CRICKET
Hendricks ton leads S Africa
Reeza Hendricks smashed a century on his one-day international debut to guide South Africa to a 78-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third match in Pallekele yesterday. Hendricks, whose 89-ball 102 gave the visitors strength after being put into bat first, became only the third South African to register a ton in his first ODI. Colin Ingram and Temba Bavuma are the other two. Jean-Paul Duminy’s 92 off 70 deliveries helped South Africa to 363-7. Sri Lanka made 285 all out in reply, with Dhananjaya de Silva’s 84 the only substantial contribution.
CRICKET
Bangladesh level series
A fine all-round performance by Shakib al Hasan lifted Bangladesh to a series-leveling 12-run win over the West Indies in the second fixture of a three-match T20 International series at the Central Broward Stadium in Florida on Saturday. Shakib belted 60 and senior opener Tamim Iqbal topscored with 74 as Bangladesh posted a 171-5 after they were put in to bat. The captain then claimed the important wickets of Marlon Samuels and opposing skipper Carlos Brathwaite as the Caribbean side were restricted to 159-9 in reply.
GOLF
Bhullar wins in Fiji
A late chip-in eagle saw India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar hold off a charging Anthony Quayle to claim the Fiji International by one stroke yesterday. Bhullar began the final day at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course with a one-shot lead, but found himself trailing late in the day as the Australian Quayle came home in 29 and set the target at 13-under. However, the eagle on the 17th moved Bhullar back into the lead and he held his nerve to par the last and sign in for a 66 and a one-shot victory over Quayle, who finished with a final-round 63. Taiwan’s Hung Chien-yao finished in a share of 60th.
GOLF
Justin Thomas zooms ahead
Justin Thomas turned on the jets midway through the third round and opened a three-stroke lead at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday. A week before defending his title at the PGA Championship, Thomas carded a 3-under 67 after starting the day tied for the lead with Englishmen Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood. The American gathered five birdies in nine holes from the sixth en route to a 14-under 196 total with one round left at the Firestone Country Club.
GOLF
Phatlum maintains lead
Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum recorded her first bogey of the championship at the Women’s British Open on Saturday and ended the third round as she started it, with a one-stroke lead in Lancashire. Apart from her lone hiccup, Phatlum continued her relentless accuracy off the tee and into the green, carding a composed three-under-par 69 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. However, she could not break clear of England’s Georgia Hall, who sank a 10-foot birdie at the last hole to also shoot 69 and keep the heat firmly on the leader. Taiwan’s Phoebe Yao was in a share of ninth after a 67, five shots off the lead, as was Teresa Lu (73). Farther back, Hsu Wei-ling was in a share of 47th, having begun her fourth round just before press time last night.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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