عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

China Ends Japan's Long Reign to Win Women's Basketball Asia Cup Title

China's Han Xu, right, and Li Meng embrace as they celebrate after defeating Japan in the Asia Cup women's basketball final in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
China's Han Xu, right, and Li Meng embrace as they celebrate after defeating Japan in the Asia Cup women's basketball final in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
TT
TT

China Ends Japan's Long Reign to Win Women's Basketball Asia Cup Title

China's Han Xu, right, and Li Meng embrace as they celebrate after defeating Japan in the Asia Cup women's basketball final in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
China's Han Xu, right, and Li Meng embrace as they celebrate after defeating Japan in the Asia Cup women's basketball final in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

China rallied to claim its first women’s basketball Asia Cup title since 2012 as they beat five-time defending champion Japan 73-71 in an epic final on Sunday.
Trailing at halftime it appeared China may fall for a third consecutive time in a title game as reigning champions Japan scored the last 14 points of the first half to lead by nine points.
Led by player of the tournament center Xu Han, China seized the momentum early in the third quarter and took what proved a match-winning lead late in the game to end their 12-year wait for a gold medal in front of a large crowd in Sydney.
Xu finished with a match-defining 26 points and 10 rebounds to complete the feat of recording a double-double in every game of the tournament. Siyu Wang scored 17 points.
Maki Takada led Japan with 17 points and four rebounds, with Saki Hayashi scoring 12 points for Japan.
China's title follows its silver medal at the women’s basketball World Cup, also held in Sydney, late last year.
Japan and China met in the 2019 and 2021 title games with the Japanese prevailing in both to claim their fourth and fifth titles.
Earlier Saturday, host nation Australia claimed its third consecutive bronze medal as they cruised past New Zealand 81-59 to repeat its result from Bengaluru, India in 2019 and Amman, Jordan in 2021.
Alice Kunek contributed a team high 19 points and Anneli Maley completed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Tess Madgen scored 14 points with five rebounds and three steals for the Opals.
The eight-team regional tournament doubled as qualifying for next year’s Olympics, with the semifinalists — Japan, Australia, China and New Zealand — qualifying for Paris 2024.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Munich Win Fuels Hopes of US Men’s Clay Revival, Shelton Says

Tennis - ATP 500 - Munich Open - MTTC Iphitos, Munich, Germany - April 19, 2026 Ben Shelton of the US celebrates with the Munich Open trophy after winning the men's singles final against Italy's Flavio Cobolli. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Munich Open - MTTC Iphitos, Munich, Germany - April 19, 2026 Ben Shelton of the US celebrates with the Munich Open trophy after winning the men's singles final against Italy's Flavio Cobolli. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Munich Win Fuels Hopes of US Men’s Clay Revival, Shelton Says

Tennis - ATP 500 - Munich Open - MTTC Iphitos, Munich, Germany - April 19, 2026 Ben Shelton of the US celebrates with the Munich Open trophy after winning the men's singles final against Italy's Flavio Cobolli. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Munich Open - MTTC Iphitos, Munich, Germany - April 19, 2026 Ben Shelton of the US celebrates with the Munich Open trophy after winning the men's singles final against Italy's Flavio Cobolli. (Reuters)

Ben Shelton said he ‌had laid down a claycourt marker for US men with his Munich Open win on Sunday after the world number six became the first American to claim an event above the ATP 250 level since Andre Agassi's 2002 Rome Masters triumph.

Shelton's 6-2 7-5 win over Flavio Cobolli also made him the fifth American this century to bag a claycourt title outside ‌the United States, ‌joining Agassi, Andy Roddick, Sam ‌Querrey ⁠and Sebastian Korda.

The ⁠23-year-old said the "huge" triumph underlined his ambitions before the French Open, which begins on May 24.

"Moving forward I have big ambitions for the claycourts, a surface I want to get better on each year. It's become one of ⁠my favorite surfaces to play on," ‌Shelton said.

While the American ‌women have had plenty of success on the sport's ‌slowest surface, with Coco Gauff winning the ‌French Open crown last year, the attention will now turn to whether the US men can leave their own mark in Paris.

With Tommy Paul and Frances ‌Tiafoe making the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year, Shelton said things were ⁠looking ⁠up as American men aim to end a Grand Slam drought going back to 2003 when Roddick won the hardcourt US Open.

"Success on clay is coming back," he added.

"I'm looking forward to being part of this progression of US men's tennis on clay.

"On the women's side, they have a lockdown as they won the French Open last year. We as men have some more to do but we're heading in the right direction."

Sports

Burnley Game Is Like a Final, Says Man City’s Haaland

Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Arsenal - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 19, 2026 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Arsenal - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 19, 2026 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
TT
TT

Burnley Game Is Like a Final, Says Man City’s Haaland

Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Arsenal - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 19, 2026 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Arsenal - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 19, 2026 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)

Manchester ‌City striker Erling Haaland said their next Premier League game against Burnley is like a final after Sunday's 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal handed them the chance to go top with a win in midweek.

Arsenal have ‌topped the ‌table since October ‌but ⁠City, who have ⁠a game in hand, cut the gap to three points with the win at the Etihad Stadium.

Another win on Wednesday would ⁠put Pep Guardiola's side ‌level on ‌points with the London club ‌and see them top the ‌table on either goals scored or goal difference, depending on the margin of victory.

"On Wednesday ‌we're having a final. The Burnley game is ⁠as ⁠important as this game," Haaland, who scored the decisive goal in Sunday's win, told Sky Sports.

"We need to focus, stay humble."

Arsenal, who are chasing their first Premier League title since 2004, next play Newcastle United on Saturday.

Sports

Rybakina Beats Muchova to Win Stuttgart Crown for Second Time

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina steers the winner's car next to Porsche CEO Michael Leiters after she won against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova (not in picture) in the final match at the Women's Tennis Grand Prix WTA tournament in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina steers the winner's car next to Porsche CEO Michael Leiters after she won against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova (not in picture) in the final match at the Women's Tennis Grand Prix WTA tournament in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Rybakina Beats Muchova to Win Stuttgart Crown for Second Time

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina steers the winner's car next to Porsche CEO Michael Leiters after she won against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova (not in picture) in the final match at the Women's Tennis Grand Prix WTA tournament in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on April 19, 2026. (AFP)
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina steers the winner's car next to Porsche CEO Michael Leiters after she won against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova (not in picture) in the final match at the Women's Tennis Grand Prix WTA tournament in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on April 19, 2026. (AFP)

Top seed Elena Rybakina had her eyes on the prize, literally, as she overpowered Karolina Muchova 7-5 6-1 to win the Stuttgart Open on Sunday and drive away with a Porsche car for the second time in her career.

While the Kazakh claimed her second title of the season, it was the tournament's traditional Porsche award that truly captured Rybakina's attention more than the silverware itself.

The first Porsche she won in 2024 had given her a push to get ‌a driver’s license ‌last year and she was all smiles when ‌she ⁠drove her newly ⁠won second sports car down the ramp before parking it on the red clay of the arena.

Victory elevated Rybakina into exclusive company, making her just the fourth active player to win at least five WTA-level titles on multiple surfaces, joining an elite group that includes Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek.

"It's an amazing tournament, we love coming back here... It really ⁠feels like home and you just want to come ‌back every year," Rybakina said.

"Super happy for ‌the second win here in Stuttgart and this beautiful car."

Rybakina ‌surged to a swift 3-0 lead in the opening set with a ‌flurry of aggressive shot-making against a largely defensive Muchova.

She was nearly untouchable behind her first serve, consistently pushing Muchova onto the back foot, while the Australian Open champion also mixed in confident net play, forcing her Czech opponent to cover ‌every inch of the court.

However, Muchova showed resilience, clawing her way back from 5-2 down to level ⁠at 5-5. But ⁠as she served to force a tiebreak, untimely errors crept in and Rybakina pounced to clinch the opening set when Muchova's return sailed long.

That proved to be the spark Rybakina needed as she shifted gears decisively in the second set, reeling off five consecutive games - echoing her dominant win over Mirra Andreeva in the semi-final - before Muchova got on the board.

Serving for the title, Rybakina closed it out in style, serving to love and wrapping up a Tour-leading 25th victory of the season in 78 minutes.

"Elena, honestly, too good. You played really well," Muchova said.

"I tried to stop you, but you clearly wanted a Porsche for the second time really bad. So, (you) made it very tough for me. Congrats!"