CRICKET
Ashes Test too close to call
England extended their lead beyond 150 on the fourth morning of the opening Ashes Test against Australia as Ben Stokes’ risk-taking side again dictated a fast and furious tempo at a sunny Edgbaston in Birmingham yesterday. A compelling session ended with England on 155-5, 162 runs ahead at lunch, but with Australia only having played their first innings. With Joe Root and Harry Brook both falling just short of half centuries Australia were very much in the hunt with the opening match of the series delicately poised. The pressure was on for England’s sixth wicket partnership of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, both of whom survived reviews before lunch. Stokes was 13 not out with Bairstow on one.
TENNIS
Tiafoe breaks into top 10
Frances Tiafoe became only the third African-American man to reach the top 10 in the world rankings, joining Arthur Ashe and James Blake, after the 25-year-old captured the third title of his career in Stuttgart on Sunday. The US Open semi-finalist survived a championship point in the third-set tiebreak to seal a thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (10/8) win over German Jan-Lennard Struff for his first grass court crown. Tiafoe was born to immigrant parents who eventually settled in the US after fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. He was exposed to the sport when his father worked as a caretaker at a tennis center in Maryland. “I’m a guy who shouldn’t even really be here doing half the things he’s doing, and now when you say his name, you can say he’s top 10 in the world. So [that is] something that no one can take from you, and I’m going to remember that forever,” Tiafoe said.
GOLF
Clark wins US Open
Wyndham Clark on Sunday held his nerve to win the 123rd US Open, capturing his first major title and denying four-time major winner Rory McIlroy his first in nine years. Clark, whose previous best finish in six prior major starts was a tie for 75th, shrugged off two late bogeys to close with a pair of confident pars for an even-par 70 to seal victory with a 10-under-par total of 270 at Los Angeles Country Club. That was good enough for a one-shot win over McIlroy, who also closed with a 70. Clark, ranked 32nd in the world, broke through for his first US PGA Tour victory at Quail Hollow just last month. “I just feel like it was my time,” he said of Sunday’s win.
CYCLING
Bike thefts mar tours
Stolen bikes prevented the Euskaltel-Euskadi and Baloise Trek Lions teams from completing the final stages of the Tour of Slovenia and the Tour of Belgium respectively, the teams said on Sunday. “Euskaltel-Euskadi suffered the robbery of a vehicle with all its bicycles in it at the Tour of Slovenia so we can’t start the fifth and final stage,” the Spanish team wrote on Twitter. The Belgian Baloise Trek Lions team suffered the same fate on the Tour of Belgium. “Last night we fell victim to a theft of bicycles and wheels,” the team said in a statement on Instagram. Bicycle theft is a common problem for cycling teams. Women’s Dutch team SD Worx had several of their bikes stolen in November last year, while earlier in the year Israel Cycling Academy were robbed of bikes at a training camp in Spain.
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
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