GOLF
Thai sisters win pairs event
Thai sisters Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn on Saturday shot their second 11-under-par 59 in best-ball play to capture the LPGA Great Lakes Bay Invitational, taking a three-stroke victory over defending champions Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura. Ariya Jutanugarn, 25, and Moriya Jutanugarn, 26, finished at 24-under 256 at windy Midland Country Club golf course in Michigan. Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling and Min Lee finished tied for 27th place with a 10-under 270. They carded a four-under 66 in the fourth round.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Makhachev submits Moises
Islam Makhachev on Saturday easily defeated Thiago Moises in Las Vegas, winning by submission in round 4 of their main event at UFC Fight Night. The lightweight bout was stopped at 2 minutes, 38 seconds, after Makhachev put Moises in a rear naked choke. Makhachev dominated his first appearance in a main event. To that point, Makhachev had 148 total strikes to Moises’ 18. Makhachev had 61 signature strikes to just 13 for Moises. It was the first submission loss of Moises’ career. Makhachev, 29, called out former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos after the fight. “Why all these guys run?” Makhachev said. “Nobody want to take this fight... You can run, but you can’t hide. I am here.” Makhachev improved to 20-1, while Moises fell to 15-5.
OLYMPICS
Russian team withdraws
The Russian Rowing Federation yesterday withdrew its men’s quadruple sculls team from the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, saying the level of skill of two potential substitutes in the crew did not meet Games standards. The sport’s global governing body World Rowing said in a statement that it had contacted the Lithuanian Rowing Federation to offer the available slot to its crew, as they were the next placing team in the final Olympic qualification regatta. It added that the International Olympic Committee had approved the late replacement “on an exceptional basis.” Two Russian rowers from the quadruple sculls team tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, following out-of-competition dope testing last month after the final Olympic qualification regatta. They were provisionally suspended, ruling them out of the Games, but their boat remained qualified for Tokyo with substitutes.
BOXING
Charlo, Castano fight to draw
Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano on Saturday fought to a draw, denying either a historic victory that would have crowned one of them the first four-belt undisputed champion in boxing’s super welterweight division. The showdown marked the first time all four 154-pound belts were on the line with Charlo keeping his three (WBC, WBA and IBF) and Castano retaining the WBO strap as a result of the draw. The fight proved to be closer than expected with more-aggressive Castano proving he could take Charlo’s best punch and deliver heavy blows of his own, especially in the middle rounds at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Judges delivered a split decision draw with one having it 114-113 for Argentina’s Castano, another 114-114 and the third raised eyebrows by scoring it a one-sided 117-111 in favor of American Charlo.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
The Major League Baseball World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but the party is extending all the way to Japan. People milled around local train stations yesterday morning in Tokyo as newspaper extras were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country. Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Belgian partner Elise Mertens on Monday notched up their first win in the doubles group stage of the WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russian partner Veronika Kudermetova were aiming to record their first victory after press time last night. Third seeds Hsieh and Mertens came back from a disheartening opening-day loss to Australia’s Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to defeat top seeds Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s doubles world No. 3 and 4 respectively. The 6-1, 6-3 victory at King Saud University Indoor Arena