TENNIS
Zhang Shuai eliminated
China’s Zhang Shuai yesterday became the latest seed to exit the Japan Women’s Open when she was ambushed by Kazakh qualifier Zarina Diyas. The 23-year-old Diyas, ranked 72 places below Zhang at 100th in the world, thrashed the second seed 6-4, 6-2 in Tokyo, meaning only two of the top eight seeds in the tournament have reached the quarter-finals. Eighth seed Yulia Putintseva made it a red-letter day for Kazakhstan against Chinese opponents by ousting Han Xinyun, who retired with a hip injury when trailing 6-2, 2-0. As Japanese organizers rue the loss of six seeds and local favorite Kimiko Date in her final tournament at the age of 46, Croatian Jana Fett crushed Slovakia’ Jana Cepelova 6-0, 6-3. In other matches, Wang Qiang restored a measure of pride for China with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Kurumi Nara, while Christina McHale of the US overpowered Spain’s Sara Sorribes 6-1, 6-1.
SOCCER
Syria to play in Malaysia
Football Federation Australia said it has received official confirmation that Syria are to host Australia in Malaysia in the first leg of their Asian World Cup qualifying playoff next month. Because of the continuing civil war at home, Syria played all of their third-round Asian World Cup qualifying matches in Malaysia. Officials have stuck with the formula by confirming Hang Jebat Stadium in Malacca for their Oct. 5 “home” game, despite speculation the playoff could be staged in the Middle East. The Socceroos are to host the return match in Sydney on Oct. 10. The winner of the Asian playoff faces the fourth-place team from CONCACAF qualifying in North and Central America in another home-and-away series for a place in next year’s World Cup in Russia.
BOXING
Golovkin misses birth
Gennady Golovkin is one of the most dedicated boxers in the world and even the birth of his daughter could not pry him out of the gym. The three-belt champion missed the birth on Friday last week because he was training for his upcoming world middleweight title fight. Golovkin stayed in the gym for two hours after his wife, Alina, gave birth to the couple’s second child. They also have a son. “He didn’t leave the gym until 6pm,” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez said. “The baby was born at 4pm. His wife was in the hospital for one day. She came home next day so he was home with them.” Golovkin, who holds the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation middleweight belts, faces Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round mega title fight in Las Vegas tomorrow. Sanchez said he was concerned during the long training camp about how Golovkin was doing with the baby on the way and the most important fight of his career around the corner. “I started to voice my concern. ‘The baby’s not here.’ He said: ‘Coach the baby is going to come whether I am there or not. I have already done my part,’” Sanchez said. Golovkin has been in high spirits as the fight preparation shifted this week from their training camp to Las Vegas. “He is in a great mood. I don’t know if it is because of the baby being here or if because he finally got the fight he wanted,” Sanchez said.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
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