BADMINTON
Taiwanese into semis
Taiwanese badminton players have secured all four semi-final spots in the men’s doubles at this year’s BWF Canada Open, guaranteeing that the title would return to Taiwan for the first time in more than a decade. Among the semi-finalists are top-seeded twin brothers Lee Fang-jen and Lee Fang-chih, joined by three other Taiwanese pairs: He Zhi-wei and Huang Jui-hsuan, Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei, and Wei Chun-wei and Yang Po-chih. The Lee brothers, who placed third at the Swiss Open in March, are set to face He and Huang in an all-Taiwan semi-final matchup. In women’s doubles, Hsu Yin-hui and Lin Jhih-yun advanced to the semi-finals after a hard-fought victory over compatriots Hu Ling-fang and Jheng Yu-chieh in the quarter-finals on Friday. The other women’s doubles semi-final would see Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe take on Taiwanese duo Chang Ching-hui and Yang Ching-tun. Meanwhile, in singles play, world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen was eliminated from the tournament after falling to India’s Srikanth Kidambi 18-21, 9-21 in the quarter-finals.
Photo: AFP
SOCCER
Korbin Albert joins Lyon
US midfielder Korbin Albert has joined Lyon from Paris Saint-Germain on a three-season deal until the end of June 2028. Albert joined PSG in 2022. She played 71 matches in all competitions and scored nine goals for the Parisian club. Albert has made 26 appearances for the US. She was part of the team which won gold at the Paris Olympics last year
RUGBY
HK set for World Cup
Hong Kong qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in their history yesterday as they romped past South Korea 70-22 in Incheon, South Korea, to become Asia champions. The victory gave Hong Kong a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Championship and with it a place in the expanded 24-team tournament to be hosted by Australia in 2027. Hong Kong, globally famous for its annual Sevens tournament, would now rub shoulders in the 15-a-side showpiece with the likes of world champions South Africa and New Zealand’s All Blacks. “It’s pretty overwhelming to be honest,” said No. 8 Josh Hrstich, the Hong Kong captain. “Just super, super proud of our playing group, our management, coaching staff and people behind the scenes. There’s a lot that goes into making a team successful,” he said.
RUGBY
All Blacks beat France
Will Jordan scored a try in each half and Beauden Barrett kicked to perfection as the All Blacks overcame three canceled tries to claim a nervous 31-27 win over France to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series in Dunedin yesterday. Fielding only three players from their Six Nations title-deciding win over Scotland, the depleted French gave Scott Robertson’s team a huge scare in an entertaining match at sold-out Forsyth-Barr stadium. However, a late Barrett penalty proved enough for the All Blacks to hold on, snapping a three-match losing streak against Les Bleus. “Just a typical test match against the French for us,” said Jordan, who was denied a hat-trick try by the television match official. The teams are meet in Wellington on Saturday and in Hamilton a week later.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
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