TENNIS
Taiwan defeat HK
Taiwan beat Hong Kong three matches to one in their Davis Cup World Group II tie in Taipei over the weekend to qualify for the World Group I playoffs next year. Taiwan’s national tennis squad topped Hong Kong 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5) in the doubles and 6-1, 6-2 in the singles yesterday after finishing with one game apiece on Saturday at Taipei Tennis Center. Ray Ho and Hsu Hsiao-yu defeated Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong and Wong Chun Hun in a doubles matchup that lasted 52 minutes, while Wu Tung-lin overpowered Wong in 41 minutes in the singles yesterday. In a major upset on Saturday, Wong beat Jason Jung, ranked 601 places above Wong, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) to give Hong Kong an early lead in the tie. However, Wu evened the field by beating Wong Hong Kit 6-2, 6-2.
TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan pair wins doubles
Taiwanese paddlers Lin Yun-ju and Chen Szu-yu on Saturday beat China’s Xu Haidong and Wu Yangchen 3-2 in the mixed doubles final at the WTT Contender Almaty in Kazakhstan, while Lin and Liao Cheng-ting routed Kazakhstan’s Denis Zholudev and Sagantay Kurmambayev 3-0 in the men’s doubles semi-finals. The world No. 24 Taiwanese men’s doubles duo defeated Zholudev and Kurmambayev 11-2, 11-8, 11-8 in 14 minutes. It is the second time the Taiwanese pairing have reached a final this season. They were yesterday to face Anton Kallberg and Mattias Falck of Sweden in the final.
BASKETBALL
Taiwan tournament starts
The Hsinchu JKO Lioneers beat Taiwan Beer 97-90 on Saturday, the opening day of Taiwan’s first interleague tournament, featuring 12 teams from the Super Basketball League (SBL), the T1 League and the P.League+. In the day’s other games, the PLG Rising Stars defeated Changhua BLL 88-69, while the Taiwan Beer Herobears topped the Yulon Luxgen Dinos 92-69 and the CTBC DEA overpowered the Taoyuan Leopards 94-62. The Interleague Play tournament, organized by the CTBA and held at Taipei’s Heping Basketball Gymnasium, runs until Tuesday next week. It was designed to fill the slot of the Taipei-hosted international invitational William Jones Cup, which was called off for the third consecutive year due to COVID-19 border restrictions.
SOCCER
Pogba’s brother charged
The elder brother of Juventus’ Paul Pogba has been charged and detained over the alleged extortion of the French star, a source close to the case said on Saturday. “We are going to challenge this decision,” Mathias Pogba’s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, told French broadcaster BFMTV, adding that his client had committed no criminal offense. A judicial source said that four other people being held and questioned over the case, aged between 27 and 36, had also been charged and detained. The five have been held in custody since Tuesday and Wednesday. Mathias Pogba, 32, has admitted to being behind a bizarre video published online on Aug. 27 promising “great revelations” about the French national team member. The four others are all close to the Pogba brothers. Paul Pogba had filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors on July 16, saying he was the target of a 13 million euro (US$13.02 million) blackmail plot.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
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