SHORT DAY’S WORK:Hsieh needed only 52 minutes to beat Elizaveta Kulichkova and set up a semi-final against Misaki Doi. Venus Williams also made the semis

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 13, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Hsieh Su-wei cruised into the Taiwan Open singles semi-finals in Kaohsiung

yesterday, while the Chan sisters also advanced to the semis in the doubles.

Sixth seed Hsieh took just 52 minutes to complete a 6-0, 6-2 victory over world No. 95 Elizaveta Kulichkova on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center.

The Taiwanese world No. 81 saved two of four break points and converted seven of 11, winning 56 of the 87 points contested to maintain her perfect career record against the Russian after victories in Sydney earlier this year and in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Next up for Hsieh today is likely a much tougher proposition, a semi-final against second seed Misaki Doi, who advanced without hitting a shot when seventh seed and fellow Japanese Kurumi Nara withdrew from the tournament due to an injury.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/11
By: Lin Yi-feng and Romulo Huang

Kaohsiung, Feb. 11 (CNA) American tennis star Venus Williams advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WTA Taiwan Open Thursday after defeating her Polish rival Urszula Radwanska in 2 straight sets 6-4 and 6-2.

Williams, who is now ranked seventh in the world and is the top seed of the tournament which opened on Feb. 6, came from behind to win the first set of the match after trailing 1-4 in windy conditions, but thereafter she managed to strengthen her game to win in straight sets.

The former world No. 1 who has won seven grand slam singles titles will meet Anastasia Sevastova of Latvia in the quarterfinals of the event that will run through Feb. 14.     [FULL  STORY]

HOME FAVORITE:Hsieh Su-wei beat Mandy Minella 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final with Elizaveta Kulichkova. Venus Williams also made the final eight

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 12, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Taiwanese No. 1 Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the quarter-finals of the Taiwan

Open in Kaohsiung yesterday, while top seed Venus Williams also claimed a spot in the last eight.

Sixth seed Hsieh defeated world No. 173 Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in 1 hour, 50 minutes on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center.

The Taiwanese world No. 81 saved two of five break points and converted five of 13, winning 93 of the 173 points contested to set up a quarter-final against world No. 95 Elizaveta Kulichkova on Center Court today.

Hsieh has a 2-0 career record against the Russian after victories in Sydney earlier this year and in the quarter-finals in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Earlier on Center Court, top seed Williams advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Urszula Radwanska of Poland.     [FULL  STORY]

HOME SUCCESS:Taiwanese duo Hsu Ching-wen and Lee Ya-hsuan cruised past Kristyna Pliskova and Stefanie Voegele to become the first pairing in the doubles semis

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 11, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Top seeds the Chan sisters began their Taiwan Open doubles campaign with

a victory on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung yesterday, while fellow Taiwanese Hsu Ching-wen and Lee Ya-hsuan advanced to the semi-finals.

Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan looked to be cruising into the quarter-finals when they wrapped up the first set against Zarina Diyas and Xu Yi-fan 6-1 without facing a single break point, but their Kazakh-Chinese opponents fought back to force a tiebreaker in the second, which the Taiwanese sisters won 7-5.

Overall the sisters saved and converted four of six break points, winning 69 of the 119 points contested to wrap up the victory in 74 minutes and set up a quarter-final against Marina Melnikova of Russia and Mandy Minella of Luxembourg.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 09, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

The first Taiwan Open began in Kaohsiung yesterday with all three

Taiwanese taking part on the first day ousted from the first round.

Hsu Ching-wen opened proceedings on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center against Urszula Radwanska. The Polish world No. 113 proved too strong for the Taiwanese wild-card as she completed a 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) victory in 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Radwanska saved two of seven break points and converted six of seven, winning 78 of the 143 points contested to advance to a likely second-round clash with top seed Venus Williams, who is due to take on Taiwanese wild-card Lee Pei-chi in the first round.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 06, 2016
By: Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

January’s Player of the Month went to a deserving Chou Yi-hsiang

of the Dacin Tigers, who narrowly edged December’s Player of the Month winner Lu “Male Model” Cheng-ju of the Yulon Luxgens to garner the coveted monthly honor.

The emerging Cats superstar, who finished at the bottom of the league last season and started this season on the wrong foot by dropping four of the Cats’ first five, has replaced Tien Lei as the new team leader after Tien left Taiwan to play in China’s Chinese Basketball Association last year.

“[Winning the Player of the Month honor] really means a lot to me, especially with the number of great players in the league that I am competing with,” a very pleased Chou said upon learning the news.     [FULL  STORY]

PLAYOFF HOPES:The win sees Taiwan advance to a final against Japan today, with the winner of that match sealing a spot in the World Group II playoffs in April

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 06, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday swings a two-handed backhand

stroke at the FedCup in Hua Hin, Thailand. Photo courtesy of the Siwei Foundation

Taiwan yesterday rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win their third straight Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I round-robin match and finish top of Pool B in Hua Hin, Thailand, setting up a final against Japan today for a place in the World Group II playoffs in April.

Following their 2-1 victories over China and Kazakhstan earlier this week, Taiwan needed to beat bottom-of-the-pool South Korea to ensure they topped Pool B yesterday, but they did not get off to their customary good start.     [FULL STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/01
By: Oscar Wu and Romulo Huang

Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Taiwanese go star Shei Imin (謝依旻)

retained the prestigious women’s Kisei title (女流棋聖) Monday by beating Japan’s Yukali Yoshihala for the second consecutive time in a best-of-three series held in Japan.

Shei has won this title six times. She obtained it for the first time in 2010, successfully defended the championship the following year, regained the title in 2013 after losing it in 2012, and has held it since then.

The 26-year-old, who is based in Tokyo, so far has won 22 go titles in her professional career, a record for a female go professional player in Japan.     [FULL  STORY]