TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan’s Li, Cheng advance
Taiwan’s Li Yu-jhun and Cheng I-ching yesterday won their quarter-final in the doubles at the WTT Finals Women Nagoya. Li and Cheng defeated Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu of Hong Kong 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-2) in 22 minutes at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena in Japan to earn a semi-final against Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki of Japan, who beat South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-3) at the US$340,000 event.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Messi to play in Tokyo
Lionel Messi’s world tour with Inter Miami next year on Friday added Tokyo as a stop, with the Major League Soccer club announcing plans to face Japan League champions Vissel Kobe. The Argentine superstar is to lead Inter Miami into the match at the 60,000-seat Japan National Stadium on Feb. 7 as part of an MLS pre-season tour that also features matches in Hong Kong and Riyadh. “Tokyo is an inspiring destination with a fervent football community that we’re looking forward to getting acquainted with,” Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said.
SOCCER
MLS teams shun Cup
Major League Soccer teams will not compete in next year’s US Open Cup, the league instead sending second-tier development clubs to the nation’s oldest soccer tournament, MLS announced on Friday. The single-elimination competition, which dates to 1914, is open to all US clubs, but MLS teams have dominated the event since the league’s 1996 debut. MLS said its club owners voted to have MLS Next teams compete in the Cup, adding in a statement that “MLS will coordinate with US Soccer regarding participation in the tournament.”
MOTORSPORTS
Button to race in Porsche
Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button is to drive a Jota Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship next year. Button, 43, is set to race in the world’s top hypercar category, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours race. “I’m still at the top of my game. I’ve got a pass from my wife,” Button told the BBC, adding that the machinery is “more technologically advanced than F1 cars.”
RUGBY UNION
Black Lion beat Scarlets
Newcomers Black Lion of Georgia on Friday beat Welsh side Scarlets 23-7 in Llanelli to claim their first-ever victory in the Challenge Cup. Lion’s fly-half Luka Matkava kicked 13 points, while Miriani Modebadze and Beka Mamrikashvili scored tries on either side of halftime to cap off a dream result for Lion, who were founded just two years ago. “I thought we were poor, to be honest, in certain elements of the game,” Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said. “We were taught a lesson at scrum time and got penalized at almost every one.”
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third
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