Safawi hopes to score and bring pride to the nation

PETALING JAYA: China can be deemed a happy hunting ground for Safawi Rasid (pic). The Johor Darul Ta’zim winger scored two goals in the AFC Under-23 Championships for Harimau Muda in Changshu, China in 2018, and many believe he could continue his luck when the national team play in  two international friendlies in Chengdu this week. The...

Tennis-Medvedev gets ‘early’ win to reach US Open quarters

NEW YORK (Reuters) -After two late-night matches at Flushing Meadows third seed Daniil Medvedev finally finished work 'early' on Monday by taming Australian Alex de Minaur 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 to move into the U.S. Open quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years. Medvedev has been working the graveyard shift at the U.S. Open, with...

Sep 4, 2023; Flushing, NY, USA; Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after his match against Jannik Sinner of Italy (not pictured) on day eight of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Tennis-Zverev edges out Sinner to reach US Open quarter-finals

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev beat sixth seed Jannik Sinner 6-4 3-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 late on Monday to move into the quarter-finals of the year's final Grand Slam. Zverev's win earned him a meeting with defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz, and the 26-year-old German will look to keep his...

Basketball-Serbia’s Simanic has kidney removed after injury at World Cup

(Reuters) - Serbian Borisa Simanic underwent surgery to remove a kidney after taking a blow to his midsection against South Sudan at the Basketball World Cup last week, Serbia's basketball federation said on Monday. South Sudan's Nuni Omot has apologised for the incident, though match officials saw no foul play. "After Simanic was operated on for the...

Soccer-Brazil’s Antony withdrawn from squad after assault allegations

(Reuters) - Brazil's forward Antony has been withdrawn from the squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru following assault allegations, the country's football confederation (CBF) said in a statement on Monday. The decision was taken after Brazilian media outlet UOL published allegations from Antony's ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin accusing him of physical assault. Antony...

Zii Jia says he will be patient and hope to turn around his fortunes

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia, despite the pressure mounting on him to produce improved results, has no choice but to ride out the storm and hope for a breakthrough in the super 1000 China Open which begins today. The Malaysian’s campaign in the World Championships was ended by Dane Anders Antonsen who went on to reach...

Tze Yong stuns Prannoy to reach China Open second round

PETALING JAYA: Ng Tze Yong stunned India's recent World Championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy 21-12, 13-21, 21-18 to move into the second round of the China Open at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Tuesday (Sept 5). The national men's singles shuttler fought brilliantly to pull off the huge win over the Indian world...

Roy King-Valeree’s bid to reach final in Indonesia hits a snag in last four

PETALING JAYA: Yap Roy King-Valeree Siow’s bid to reach their first international tournament final of the year was foiled after the mixed doubles pair went down in the last four of the Indonesian International Challenge. The reigning mixed doubles national champions lost 21-23, 16-21 to Thailand’s Weeraphat Phakjarung-Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn in Medan yesterday. World No. 66 Roy King-Valeree...

Azam determined to take charge of Malaysia’s engine room after recovery

PETALING JAYA: 2023 has been a rough year so far for national midfielder Nor Azam Azih, who had to endure two injuries and even missed out on two national call-ups. And now that he is back in the Harimau Malaya squad to face Syria (Sept 6) and China (Sept 9) in Chengdu, China, the Pahang playmaker...

Se-young believes she still has much ground to cover after conquering worlds

PETALING JAYA: Newly-crowned women’s singles world champion An Se-young (pic) is not planning to rest on her laurels as she wants to achieve more success. World No. 1 Se-young proved her dominance as the queen of badminton by nailing South Korea’s first world title in the women’s singles after outplaying three-time world champion Carolina Marin of...