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Alexandra Eala crashed out in the Ningbo Open last 16 on Thursday as world No 1 Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals on her return from injury when opponent Polina Kudermetova retired. Top seed and defending champion Rybakina was cruising 5-0 in eastern China when the world No 105 from Uzbekistan called it quits because of injury. Earlier, Philippine history-maker Eala suffered a battling straight-sets defeat to Diana Shnaider, the Russian world No 13 winning 7-5, 6-4 to book a...

In the 67 years the Link Hong Kong Open has been in existence, the leaderboard has never featured two local players at the top – Matthew Cheung and Isaac Lam briefly changed that on Thursday. Out among the morning groups, the pair carded matching six-under-par 64s, a score South Korea’s Kim Mink-yu also posted, to sit one-stroke clear of a bunched chasing pack at Hong Kong Golf Club. The trio were later overhauled by Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai, who shot 63s, while Anirban Lahiri...

Still hurting from Ka Ying Rising’s agonisingly close The Everest defeat, David Hayes has flagged a gear change for the champion sprinter’s bid for redemption in the world’s richest turf race next year. Hayes was still adamant barrier 11 ultimately cost Ka Ying Rising when he finished strongly late after a wide run to finish a half-neck second to Tempted in last Saturday’s Group One sprint. It was the nine-time Group One winner’s first defeat since January 2024, ending his record streak for a...

Officials at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya played the wrong national anthems three times this week, prompting the mayor to apologise just weeks after the city hosted the mishap-plagued Asian Games. The Asian Para Games are taking place in the central Japanese hub city through Saturday, featuring around 4,000 athletes and officials in 18 sports. Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologised on Wednesday for the latest error, which occurred despite officials’ pledges to implement steps to prevent...

David Eustace is plotting a path towards the Group One Lightning Stakes (1,000m) at Flemington and Royal Ascot with super sprinter Colourful King, with his run at Sha Tin on Sunday being a fork in the road in terms of seasonal plans. The Blue Point galloper surged up to a rating of 110 when making a mockery of a smart field in the Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m) on return, flashing clear with the minimum of fuss in the closing stages. His higher rating means options are becoming more...

China denied the United States an eighth consecutive women’s team title at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on Wednesday to win their first gold medal in 20 years. The quartet of Du Siyu, Ke Qinqin, Qiu Qiyuan and Zhang Qingying combined to score 165.764 points, just ahead of the United States and Japan, who finished with 165.531 and 164.063 points respectively. All three countries secured direct passage to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. Winning their first title since 2006,...

Around six years ago, during one of his 105 visits to China, Steve Bellis was approached by a Scotsman at a British Council function. “He said, ‘Remind me to tell you my Stockport County story before I leave’,” Bellis said. “I said, ‘Hang on a minute, I do the Stockport County stories around here’.” The president of the high-flying League One club, which he first joined 37 years ago, Bellis does indeed boast an endless stream of tales about his beloved Stockport. The man from Glasgow’s was...

James Orman slotted his first Hong Kong treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night as champion jockey Zac Purton continued his momentum with a three-timer of his own. Orman bagged his biggest haul since joining the city’s elite riding ranks in February last year when he booted home the Caspar Fownes-trained Verbier, Chris So Wai-yin’s Malpensa and the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Solid Win. “It’s my first treble in Hong Kong and I’m very excited, very happy,” Orman said. “I came here with good...

Veteran Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni has responded to renewed public criticism following her bronze-medal finish in the 100m hurdles at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, revealing recent physical health struggles and vowing to continue competing for as long as her body allows. In a series of interview videos released on Tuesday and Wednesday, the outspoken athlete addressed accusations of being “high-profile” and “talking big”. “My mother thinks I talk too big, but I don’t think I do,” Wu said....

Hong Kong delivered a strong medal haul at the Asian Para Games on Wednesday, with the city winning their first gold after boccia player Vivian Lau Wai-yan beat teammate Cheung Yuen in the final in Nagoya. City athletes also won four silver and four bronze medals during an action-packed day in Japan. The main area of success for the city’s men and women was on the boccia court, where Hong Kong enjoyed a dominant outing, eventually claiming one gold, three silvers and one bronze. Lau and Cheung...

Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong has again condemned secret filming after photos of a private trip were leaked online. On Tuesday, a self-proclaimed “superfan” uploaded two photo-slide show videos of Fan onto social media, captioning them: “No more hiding, let’s share.” The images showed Fan walking alone through Shanghai Pudong International Airport wearing a mask and hat, showing his movements on escalators and boarding. In one photo taken from just behind him, the poster claimed Fan was...

LeBron James said the Philadelphia 76ers still had plenty of room for improvement after launching their NBA season with an impressive opening night victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. James, 41, launched his quest for a fifth NBA championship with 14 points and seven assists in a 106-100 defeat of the reigning champions at Madison Square Garden. But despite an encouraging first win in a Philadelphia uniform, James was keeping his feet firmly on the ground. “It’s going to take some...