TENNIS
Taiwan’s Chans advance
Taiwanese pair Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching advanced at the WTA Chicago Women’s Open on Wednesday, but Hsieh Su-wei was knocked out in the singles. The No. 2-seeded Chan sisters had a doubles quarter-final walkover against US duo Claire Liu and Hailey Baptiste and after press time last night were to play in the semis against Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan, who advanced with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win over Poland’s Alicja Rosolska and Eri Hozumi of Japan. Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic eliminated Hsieh 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the round-of-16.
TENNIS
Serena Williams withdraws
Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s US Open after the American said on Wednesday that her torn hamstring had not completely healed ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year. She joined sister Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin as others in the women’s singles draws who will miss the tournament.
MOTORSPORT
Alonso to stay with Alpine
Double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso is to stay at the Alpine F1 team next season, the team announced yesterday. Alonso is to race alongside French teammate Esteban Ocon for a second term following his new deal.
RUGBY UNION
Trio to miss Test
All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock, and first-choice halves Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith have been left out of the traveling squad for next week’s Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Perth, with the players’ wives expecting babies. Hooker Codie Taylor is expected to lead the side against Australia at Perth Stadium.
SOCCER
Infantino seeks releases
The English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga should release players for World Cup qualifiers next month to “preserve and protect sporting integrity,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday. The Premier League has refused to release players headed to countries on the UK’s “red list” due to strict COVID-19 quarantine rules on their return, while La Liga supported its clubs in refusing to release players for qualifiers in South America.
CRICKET
Ted Dexter dies
Former England captain Ted Dexter has died after a recent illness, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) said yesterday. He was 86. Dexter, nicknamed “Lord Ted,” was an aggressive batsman and part-time seam bowler who played 62 Tests for England after making his debut in 1958 against New Zealand. He captained England and Sussex in the early 1960s. “After a recent illness, he passed away peacefully in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at midday yesterday [Wednesday], surrounded by his family,” the MCC said in a statement. “Ted was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and one of England’s greatest ever cricketers. He was captain in 30 of his 62 Test matches and played the game with the same sense of adventure and fun that captures much of the story of his remarkable life.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to