GOLF
Korda secures Lotte lead
Nelly Korda on Wednesday recorded nine birdies in a bogey-free nine-under 63 for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club in Hawaii. Ji Eun-hee birdied six of her final eight holes for an eight-under 64, while defending champion Brooke Henderson and Choi Hye-jin, playing on a sponsor exemption, were two shots back. Australia’s Hannah Green, who holed out for eagle from just inside 100 yards on the third hole, was tied for fifth on six-under 66 with South Korean Ryu So-yeon. A big group on 67 included 2016 Lotte champ Minjee Lee, Chun In-gee, Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, and rookies Suzuka Yamaguchi and Lilia Vu. Ko Jin-young, the new No. 1 after winning two of her past three starts, finished at 69. Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun carded a two-under 70 for a share of 38th, Hsu Wei-ling ended tied for 97th on one-over 73 and Yani Tseng languished to a nine-over 81 to finish 144th.
OLYMPICS
Tokyo debuts tickets portal
Tokyo 2020 organizers yesterday launched a portal detailing prices and timings for Olympic events as they prepare to throw open ticket applications via lottery for Japanese residents. The new Web site lists prices for the record 339 events in 33 sports — ranging from the cheapest general tickets at ￥2,500 (US$22.34) to an eye-watering ￥300,000 for the best seats at the opening ceremony. Those lucky enough to score the best seats for the showcase men’s 100m final will pay ￥130,000. However, half of all tickets will be priced at ￥8,000 or less, organizers said, adding that special tickets priced at ￥2,020 are available for families residing in Japan with children, senior citizens or people with impairments. However, the Web site is currently for planning purposes only, as the ticket lottery for Japanese residents runs from May 9 to May 28. Overseas fans would be able to snap up tickets from June 15 via special “authorized ticket resellers” in each country.
SOCCER
Lazio win keeps hopes alive
SS Lazio on Wednesday kept their UEFA Champions League ambitions alive thanks to a routine 2-0 Serie A win over Udinese. Simone Inzaghi’s seventh-placed side ended a three-game winless run to move three points behind fourth-placed AC Milan, who occupy the final Champions League place. Leaders Juventus are almost certain to win their eighth title in a row, while second-placed SSC Napoli are well-placed to take second, seven ahead of Inter, who are in turn five ahead of their city rivals. However, behind the top three the battle is tight, with AS Roma a point behind AC Milan in fifth followed by Atalanta BC, Lazio and even Torino — who are five points adrift — still in the running for elite European soccer with six games to play. Ecuador forward Filipe Caicedo put Lazio ahead after 21 minutes, with the ball bouncing off the post and into the net for his fifth goal of the season. Lazio doubled their lead three minutes later when Brazilian midfielder Sandro clumsily turned a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header into this own goal. Udinese’s Argentine playmaker Rodrigo de Paul missed a penalty after the break as the side from northeastern Italy sit just three points off the drop zone.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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