TENNIS
Taiwan’s Wu out in France
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Australian partner Olivia Tjandramulia yesterday crashed out of the women’s doubles quarter-finals at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France. The duo lost 6-1, 6-0 to Desirae Krawczyk of the US and Giuliana Olmos of Mexico. Taiwanese sisters Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching were to face Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Chinese partner Wang Xinyu in the quarter-finals after press time last night. Hsieh and Wang on Tuesday beat Angelina Gabueva of Russia and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4, 6-2 to set up the showdown with the Chans.
SOCCER
Seven held over Irons attack
Twenty-six men involved in attempts to attack family and friends of West Ham United players in the Netherlands last week have reported to police, with seven detained, but 10 more still sought, Dutch media reported yesterday. Dutch police used a television program on Tuesday to appeal for help to try and identify hooligans, showing images of suspects involved in the attack at the conclusion of the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final second leg between AZ and the London club on Thursday last week. Dutch police had identified 24 supporters as suspects in the apparently premeditated attack at AZ Stadium in Alkmaar. Police had given those involved a deadline to report otherwise have their images shown on national television.
ICE HOCKEY
US top Sweden in worlds
Dylan Samberg on Tuesday scored in overtime and the US beat Sweden 4-3 to finish the group stage with a perfect record at the Ice Hockey World Championship. Samberg’s winner from the slot 1 minute, 37 seconds into overtime clinched first place for the US in Group A, two points in front of Sweden, ahead of today’s quarter-final games, when the US are to play the Czech Republic and Sweden face cohosts Latvia. In Riga, Canada defeated the Czechs 3-1 to finish second in Group B, and set up a quarter-final against defending champions Finland.
MOTORSPORTS
Honda to power Aston Martin
High-flying Aston Martin is to be powered by Honda engines from 2026 in what the Formula One team says is “the last piece of the jigsaw.” This represents a return to F1 for Honda, who left in 2021, but retained links with Red Bull and AlphaTauri. The tie up, announced yesterday, comes in the run-up to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with Aston Martin a surprise second to world champions Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
CYCLING
Not a robot: Evenepoel
Belgian star Remco Evenepoel on Tuesday took a swing at his critics as he announced he was back in training after abandoning the Giro d’Italia with COVID-19 even though he was in the lead. “Ups & downs are part of our job and I can accept that,” the 23-year-old, who held a narrow lead when he dropped out, wrote on Facebook. “What is hard to accept is all the fake and negative comments I got after having to leave the race.” “I just want to ask everyone to remember I am not a robot, but also a normal human being, husband, son, teammate etc. with normal feelings,” he wrote, adding that he would use it as motivation.
Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi yesterday bowed out at the Malaysia Masters, defeated in the semi-finals a day after an epic quarter-final against the highest-ranked player left in the men’s singles draw. Lin lost to Weng Hongyang of China 21-13, 21-19 after a draining match against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka a day earlier in which the second game had 59 points. The 23-year-old left-hander had won his only previous BWF match against his Chinese opponent. However, Weng booked a place in today’s final after easing past the Taiwanese battler. He faces India’s H.S. Prannoy, who advanced when Indonesia’s Christian Adinata retired while trailing 19-17 in the
Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serb of stirring up political tension by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open. Djokovic wrote the message on a camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the same day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops were hurt in clashes with Serb protesters in the Kosovo town of Zvecan where Djokovic’s father grew up. “Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, center of the most important things for our country,” 36-year-old told Serbian media. Serbian authorities said 52 protesters were wounded
Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5am on Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv. At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk’s nation was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of the war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus in February last year. “It’s something I cannot describe, probably. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. I think I’m better than
China has long been the sleeping giant of men’s tennis, but on Monday the giant stirred as Shanghai trailblazer Zhang Zhizhen advanced to the second round of Roland Garros. One of three Chinese men in the draw, Zhang became the first from the nation to win a main draw match at Roland Garros in 86 years after Serbian opponent Dusan Lajovic retired due to illness when trailing 6-1, 4-1. Compatriots Shang Juncheng and Wu Yibing bowed out in defeat, but 26-year-old Zhang has a big chance to go further when he takes on Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante for a place in
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