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.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
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