BADMINTON
Tai eases past first round
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday thrashed her opponent 21-11, 21-8 on the second day of the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur. The world No. 2 took just 24 minutes to beat World No. 46 Sim Yu-jin of South Korea in their round-of-32 match. World No. 4 Chou Tien-chen took significantly longer in his men’s singles match, beating World No. 29 Sameer Verma of India 10-21, 21-12, 21-14 in 52 minutes. Wang Tzu-wei slogged through a 1 hour, 33 minute game to beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 16-21, 21-18, 27-25. In the men’s doubles, Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei beat China’s He Ji-ting and Zhou Hao-dong 18-21, 21-13, 21-18. In the mixed doubles, Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang progressed due to a walkover, while Lee Jhe-huei and Hsu Ya-ching lost their match.
ATHLETICS
Shoes trip up Yulimar Rojas
Venezuelan triple jump world record-holder Yulimar Rojas will not compete in the long jump at this month’s world championships after her qualifying mark of 6.93m was deemed invalid due to unapproved shoes. The back-to-back triple jump world champion surpassed the long jump qualifying standard at the Reunion de Atletismo Ciudad de Guadalajara last month, but was wearing triple jump shoes, which are not allowed in the event, World Athletics said. “Ms Rojas had intended to compete in the long jump after this event, with approved shoes, to qualify for the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022, but injury prevented this,” World Athletics said in a statement. The approved sole thickness limit for shoes in the long jump is 20mm and for the triple jump is 25mm.
SOCCER
‘Impractical’ scores probed
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has launched an investigation into two first-division matches that finished with scorelines of 91-1 and 95-0, describing them as “impractical” results. The West African country’s soccer governing body said it was investigating officials and players who were involved in the two fixtures, in which Gulf defeated Koquima Lebanon 91-1 and Kahula Rangers beat Lumbenbu United 95-0. The SLFA said it has zero tolerance for match manipulation or anything of the sort. “The general public is therefore assured that the said matter will be thoroughly investigated and anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” it said in a statement. If confirmed, the two scorelines would rank among the highest recorded in soccer history. The highest is thought to have occurred in Madagascar in 2002 when AS Adema beat SO l’Emyrne 149-0. The SO l’Emyrne players intentionally scored one own-goal after another in protest against refereeing decisions with which they disagreed.
BASEBALL
Mets mar Scherzer return
The New York Mets on Tuesday wasted a stellar performance by Max Scherzer in his return from an oblique injury, losing 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Mike Moustakas’ game-ending sacrifice fly. Scherzer struck out 11 while pitching six innings of two-hit ball in his first big league start since May 18. Throwing mostly fastballs, Scherzer —who turns 38 in three weeks — allowed only one runner to reach third, and he responded by striking out Matt Reynolds to get out of the second inning.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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