TABLE TENNIS
Taiwanese take bronze
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Chuang Chih-yuan on Friday clinched a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the World Table Tennis Singapore Smash after losing in the semi-finals. Lin and Chuang were bested by Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea 13-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5 in 47 minutes, dashing their hopes of competing for the gold medal. In the first game, Lin and Chuang established an early 10-8 lead, but failed to hold their advantage. They rallied in the second game, but the world No. 3-ranked South Korean duo forced the pace to closed out the next two games. Lin and Chuang took bronze, as did Japanese pair Yukiya Uda and Shunsuke Togami, who lost to Chinese duo Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin — who beat Jang and Lim in the final — in the other semi. There was another bronze for Taiwan in the mixed doubles after Lin Yun-ju and Chen Szu-yu lost against Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9.
CHEERLEADING
Monkeys sign Lee Da-hye
The Taoyuan-based Rakuten Monkeys on Friday announced the signing of South Korean cheerleader Lee Da-hye. Lee, a former member of the Kia Tigers cheerleading squad in the Korean Baseball Organization confirmed her move to Taoyuan and the CPBL on Instagram. “Last December, I received an offer from the Rakuten Monkeys. It’s not an opportunity that every cheerleader can have. I thought about it, and at the end of my thoughts, I decided to transfer” to Taiwan, Lee wrote, calling the transfer a “difficult decision.” In an earlier statement, Lee said she was “thankful for the stage offered by the franchise and being able to join the Rakuten Girls. It’s a chance for me to spread the [South] Korean cheering culture and learn Taiwan’s cheerleader culture. I hope you guys like my cheerful smile.” Lee said she would take this opportunity to go overseas as a stepping stone and a chance to grow. The 23-year-old, one of the most popular cheerleaders in South Korea, made her debut with the Tigers in 2019. However, the ensuing “Lee Da-hye mania” played a role in her eventual departure from the Tigers in October last year. Shortly before she left the Tigers, the leader of the team’s cheerleading squad implied that Lee was seeking to upstage the club’s players by releasing the squad’s schedule and taking pictures with fans.
CRICKET
Double tons power NZ
Double centuries yesterday for Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls powered New Zealand’s dominance in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington. The Black Caps declared their first innings at an imposing 580-4 before reducing Sri Lanka to 26-2 at stumps on day 2. Williamson scored 215 and Nicholls posted a career-best 200 not out, with the pair’s third-wicket stand of 363 virtually batting Sri Lanka out of the contest. Their partnership was the fifth-highest by any New Zealand combination, and they became the country’s first batters to reach 200 in the same innings. Sri Lanka were 554 runs behind at stumps after losing two wickets for 26. Matt Henry removed opener Oshada Fernando for six before fellow seamer Doug Bracewell dismissed Kusal Mendis without scoring via a spectacular catch at point from Devon Conway.
HATS OFF: After Sinner became the first man to beat the Serbian in a singles match at the Davis Cup since 2011, Djokovic said all he could do was congratulate his opponent A “proud” Jannik Sinner on Saturday beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic twice in one day to send Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 win over Serbia in Malaga. Italy, who won the trophy for the first and only time in 1976, was yesterday to face 28-time winners Australia. Sinner, who has triumphed three times in four clashes across 11 days against the usually unstoppable Djokovic, crucially kept Italy in the tie by beating the 24-time Grand Slam winner 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the second singles rubber. Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego then defeated Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4 in
League of Legends (LoL) e-sports clubs in Taiwan are next year to face tougher competition to secure spots in top international tournaments as Riot Games, the game’s developer, is attempting to bolster the weakening e-sports ecosystem in much of Southeast Asia. In a statement on Monday, Riot announced a new upgrade to the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) — a professional league comprising League of Legends clubs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asian countries except Vietnam — to create a more competitive and sustainable ecosystem. It plans to add the top three League of Legends Japan League (LJL) contenders to the
David Benavidez on Saturday retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round, while in Ireland, Katie Taylor avenged her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron in a majority decision to become a two-weight undisputed champion. In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders (76.2kg), Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round in Las Vegas. Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career. Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best
AC Milan starlet Francesco Camarda on Saturday made history after becoming the youngest player to compete in Serie A during their 1-0 win over ACF Fiorentina. Attacker Camarda took to the field in the 83rd minute at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza aged 15 years, eight months and 15 days, replacing Luka Jovic. “He’s got a lot of talent and intelligence, he knows that he needs to work harder than everyone else,” Milan captain Davide Calabria said after the match. Camarda, who made headlines when he scored a bicycle kick against Paris Saint-Germain in the UFA Youth League, had little to do as Milan largely
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