BASKETBALL
Chinese player hailed
A 17-year-old Chinese player has been tipped for the top after using her height advantage to dominate an international tournament. Zhang Ziyu stands 2.2m, according to FIBA, global basketball’s governing body. Chinese media reported earlier this year that she was even taller at 2.28m. She has used her height to help the hosts to two comfortable wins at this week’s U18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, and drawn attention after footage of her emerged online. Against Indonesia on Monday, Zhang netted 19 points in 13 minutes after coming off the bench in a 109-50 victory. Video footage showed her towering over her opponents, with some of the Indonesia players barely coming up to her chest. China beat New Zealand 90-68 on Tuesday, with the teenager posting a team-high 36 points.
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Two Taiwanese advance
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Sloane Stephens of the US on Tuesday defeated Chinese pair Wang Yafan and Wang Xiyu 6-3, 6-3 at the LTA Rothesay International at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, England. Their round-of-16 win set up a quarter-final against British duo Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden at the grass-court tournament. In Germany, Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia beat Spain’s Sara Tormo and Eri Hozumi of Japan 6-3, 6-1 to make the quarter-finals at the Bad Homburg Open.
SOCCER/
S Korean coach sued
The father of Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min yesterday denied allegations of physical and verbal abuse at his South Korean soccer academy after a student’s family sued him and his coaches. Son Woong-jung, a former player, runs a training academy for aspiring players. South Korean media reported on allegations of physical and verbal abuse made by one of his academy’s students, who said that a coach hit him with a corner flag during training, causing injuries that required weeks of treatment. Son Woong-jung acknowledged the incident had occurred, but denied it amounted to physical abuse. “This incident was not corporal punishment, but a mutually agreed event as part of fitness training,” he said in a statement. The player came last in a race and was supposed to be “hit once” on the thigh, he said. The incident came to light after the student’s parents in March reported Son Woong-jung to the police after they noticed a bruise on their son’s thigh. “Thinking about how frightened my son must have been makes me angry,” Yonhap reported the father as saying. “I decided to report the case to the police because I didn’t want to see another case like this.” Son Woong-jung said he had tried to resolve the matter amicably, but failed because the parents had demanded a settlement worth hundreds of millions of won (hundreds of thousands of US dollars).
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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Dale Earnhardt Jr might already be NASCAR’s most popular crew chief. He is certainly an undefeated one. Pressed into unexpected service, Earnhardt on Saturday called the shots for 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Chevrolet, as they landed in victory lane in the second-tier Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway. “It felt good to have some input and decisionmaking power,” Earnhardt said. “And then helping Connor understand what our plan was so he knew when to push and what he was expected to do.” Earnhardt — who won NASCAR’s most-popular driver award 15 times — made a pit stop from his
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