BOXING
Obama to miss Ali funeral
The White House said US President Barack Obama will not attend Muhammad Ali’s funeral, which coincides with his oldest daughter’s graduation. “They will be attending Malia’s high-school graduation ceremony in Washington, DC,” spokeswoman Jen Friedman said. Instead, a close aide “will read a letter from the president and the first lady as part of Friday’s service in Louisville.”
SOCCER
Trump ‘may scupper Cup bid’
A Donald Trump victory in the US presidential elections could scupper the US’ chances of mounting a successful bid for the 2026 World Cup, the country’s top soccer official told US media outlets on Tuesday. US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said Trump’s election could adversely affect international opinion of the US, potentially dealing a fatal blow to hopes of gathering enough votes to land the tournament. The US Soccer Federation has not formally announced a bid for the 2026 tournament, but is already seen as the popular frontrunner. Gulati was quoted by USA Today as saying that the US, beaten by Russia and Qatar in bids for 2018 and 2022, would only chase the 2026 World Cup if victory was possible. “We are going to bid for a World Cup if we think we can be successful,” Gulati was quoted as saying during a briefing to US journalists in Chicago. “Being successful in a World Cup bid or an Olympic bid for Los Angeles [in 2024] is affected by the world’s view of our leaders — not just leaders of the soccer federation. I think the world’s perception of the US is affected by who is in the White House. So it has some bearing.”
TENNIS
Troicki ousted in Stuttgart
Qualifier Florian Mayer defeated sixth-seeded Viktor Troicki 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in the opening round of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday. Troicki was the runner-up last season, when the tournament was still played on clay. It is now played on grass, as a tuneup for Wimbledon. Troicki went down despite serving 10 aces. He lost his footing several times and produced a double fault that allowed Mayer to serve out the match. Wild-card Juan Martin del Potro fired 12 aces and cruised past Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2. Mikhail Youzhny beat fifth-seeded Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-3 and John Millman defeated eighth-seeded Lucas Pouille 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4. Taylor Fritz beat Fabrice Martin 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 and will next play top-seeded Roger Federer, who had a bye into the second round. Federer is coming back after a back injury that forced him to skip the French Open.
TENNIS
Mannarino upsets Seppi
Adrian Mannarino upset sixth-seeded Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Ricoh Open in The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday. Seventh-seeded Gilles Muller beat Robin Haase 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 in another first-round match. Igor Sijsling, Tatsuma Ito, Daniil Medvedev, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Dudi Sela also advanced to the second round of the grass-court event in Rosmalen that serves as a tuneup for Wimbledon. On the women’s side, top-seeded Belinda Bencic needed three sets to overcome Alison van Uytvanck 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3). Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic had an easier path into the second round, beating Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-2. Also advancing to the second round were third-seeded Kristina Mladenovic, Richel Hogenkamp, Aleksandra Krunic, Nao Hibino, Jelena Ostapenko, Risa Ozaki, Varvara Lepchenko, Viktorija Golubic, Evgeniya Rodina and Kateryna Kozlova.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just