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Tai Tzu-ying has been replaced by Sung Shuo-yun as Taiwan’s top-ranked female player, BWF rankings released on Tuesday showed.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
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
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