TENNIS
Chans make quarters
Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching on Wednesday advanced to the women’s doubles semi-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships after a dominant 6-1, 6-3 last-eight win over top seeds Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff. The Chan sisters needed only 29 minutes to win the first set, breaking the US pairing of Gauff and Pegula three times in a row without giving up serve. The Chans cemented their lead in the second set after they broke the US duo’s serve for a fourth time in the match after holding serve, securing a two-game advantage. The Taiwanese duo scored on the first of their two match points in the ninth game of the second set, clinching the victory. The win set the Chan sisters up for their first semi-final at the Dubai Tennis Championship since 2019. The other three quarter-finals were to be completed after press time last night.
TENNIS
Female team a first
Saudi Arabia is entering a female team for the first time at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament — this week’s Asia/Oceania pre-qualifying event for the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors in Sri Lanka. Saudi Arabia and Brunei are making their Billie Jean King Cup Juniors debuts in the tournament this week for players 16 years and under that is to determine which teams qualify for the main junior event to be decided later this year. “This is an amazing experience and it is so empowering,” Areej Farah, captain of the four-player Saudi Arabia team, said in an interview for the ITF’s Web site. “Taking part in this event is a big step for women’s tennis in Saudi and we are all very proud to represent our country and do our best.”
BOXING
Ukraine boycotts events
Ukraine’s boxing federation (FBU) on Wednesday joined a boycott of the amateur world championships over the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian boxers, who have been allowed to compete with national flags and anthems. FBU vice president Oleg Ilchenko told public broadcaster Suspline that their boxers would not compete in this year’s men’s and women’s championships, which is to be held in New Delhi and Tashkent respectively. Both competitions are organized by the International Boxing Association, led by Russian Umar Kremlev.
CRICKET
Coach says ‘no tension’
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurasingha on Wednesday said that there is “no tension” between him and senior players in the team as he begins his second tenure in charge of the side. Sri Lankan Hathurasingha’s first stint with the side from 2014 to 2017 was marked by several run-ins with senior players in the team, some of whom are also part of the current squad. Following his complaint, star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was banned for six months for “misbehavior” in 2014. “There’s no tension with any of the players with me,” Hathurasingha said. “I don’t think it [working with senior players] is going to be a challenge. I have spoken to all the senior players. Everybody is focused on one thing: Team is No. 1. Everyone wants the team to do well. Even in my last time, I didn’t face challenges with any of the players.”
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said