TENNIS
Hsieh heading to WTA finals
World No. 1 women’s doubles player Hsieh Su-wei has secured a spot at the WTA Finals following her victory with Elise Mertens at the BNP Paribas Open this weekend. The Taiwanese-Belgian duo are to be making their debut together at the WTA’s season-ending tournament after a fruitful year brought wins at Indian Wells and Wimbledon in July. “Time to book our flight Elise. After winning IW, me & Elise are in the championship,” Hsieh wrote on Facebook after the WTA announced the news on Monday. Hsieh, who is making her fourth appearance at the WTA’s showcase event, will be hoping for a repeat of her 2013 victory with partner Peng Shuai of China.
CRICKET
Campher takes 4 in 4 balls
Curtis Campher on Monday took four wickets in four balls as Ireland eased past the Netherlands at the T20 World Cup. South African-born Campher took a hat-trick and then struck again to return figures of 4-26 and reduce the Dutch from 51-2 to 51-6, Ireland going on to dismiss them for 106 in the Group A opener in Abu Dhabi. The 22-year-old medium-pacer joined Rashid Khan and Lasith Malinga as the only bowlers to take a four wickets in four balls in T20s. “To be honest, I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Campher said. “Maybe it will set in a little bit later. To be honest I’m just happy with the win and that’s all that matters.” Ireland cruised to a seven-wicket win with 4.5 overs to spare as player-of-the-match Campher hit the winning runs for his team’s first win over the Netherlands in a World Cup.
SOCCER
Clubs pass sponsorship rule
English Premier League clubs on Monday passed a temporary rule to stop teams from agreeing sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners, a move that could restrict Newcastle United’s new Saudi owners, the Guardian reported. Financial Fair Play rules limit a club’s spending based on their revenue, including sponsorship deals, but arrangements involving companies closely linked to clubs’ owners have come under scrutiny. Newcastle and Manchester City, owned by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour, voted against the proposals, but were defeated 18-2 at the meeting, the Guardian reported. The Premier League declined to comment on the report of the confidential meeting.
TENNIS
Djokovic faces vaccine rule
Australia’s Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said yesterday, putting Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open title defence and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt. World No. 1 Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said he opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which is scheduled to host the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in January. The virus “doesn’t care what your tennis ranking is, or how many Grand Slams you’ve won. It’s completely irrelevant. You need to be vaccinated to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe,” he told a media briefing.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and