ICE HOCKEY
Dallas Stars win Game 1
Miro Heiskanen, Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene on Wednesday scored power-play goals in a 5 minute, 26 second span early in the third period as the Dallas Stars opened their NHL Western Conference Finals rematch against the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-3 victory. Dallas began the third period with a two-goal deficit and a man advantage from a penalty that carried over from the second. Heiskanen scored 32 seconds in on a shot from near the blue line, Granlund tied it and Duchene put the Stars ahead to stay with a second-effort score that made it 4-3.
Photo: AP
TENNIS
Wu Fang-hsien advances
Wu Fang-hsien on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals at the Internationaux de Strasbourg after the Taiwanese and her partner, Jiang Xinyu of China, defeated Caroline Dolehide of the US and Fanny Stollar of Hungary. The Taiwanese-Chinese pair won 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to set up a shot at the final today in their semi against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Guo Hanyu of China, who eliminated Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Shuko Aoyama of Japan 6-3, 6-2 at the Strasbourg Tennis Club in France.
Photo: AFP
CRICKET
SKY wins MotM
Suryakumar Yadav, or SKY, had double reason to celebrate his match-winning knock on Wednesday as it not only helped the Mumbai Indians claim the last Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff spot, but also earned him a Man of the Match (MotM) award to show off to his wife. The middle-order lynchpin’s unbeaten 73 off 43 balls powered Mumbai to 180-5 before they bundled out the Delhi Capitals for 121 inside 19 overs, sealing a playoff berth alongside the Gujarat Titans, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Punjab Kings. Suryakumar has been the five-time champion’s highest scorer this season, but until Wednesday had not received the individual recognition he perhaps deserved. “My wife told me a sweet story,” a beaming Suryakumar said during the presentation ceremony. “She said: ‘You’ve got all the awards except the Man of the Match award.’ From the team’s point of view, the knock was important and this trophy is for her. She waits for these moments and we celebrate it when we go back.”
Photo: AP
FOOTBALL
Pushing ban voted down
Another season of the “Brotherly Shove” is coming soon after NFL owners failed to pass a proposal to ban the rugby union-style, short-yardage play commonly employed by Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles. A proposal to eliminate any play involving pushing or shoving ballcarriers forward did not receive the required 24 votes of support on Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in Eagan, Minnesota. ESPN reported the final vote was 22-10.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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