivotal openings in the next two games before criticizing her performance, as well as the match officials’, following her 71-minute victory. “I’m really not happy with the performance, something went wrong with my tactics today,” Wang said. She went on to criticize the English umpire and line judge and, despite her opponent Tai heralding from Taiwan, Wang added that she “wished the umpires could be fair to the Asian players.” Wang will not have to face top-ranked Carolina Marin in the final, after the defending champion lost 11-21, 21-16, 21-14 to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
BOXING
Braehmer defends title
Juergen Braehmer on Saturday night defeated fellow German Eduard Gutknecht by unanimous decision for the second time to retain his WBA light heavyweight title. The judges awarded it 116-111, 116-111 and 118-110 in favor of the 37-year-old southpaw, who was clearly better in the earlier rounds and was then able to withstand a spirited rally from the challenger. “It was fine for the first six rounds, I was clearly in control, but then from the sixth or seventh I felt a pain in my left hand and, you know how it is, you don’t want to take any risks. The opponent senses that too,” said Braehmer, who had been landing the cleaner blows. Braehmer had a cut above his left eye in the ninth round from a clash of heads. The blood encouraged Gutknecht, who improved, but his punches were wild or delivered close in, and he had a point deducted in the 10th after a number of warnings. Braehmer improved to 48-2 (37 KOs) after making the sixth defense of the vacant title he won by defeating Marcus Oliveira in December 2013.
SOCCER
Pearce plays for Longford
Former England captain Stuart Pearce on Saturday came out of retirement at the age of 53 to help out a non-league team dubbed “the worst in Britain.” Leftback Pearce came on as a second-half substitute for Longford AFC, who went into Saturday’s match having lost 22 out of 22 league games, with a goal difference of minus-190. The beleaguered club brought in Pearce in a bid to boost morale and help turn the tide. Performances have improved since Pearce’s signing was announced in January, but the defeats kept coming. Despite the England legend’s appearance for Longford in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two, the 13th tier of English soccer, they still lost 1-0 to visitors Wotton Rovers, thanks to a penalty.
SOCCER
Van der Sar saves first club
Former Netherlands and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar on Saturday came out of retirement to play for his first club, VV Noordwijk, marking the occasion by saving a penalty. The amateur club were left without a goalkeeper after a spate of injuries and 45-year-old Van der Sar agreed to step in for a one-off game, almost five years since he last played professional soccer. On Saturday, Van der Sar starred in a 1-1 draw against CVV de Jodan Boys by diving to his left to save a penalty, a moment captured by a fan behind the goal who posted the footage online.
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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