TENNIS
Sabalenka wins Miami Open
Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday beat Coco Gauff in the Miami Open women’s singles final 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. The world No. 1 overpowered fourth-ranked Gauff in the first and third sets with sizzling groundstroke winners and became the first player to accomplish the “Sunshine Double” — winning Indian Wells followed by Miami in the same season — since Iga Swiatek in 2022. It was Sabalenka’s second straight title at the Miami Open, Gauff’s hometown tournament, and put her ahead of Gauff in their head-to-head record, 7-6. Sabalenka at times was frustrated by the fan noise, including when someone yelled “out” during a long rally. She used a curse word at the fan and the chair umpire warned the crowd, but also gave Sabalenka a code violation. “I shouldn’t be that rude, but come on, you cannot do that,” Sabalenka said at the ceremony. “So let’s agree we were both wrong, so sorry.”
Photo: AFP
BASKETBALL
Luka Doncic suspended
The Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season, the league announced on Saturday. Doncic, the NBA’s scoring leader, got whistled for a double technical foul during the third quarter of the Lakers’ 116-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. The Nets’ Ziaire Williams was celebrating an offensive foul called against Doncic by gleefully screaming in Doncic’s personal space. When Doncic reached out to push Williams’ arm, Williams responded with a backhand swipe across Doncic’s face. Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game when he receives his 16th technical foul during the regular season. For every two additional technical fouls during that regular season, they will be automatically suspended without pay for an additional game. Doncic, who scored 41 points against Brooklyn, will serve his suspension today when the Lakers host the Washington Wizards. “He was yelling in my face three times,” Doncic said after the game. “I just wanted to get out of there. It’s a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. [The referee] said my push was exaggerated, which [it] was obviously not. I don’t know what else to say.”
SOCCER
Senegal parade Africa trophy
Senegal on Saturday paraded the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy they have been ordered to return before beating Peru 2-0 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on March 17 reversed Senegal’s 1-0 final victory over Morocco in Rabat on Jan. 18 and awarded a 3-0 victory to the hosts. In front of a crowd dominated by their supporters, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly and his teammates on Saturday came onto the pitch with the trophy for a lap of honor after a pre-match concert by Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour. Senegal played in shirts with two stars: one for their first African title in 2021 and the second one for their disputed January victory. In January, the AFCON final descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage-time. CAF ruled that Senegal’s players had broken the rules by leaving the field without the referee’s permission.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
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