SOCCER
Taiwan, Thailand draw
Taiwan and Thailand tied 2-2 in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung on Friday, with own-goals benefiting both teams. Thailand’s Kritsada Kaman helped his opponents take the lead in the 48th minute before teammate Teerasil Dangda equalized with a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area. An own-goal by Wang Rui in the 84th minute seemed to have sunk the hosts, but Chen Ting-yang leveled three minutes later.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau
BADMINTON
Both Taiwanese exit
Badminton world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen on Friday swiftly routed Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, storming into the Indonesia Open semi-finals, while Tai Tzu-ying exited in the women’s singles, beaten 21-18, 21-13 by Carolina Marin of Spain. Danish ace Axelsen played with an aura of invincibility in Jakarta, racing to a quarter-final victory over the world No. 8 21-5, 21-19 in 39 minutes. “I think first set, I played really, really well. I came out really strong. I’m a little bit disappointed about my level in the second game, but all in all, I’m really happy to be in the semi-final,” he told reporters.
CRICKET
Declaration does not shock
England captain Ben Stokes’ bold declaration on the opening day of the first Ashes Test might have come as a shock to cricket traditionalists, but it was “no surprise” to teammate Jonny Bairstow. England were 393-8 at Edgbaston, with Joe Root unbeaten on 118 and in superb touch after leading a revival from a mid-innings slump, when Stokes called a halt. With 20 minutes left in the day, Stokes was prepared to lose the promise of extra runs in the hope of snaring an Australia wicket in the four overs remaining before Friday’s close. However, there was no breakthrough, with Australia 14-0 at stumps. “I’m sure there’s many decisions Ben has made that have taken commentators and other people by surprise, but it was no surprise to us,” Bairstow said. Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood, who marked his return to Test cricket with 2-61 in 15 overs, said that the tourists were not taken aback by Stokes’ declaration. “I think once Joe got his hundred and they were playing a few shots, I sensed it was coming, that’s sort of the way they’re playing their cricket at the moment,” he said. Australia were 78-3 at lunch at press time last night.
CYCLING
Swiss Gino Mader dies
Swiss cyclist Gino Mader died on Friday, one day after crashing and falling down a ravine during a descent at the Tour de Suisse. He was 26. Mader crashed after a left-hand turn on a fast downhill road approaching the end of the mountainous fifth stage into La Punt. His fall of about 30m ended in a stream. “Gino lost his battle to recover from the severe injuries he sustained,” his Bahrain-Victorious team said in a statement. “Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team.”
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Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
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