BADMINTON
Chou Tien-chen advances
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen survived a scare against England’s Toby Penty before winning in three games in the first round of the BWF World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday, while Malaysia’s second seed Lee Chong Wei was ousted. Chou won 21-13, 10-21, 21-14 to advance to a second-round encounter against Germany’s Marc Zwiebler, which was to be played yesterday. Other Taiwanese winners were doubles pairings Lin Xiao-min and Wu Fang-chien, who beat Clara Nistad and Emma Wengberg 21-8, 16-21, 22-20; Liao Kuan-hao and Lu Chia-pin, who beat Peter Briggs and Tom Wolfenden 21-17, 21-10; and Liao Min-chun and Su Cheng-heng, who defeated M.R. Arjun and Ramchandran Shlok 21-14, 19-21, 21-14. France’s Brice Leverdez stunned Lee 21-19, 22-24, 21-17. The world No. 31 scored only his second win over Lee in nine matches and said playing without fear helped him in the 75-minute contest at the Emirates Arena. “I know I am the underdog when I play Lee and usually I would have put pressure on myself. This time I wanted to play my game, joke on court with myself,” the 31-year-old said. Defeat ended the 34-year-old Lee’s hunt for an elusive first title in a competition in which he has been runner-up three times. “Brice played so well today ... he had the lead for a lot of the second game and he was very lucky,” Lee said after the match. Defending champion Chen Long started his campaign with a convincing win over Georges Julien Paul from Mauritius. The Chinese fifth seed downed his opponent 21-7, 21-9 in 29 minutes.
RUGBY UNION
Force win right to appeal
The Western Force yesterday won the right to appeal their axing from Super Rugby after the Australian Rugby Union rejected a major cash injection from a mining magnate to keep the club in the competition. The Perth club’s parent body, Rugby WA, lodged the appeal request with the New South Wales Supreme Court last week after the union early this month announced the club’s removal from the competition. Australia had to cut one of its five Super Rugby teams as the trans-continental competition slims down from 18 sides to 15 next year. The Sydney court was to hear the appeal yesterday after the hearing request was granted, although it was not clear if a ruling would be made this week.
FOOTBALL
Robert Lee removed
ESPN broadcaster Robert Lee will not work Virginia’s college football season opener because of recent violence in Charlottesville sparked by the decision to remove a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. A spokeswoman for ESPN said that Robert Lee — who is of Asian descent — has been moved to Youngstown State’s game at Pittsburgh on the ACC Network on Sept. 2. The network said the decision was made “as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name.” Plans to remove a statue of the general, who died in 1870, led to a protest in Charlottesville earlier this month that attracted a group of white nationalists. Violent clashes erupted between the white nationalists and hundreds of counter protesters. ESPN said the decision to put Robert Lee on another game was made “collectively.” It also said it was “a shame that this is even a topic of conversation.”
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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