Tennis fans are to have the opportunity to see seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams and several other top professional female tennis players from around the world compete at the Taiwan Open, which is to begin in Kaohsiung on Feb. 6.
It is to be the second tournament that the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has held in Taiwan, with the first being held in 1994. The tournament this time is to be the highest level of professional tennis that the nation has ever held, in either men’s and women’s categories.
Apart from Williams, who is listed No. 7 in the WTA rankings, there are 11 other players in the main draw who are in the top 100, including Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan (No. 52); Misaki Doi of Japan (No. 54); Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia (No. 65); Zheng Saisai (鄭賽賽) of China (No. 72); Yulia Putinseva of Kazakhstan (No. 77); Kurumi Nara of Japan (No. 81); and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia (No. 83), among others.
Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇), who is ranked No. 93, is the only Taiwanese player in the top 100. Another Taiwanese player in the main draw is Chang Kai-chen (張凱貞), who is ranked No. 134.
Taiwanese sisters Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) and Chan Hao-ching (詹皓晴) are to compete in the doubles, while Taiwanese player, Lee Ya-hsuan (李亞軒), who is ranked No. 220 and is to compete in the 2017 Summer Universiade, has a chance to compete as a wild-card entrant.
Fabrice Choquet is the executive vice president of APG Sports Media, which is organizing the event.
He said the quality of the players in the tournament is remarkable, which includes marquee players, WTA rising stars and local players.
The player lineup “guarantees a high level of tennis,” he said, adding that tennis fans in Taiwan have a chance to cheer for their favorite Taiwanese players.
APG Sports Media said that the total prize money for the tournament is US$500,000, which covers the food and accommodation costs of the players.
Tickets go on sale today at 12pm on baohan.tixcraft.com/activity.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS