BADMINTON
Taiwan’s Tai ousted
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday exited the China Open in Changzhou, beaten 21-18, 21-14 in the semi-finals by South Korea’s An Se-young. Tai had a 9-3 lead in the first game, but her accuracy fell away, with shots going wide on both sides of the court. In the second game, An claimed a 9-8 lead, from which she scored six unanswered points to set up an easy finish. At the Indonesia Masters in Medan, Taiwan’s Chiu Pin-chian reached today’s women’s singles final by beating Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan 21-19, 21-18. The other Taiwanese to make a final were the women’s doubles pair of Chang Ching-hui and Yang Ching-tun, who beat compatriots Sung Yu-hsuan and Wang Szu-min 21-14, 21-18.
Photo: AFP
GOLF
Chien Pei-yun leads
Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun on Friday shot a superb eight-under 64 to grab a four-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA’s Queen City Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio. Chien caught fire after she holed out to make eagle on the par-four sixth and then made five birdies on the back nine. “I just putted very well these two days,” the 32-year-old said after her lowest round of the year. “The eagle is amazing. I was thinking maybe it would go in because I have had a lot of shots that almost went in [over the] last couple of weeks, but was still waiting for an eagle, but it just happened, so I’m very happy.” Chien had a four-shot lead over China’s Yin Ruoning, Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux and overnight leader Liu Ruixin of China.
Photo: AFP
CRICKET
Jaishiva stars in Taipei
The Taipei Indians yesterday won the Janhong Annual Cup, emerging on top after a roller-coaster final over. The Hsinchu Titans scored 92-5 in their 12 overs batting first, with Yeshwant Raj’s 31 from 14 giving them great momentum. However, the Indians’ Jaishiva Ganesamurthi (1-9) bowled the 12th over for one run and then opened the batting, guiding his side to 86-3 after 11 overs — just seven runs from victory. The final over was topsy-turvy, with Pramod Kumar Mandal allowing three runs in his first five deliveries and dismissing Jaishiva, but his control faltered and two wides gave Rajeshkumar A.R. one delivery with two required. Rajeshkumar pumped a drive straight down the ground to seal the victory.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Cricket
SOCCER
Neymar eclipses Pele
Neymar on Friday eclipsed Pele as the top goal scorer for Brazil after overtaking the three-time World Cup winner’s career total. The goal that put the 31-year-old Neymar on the top of Brazil’s scoring record with 78 came in the 61st minute in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia in Belem. It was Brazil’s fourth goal of the match in a 5-1 win, with the last goal of the game also being scored by Neymar. Neymar’s record-breaking goal came after a low cross into the penalty box, which the striker finished from close range. He celebrated with a punch in the air, as Pele usually did. “I am very happy, no words for this,” Neymar told reporters. “I never thought I would reach this record.” Brazil’s soccer confederation considers Pele its top goal scorer with 95 goals in 114 matches. FIFA does not count goals that Pele scored for Brazil against clubs.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
The Major League Baseball World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but the party is extending all the way to Japan. People milled around local train stations yesterday morning in Tokyo as newspaper extras were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country. Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and
WORLD SERIES: ‘The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community,’ the Los Angeles county sheriff said Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the LA Dodgers won the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police on Thursday, but officials said that most fans celebrated peacefully. Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area on Wednesday night after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the MLB World Series at Giants Stadium in New York. Another video showed someone standing atop