BADMINTON
Sung takes top Taiwan spot
Tai Tzu-ying has been replaced by Sung Shuo-yun as Taiwan’s top-ranked female player, BWF rankings released on Tuesday showed. Tai, 30, fell six places to 25th place, after having points deducted for not competing. The Taiwanese ace is still recovering from knee injuries that plagued her throughout last season. She applied for a three-month injury-protected ranking in October last year before undergoing surgery on her left knee in early December. Tai said that she “has never paid too much attention” to world rankings since they “always change,” and is instead focused on rehabilitation. Sung rose one place to rank 19th in the world in the latest weekly rankings. Wen Chi-hsu fell one spot to 26th, while Chiu Pin-chian remained No. 27. Sung on Tuesday lost 21-18, 21-16 to Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in the opening round of the All England Open Badminton Championships.
Photo: EPA-EFE
BOXING
Eubank fined over egg throw
British boxer Chris Eubank Jr has been fined ￡100,000 (US$129,385) for smashing an egg into the face of rival Conor Benn during a media event two weeks ago. The British Boxing Board of Control on Tuesday said that Eubank was fined after being found “in breach of Regulation 25 for his conduct at the press conference in Manchester.” The fighters had gone face-to-face as part of the promotion of their scheduled April 26 middleweight bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 35-year-old Eubank then reached into a pocket, pulled out an egg and smacked the right side of Benn’s face. Security guards rushed in to keep the pair separated. They were scheduled to fight at London’s O2 Arena in October 2022, but it was called off after Benn’s voluntary urine test showed trace amounts of fertility drug clomiphene, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels while burning fat. The 28-year-old Benn later successfully argued that his consumption of eggs elevated his testosterone levels.
Photo: AP
GOLF
PGA takes aim at slow play
The PGA Tour might be unable to conclude a deal to unify professional golf, but there is finally progress on another key issue for spectators: slow play. Speaking ahead of the Players Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan revealed the imminent arrival of new sanctions that could include the naming and shaming of offenders. The two-time major champion Collin Morikawa had already made clear that the PGA Tour’s current pace of play policies — which only occasionally sees golfers fined — are unfit for purpose. “I think you just have to start stroking guys and giving guys actual penalties, whether it be strokes or FedEx Cup” points, Morikawa said. “What I’ve learned is that monetary fines are useless. We make so much money and some guys frankly could not care less.” Monahan, who had previously rebuffed the widespread sense that slow play was an issue worth tackling, has taken note. He said the Tour would publish speed-of-play statistics later this season and begin testing a new speed-of-play policy. Although Monahan would not directly address whether those punished would have their names shared with the public, it is understood that plan is under consideration.
Photo: AFP
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
STRONG CONNECTION: Although she has considered switching nationalities, Garland said that if it was not for Taiwan’s support throughout her career, she would not be in Paris British-Taiwanese player Joanna Garland on Tuesday became the first Taiwanese to clinch a victory in a main singles draw of the French Open since 2020 after she outlasted the US’ Katie Volynets in Paris. The world No. 175, Taiwan’s highest-ranked female player in singles, said she would rely on her self-belief as she prepares for her second-round match at the French Open after overcoming a serious injury to qualify for a maiden Grand Slam appearance. After navigating her way through the qualifiers last week, Garland secured her first win at the main draw of a Grand Slam by battling past world No.
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