GOLF
Taiwanese tied at third
Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia and Hsu Wei-ling were on Saturday tied at third place, two strokes behind South Korea’s Jenny Shin, entering the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. Cheng, 26, shot a six-under 65 in the second round with five birdies and an eagle on the third hole, which with her 69 on Friday put her at eight-under for the tournament. Hsu, 29, shot a 69 on Saturday, after firing off eight birdies in the first round for a 65. They were tied with Meghan Khang of the US and South Korea’s Narin An, one shot behind Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela.
OLYMPICS
No men in artistic swimming
Despite World Aquatics’ bold move to let men compete in artistic swimming at the Olympics, no male swimmers among the 10 countries in the team event in Paris would participate, after the US left pioneer Bill May out of their squad. “This should have been a landmark moment for the sport,” the global federation said in a statement. “We understand that it was always going to be a challenge for men to earn a spot on a team in time for Paris 2024, considering that their eligibility was only confirmed 18 months ago, but we were still hopeful that some would succeed.” The 45-year-old May has long been one of the leading voices on male inclusion. Battling for a spot with women half his age, he was part of the squad at the World Aquatics Championships in February and helped the US win silver in the acrobatic routine at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, becoming the first American male to climb the world medal podium in a team event.
CRICKET
W Indies dominate Uganda
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein’s career-best figures of five for 11 devastated an inept Ugandan batting line-up as the West Indies romped to a 134-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday. Set a daunting target after the tournament cohosts posted 173 for five batting first, the World Cup debutants looked completely out of their depth in being routed for 39 off 12 overs. The score equaled the record of the Netherlands against Sri Lanka at the 2014 tournament for the lowest innings total in the T20 World Cup. In Barbados, England suffered a 36-run defeat to ruthless Australia in Group B, while in New York, South Africa overcame a stunning early batting collapse to seal a four-wicket victory over bogey team the Netherlands in Group D.
HORSE RACING
Dornoch wins Belmont
Dornoch on Saturday won the 156th Belmont Stakes, with jockey Luis Saez piloting the 17-1 longshot to victory in the third jewel in US flat racing’s Triple Crown at Saratoga Race Course. “It was perfect,” Saez said after Dornoch held off a challenge from Mindframe in the final straight. Sierra Leone, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, was third. Trainer Danny Gargan claimed a first Triple Crown race win, while Saez earned his second Belmont victory. The Panamanian won in 2021 aboard Essential Quality. This year’s edition had a different feel, having shifted to the track in Saratoga Springs because of renovations at Belmont Park.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
Luka Doncic on Monday produced a 46-point masterpiece as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Chicago Bulls’ four-game winning streak with a 129-118 victory on the road. Doncic rattled in eight three-pointers on 15-of-25 shooting from the field, finishing with seven rebounds and 11 assists to lead an impressive Lakers effort at the United Center. LeBron James chipped in with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Rui Hachimura delivered an eye-catching cameo off the bench with 23 points from nine-of-11 shooting. The win was another encouraging result for the Lakers after a 116-110 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. “We did
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he will probably be out for an extended period after hurting his right calf again after a similar injury caused him to miss eight games earlier this season. Antetokounmpo had his right calf wrapped in the first half of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He did not appear comfortable the rest of the night and left for good with 34 seconds remaining. “At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” Antetokounmpo said. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said he expected to undergo an MRI
Taiwanese FORTUNES: Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles, but Ray Ho was ousted in the men’s doubles Carlos Alcaraz yesterday stepped up his quest to win a maiden Australian Open as he overwhelmed showman Corentin Moutet to reach the last 16, while Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles. Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev battled through on day six at a warm and sunny Melbourne Park, as did Coco Gauff. Top seed Alcaraz was never in danger against French 32nd seed Moutet, easing through 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena in 2 hours, 5 minutes. It was the Spaniard’s 100th Grand Slam match and he boasts a remarkable 87-13 win-loss record,
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