TENNIS
Raducanu still coach hunting
US Open champion Emma Raducanu on Sunday said she is “optimistic” about finding a new coach before the Australian Open starts in January next year, and would be relying on her own instincts in the Transylvania Open in Romania. Raducanu, who stunned the sporting world when she won the Flushing Meadows title last month as a qualifier, announced after the Grand Slam that she would no longer be working with former Davis Cup player Andrew Richardson. The 18-year-old confirmed reports she had a trial last week with Johanna Konta’s former coach, Esteban Carril, among others as she continues her search for a mentor to guide her during the next phase of her career. “I think having a coach is great, but you are on your own on the court. I don’t think it is great to be dependent. You need to coach yourself. That is something I am learning,” Raducanu told reporters.
GOLF
Winther wins after lock-in
Denmark’s Jeff Winther on Sunday clinched his first European Tour crown with a one-shot victory at the Mallorca Open, holding his nerve in a closely fought final round hours after accidentally locking himself in the bathroom. Winther began the day with a two-shot lead and recorded a closing 70 to finish at 15-under overall, but almost missed tee-time when he locked himself in the bathroom and had his six-year-old daughter to thank for coming to his rescue. “After breakfast I went to have a shower and my wife came in to use the bathroom as well. The door closed, and there’s no lock, but we locked ourselves in... Our little girl, Nora, had to go and find guys at reception to break down the door.”
BASKETBALL
Irving supporters rush arena
Protesters on Sunday scaled barricades and pushed toward the doors of the Brooklyn Nets’ home arena in support of NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, who cannot join the team as he has chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Videos that surfaced online showed protesters outside the arena ahead of the Nets’ first home game of the NBA season chanting: “Let Kyrie play,” while some held “Stand with Kyrie” signs. Security had to lock down the Barclays Center at one point, which prevented some fans from entering, but the game against the Charlotte Hornets began on time at 4pm.
BASEBALL
Work stoppage nears: MLB
The MLB’s ninth work stoppage and first in 26 years appears almost certain to start on Dec. 2, freezing the free-agent market and threatening the start of spring training in February next year. Negotiations have been taking place since spring, and each side thinks the other has not made proposals that would lead toward an agreement replacing the five-year contract that expires at 11:59pm on Dec. 1. The luxury tax system that started with the 2003 season sunsets with the expiration of the labor contract, with the exception of completing accounting and payments for the 2021 tax year. Uncertainty over next year’s season would probably cause high-spending clubs to delay reaching pricier player agreements. Free agents can start signing with any team on the sixth day following the World Series.
Taiwanese world No. 1 women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei on Saturday overcame a first-set loss to win her opening match at the Madrid Open. Top seeds Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium, with whom she last month won her fourth Indian Wells women’s doubles title, bounced back from a rocky first set to beat Asia Muhammad of the US and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 2-6, 6-4, 10-2. Hsieh and Mertens were next to face Heather Watson of the UK and Xu Yifan of China in the round of 16. Thirty-eight-year-old Hsieh last month reclaimed her world No. 1 spot after her Indian
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Armed with three solid men’s singles shuttlers and doubles Olympic champions, Taiwan aim to make their first Thomas Cup semi-final, Chou Tien-chen said Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying yesterday quickly dispatched Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in straight sets, while her male counterpart Chou Tien-chen beat Germany’s Kai Schaefer, as Taiwan’s women’s and men’s teams won their Group B opening rounds of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, China. World No. 5 Tai beat Goh 21-19, 22-20 in a speedy 33 minutes, her fourth straight victory over the world No. 24 shuttler since they first faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2018 Malaysia Open, where Tai went on to win the women’s singles title. Malaysia followed up Tai’s opening victory
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates. Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making him the first male Olympian fencer from Taiwan in 36 years and only the sixth Taiwanese fencer to ever qualify for the quadrennial event. The last appearance by a Taiwanese male fencer at the Olympics was in 1988, when Wang San-tsai (王三財) and Cheng Ming-hsiang (鄭明祥) competed in Seoul. The
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with