BADMINTON
Lee wins Kaohsiung Masters
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao yesterday defeated Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei to win the men’s singles final at the Victor Kaohsiung Masters. World No. 31 Lee beat Cheam 21-15, 21-12 in 33 minutes, extending the Taiwanese’s win record over the Malaysian to 4-2 since they first faced off at the Malaysia International Youth U-19 in 2015. In the women’s singles final, world No. 29 Taiwanese Hsu Wen-chi survived compatriot and world No. 30 Pai Yu-po 22-20, 21-18. In the men’s doubles final, Taiwan’s Chang Ko-chi and Chen Xin-yuan took 58 minutes to overcome fellow Taiwanese Chen Zhi-ray and Lin Yu-chieh 19-21, 21-16, 22-20. In the women’s doubles final, the Taiwanese duo of Sung Shuo-yun and Yu Chien-hui lost 21-14, 21-18 to the Indonesian pairing of Jesita Putri Miantoro and Febi Setianingrum, while in the mixed doubles finals, Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang fell 21-18, 21-13 to Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat.
TRACK AND FIELD
Richardson wins 100m
Sha’Carri Richardson on Saturday earned her Olympic redemption, winning the 100m final at the US trials to punch her ticket to Paris. The world champion wrested the lead midway through the race and accelerated through the final meters to finish in a world-leading 10.71 seconds, with Melissa Jefferson taking second in 10.8 and Twanisha Terry third in 10.89. The fan favorite saw her Tokyo Olympic dream shattered with a positive cannabis test three years ago, but was able to shake off the bitter memories as she took in the wild cheers from the adoring crowd in Eugene, Oregon. “I feel honored. I feel everything, every chapter I’ve been through in my life ... prepared me for this moment,” she said in a televised interview after the race.
CRICKET
Australia fall to Afghanistan
Gulbadin Naib on Saturday was Afghanistan’s man with the golden arm, bowling his team to a surprise 21-run victory over previously unbeaten Australia in their Group One Super Eight encounter in the T20 World Cup at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Set a target of 149, Glenn Maxwell (59 off 41 balls, six fours, three sixes) had the Test and One-Day champions on course until he became Gulbadin’s third wicket in the 15th over, opening the door to a result that keeps the duel for semi-final spots alive going into the final two fixtures in the group today. In Antigua and Barbuda, leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav took three key wickets while Hardik Pandya blasted an undefeated half-century as India moved to the brink of the semi-finals with a 50-run rout of Bangladesh.
MOTORSPORTS
Norris grabs pole despite fire
Lando Norris’ Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday started with a fire and ended with a flourish as the McLaren Formula One driver secured the team’s first pole position in three years. Fire engines rushed into the paddock as smoke billowed out of McLaren’s multistory hospitality unit at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Team boss Zak Brown said a team member had been released from the hospital after precautionary checks and everyone else was in good shape. “Happy to report that everyone is fine, other than our motorhome,” the American told Sky Sports television. Some media reports said the fire was possibly electrical in origin.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
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
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
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