Sports

Huang to challenge ‘Unstoppable’ Lee

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 22, 2017
By: Cobus du Plessis / Staff reporter

Undefeated Taiwanese mixed martial artist Jenny Huang is to challenge women’s atomweight world champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee for her title at the “ONE: Warrior Kingdom” event in Bangkok on March 11.

Huang, 26, with a professional mixed martial arts record of five wins and no losses, crosses paths with the 20-year-old champion in the main event at the 12,000-capacity Impact Arena.

In her most recent bout, judo black belt Huang electrified the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines, by executing the first-ever foot choke victory in ONE Championship history, overcoming a near-dominant performance from the Philippines’ April Osenio in their women’s atomweight (47.7kg to 52.2kg) bout on Dec. 2 last year.   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan top Cuba in WBC warm-up

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 22, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Taiwan last night bolstered their confidence with a 4-2 victory over Cuba at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium to split their warm-up series at one win each, before heading to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in South Korea.

Manager Kuo Tai-yuan adjusted the batting order, inserting several veterans to replace younger players from Monday’s lineup.

He penciled in 31-year-old Chang Cheng-wei — a seven-year Brothers Baseball Club veteran — as starting rightfielder and called up 36-year-old All-Star catcher Cheng Ta-hung — who has 12 years of Taiwanese professional baseball experience with the then-Sinon Bulls and the Brothers — to sit behind the home plate instead of Lin Kun-sheng.
[FULL  STORY]

Lu rallies to win, advance at Delray Beach Open

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 22, 2017
By: AFP, MIAMI

Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun and British eighth seed Kyle Edmund on Monday booked a second-round matchup at the Delray Beach Open, while defending champion Sam Querrey of the US advanced on a retirement.

World no. 63 Lu rallied from a set and 0-3 down to defeat Bjorn Fratangelo of the US 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, while world No. 49 Edmund fired five aces and faced only one break point in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over France’s Adrian Mannarino.

“It was a tough feeling in this moment,” Lu said about being a set and 3-0 down. “I just tried other things. I changed the game plan, trying to come into the net more and put the pressure on him. I had nothing to lose. I just tried to play a different way and see how he reacts. It worked pretty well after that.”    [FULL  STORY]

Kenyan runners win 2017 Kaohsiung Marathon

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/12
By: Wang Shwu-fen and Kuo Chung-han

Kaohsiung, Feb. 12 (CNA) Kenyan runners dominated the 2017 Kaohsiung Mizuno International

Chepngabit Noah Kipruto (center)

Marathon on Sunday, taking the top places in both the men’s and women’s races.

Chepngabit Noah Kipruto of Kenya won the men’s marathon in a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 18 seconds to snatch the men’s title, while his compatriot Karungu Jedidah Wanjiru clocked 2:38:41 to claim first place in the women’s race.

Taiwan’s best performance was a fifth place finish by Chang Chih-chen (張智軫) in the women’s race and eighth place by Chiang Chieh-wen (蔣介文) in the men’s event.

Environmental groups said holding a marathon in the early spring, when atmospheric dispersion is generally poor, was akin to having the runners inhale toxic air, though several of the leading competitors told reporters the air quality in Kaohsiung was OK and humidity and temperature were acceptable.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan suffers loss to China in Davis Cup

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/18
By: Lee Yu-cheng and Romulo Huang

Kaohsiung, Feb. 18 (CNA) China defeated Taiwan in the doubles of the Davis Cup Saturday, taking a 3-0 lead and an eventual victory at the best of five Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I first round tie that is being held in Kaohsiung and will run through Feb. 19.

The Chinese team, composed of Wu Di and Zhang Zhizhen, beat their Taiwanese rivals Peng Hsien-yin (彭賢尹) and Jason Jung (莊吉生) in three straight sets 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3 in a decisive match.
[FULL  STORY]

Chan, Hingis fall in semis in rain-battered Qatar

Taipei Times
Date; Feb 19, 2017
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AFP, DOHA

Top seeds Chan Yung-jan and Martina Hingis were ousted in the semi-finals of the doubles at the Qatar Ladies Open on Friday, as Olga Savchuk and Yaroslava Shvedova rallied from a set down to win their second match of the day and advance to the final in Doha.

The Taiwanese-Swiss duo, playing their first tournament together, won the first set before the unseeded Ukrainian-Kazakh pairing rallied to complete a 3-6, 6-2, 10-6 victory in 67 minutes in the rain-hit Qatari capital.

Savchuk and Shvedova, who had earlier ousted third seeds Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and Peng Shuai of China 6-3, 1-6, 10-7, saved three of six break points and converted four of nine, winning 59 of the 110 points contested to advance to the final.

In the final they were due to face fourth seeds Abigail Spears of the US and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, who ousted second seeds Sania Mirza of India and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 in Friday’s other semi-final.    [FULL  STORY]

China secure 2-0 lead over Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 18, 2017
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

China yesterday surged into a 2-0 lead against Taiwan in their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung, with both opening singles rubbers going to five sets.

In the first Davis Cup tie between the cross-strait neighbors since 2013, Li Zhe gave the visitors the lead with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5 victory over Chen Ti in the first singles rubber in 4 hours, 36 minutes.

World No. 265 Chen is the only member of the Taiwan team who played in their last victory over China 10 years ago in the Asia/Oceania Group I relegation playoff in 2007.

China got the better of Taiwan in 2011, 2012 and 2013.    [FULL  STORY]

Chan Yung-jan, Hingis begin with a win in Qatar

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 17, 2017
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AFP, DOHA

Chan Yung-jan celebrated her new doubles partnership with former world No. 1 Martina

Martina Hingis of Switzerland, left, and Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan pose for a photograph at the Qatar Open in Doha on Wednesday. Photo: Screen grab from Facebook

Hingis with a win at the Qatar Open yesterday, but it was not such a good day for fellow Taiwanese Chuang Chia-jung in a rain-hit Doha.

Top seeds Chan and Hingis took just 60 minutes to see off Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands and Johanna Larson of Sweden 6-1, 6-4.

The Taiwanese-Swiss duo failed to save either of the break points they faced, but they converted five of seven to advance to a quarter-final against Andreja Klepac of Slovenia and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, who cruised past Madison Brengle of the US and Naomi Broady of Britain 6-1, 6-2.

Wild-card duo Chuang and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia fought back from a whitewash in the first set to force a super tiebreak against fourth seeds Abigail Spears of the US and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, before eventually falling to a 6-0, 6-7 (2/7), 10-6 defeat in 1 hour, 22 minutes.    [FULL  STORY]

Russia rout Taiwan 4-1 in Fed Cup

MOSCOW MAULING:Chang Kai-chen and Lee Ya-hsuan both lost in straight sets in the singles, before the Taiwan team’s miserable day was completed by a doubles defeat

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 14, 2017
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Russia crushed Taiwan 4-1 in their Fed Cup World Group II tie at the Druzhba Arena in Moscow on

Taiwan’s Lee Ya-hsuan returns to Natalia Vikhlyantseva of Russia in their Fed Cup World Group II reverse singles rubber at the Druzhba Arena in Moscow on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Sunday, ending a three-match losing streak and advancing to the World Group playoffs in April.

Ekaterina Makarova defeated Chang Kai-chen 6-4, 7-5 in the first reverse singles rubber to give the hosts a 2-1 lead, before debutant Natalia Vikhlyantseva — who replaced Anna Blinkova — crushed Lee Ya-hsuan 6-1, 6-2 in just 58 minutes.

The visitors miserable day in Moscow was complete when Blinkova and Anna Kalinskaya beat Chan Chin-wei and Hsu Ching-wen 6-3, 7-5 in the doubles rubber.

It could have been so different if Chang had managed to take her chances.

The Taiwanese was the first to break serve in the first set to take a 4-2 lead, before Makarova fed off the energy of the crowd to win four straight games and claim the set.    [FULL  STORY]

Kenyan runners win 2017 Kaohsiung Marathon

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/12
By: Wang Shwu-fen and Kuo Chung-han

Kaohsiung, Feb. 12 (CNA) Kenyan runners dominated the 2017 Kaohsiung Mizuno

Chepngabit Noah Kipruto (center)

International Marathon on Sunday, taking the top places in both the men’s and women’s races.

Chepngabit Noah Kipruto of Kenya won the men’s marathon in a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 18 seconds to snatch the men’s title, while his compatriot Karungu Jedidah Wanjiru clocked 2:38:41 to claim first place in the women’s race.

Taiwan’s best performance was a fifth place finish by Chang Chih-chen (張智軫) in the women’s race and eighth place by Chiang Chieh-wen (蔣介文) in the men’s event.

Environmental groups said holding a marathon in the early spring, when atmospheric dispersion is generally poor, was akin to having the runners inhale toxic air, though several of the leading competitors told reporters the air quality in Kaohsiung was OK and humidity and temperature were acceptable.    [FULL  STORY]