Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/20
By: William Yen

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) The head coach of Taiwan's national football team told of his plans Tuesday

to stir up passion for football amongst Taiwanese by making the game more exciting through an aggressive style of play he has developed for the team.

Louis Lancaster told CNA that "if you look at Taiwan, we're meant to be the nicest people in the world, we're so friendly, we will help anyone. But actually, now that's changed because when we get on the pitch, we're animals!"

The style of play he has developed for the team is based on the philosophy of "attack, attack and attack," by keeping the ball as close to the opposition's goal as possible and as far away from their own goal, said Lancaster, who took over as the country's head coach Jan. 16, after his tenure as assistant to former head coach Gary White that ran Sept. 14, 2017 to Sept. 8, 2018.

"To do that, players cannot turn down forward passing opportunities, we have to have forward passing options," he said. "In our possession, we have to be fast-paced and aggressive, and we have to suffocate the other team in their half of the field."    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 21, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday beat Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 21-15, 17-21,

21-17 to move into the second round of the BWF World Championships men’s singles.

The world No. 2 Chou was pushed to the limit before getting the upper hand in a badminton battle that lasted 73 minutes on the championships’ opening day.

“The first round is always tough because you’re trying to get used to the wind and the shuttle,” Chou was quoted as saying on the BWF Web site. “I really needed to focus, but it was very difficult so I just tried to push him. The shuttle was slow … and you needed power to play.”

Chou had defeated Vittinghus in their previous six encounters dating back to March 2017, but given that the past three wins all went a full three games, it was no surprise that he had trouble.
[FULL  STORY]

The win in Michigan bumps up the golfer’s ranking, as she competes to play on the LPGA tour

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/19
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia (程思嘉) secured her first title on the Symetra Tour,

LPGA’s official qualifying tour, on Sunday (Aug. 18), according to a report on the Symetra Tour website.

Cheng shot a final round 4-under par 68 to wrap up victory, finishing 13-under par overall in the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club, Michigan, United States. She shot an aggregate of 203 during the three-round tournament.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/19
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Evelyn Ka

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's Pan Cheng-tsung (潘政琮) will become the first golfer from Taiwan to compete in a Presidents Cup after he automatically qualified for the international team that will compete in the event in Melbourne in December.

Pan finished seventh in the final rankings for international players that closed Sunday, earning him one of eight automatic berths on the 12-man team.

The other four players will be chosen by international team captain Ernie Els.

Pan said it was another dream come true after winning a PGA Tour title in April.
[FULL  STORY]

Chang Hui Tsz contniues to raise profile of women's wrestling in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Aug. 15 at the Junior World Championships of the United World Wrestling

Tallinn Open, Taiwanese wrestler Chang Hui Tsz (張惠慈) took home a silver medal in the Junior World tournament, a first for a Taiwanese athlete.

Chang is the first female wrestler from Taiwan to win a medal in a global wrestling competition, having first won a bronze medal at the 2017 Junior World Championship in Finland. This year, at the world championship competition held in Tallinn, Estonia, Chang was denied gold by the Cuban wrestler Marin Portrille in a 6:10 match count.

Portrille’s victory is the first Junior World Title won in the competition by a Cuban wrestler. Despite Chang’s defeat, she expressed satisfaction having overcome her previous record, and taking silver in a world championship tournament.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/16
B:y Sie Jing-wun and Ko Lin

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwan won its 10th Pony League World Series championship Thursday, defeating a team from the United States 9-1 in the final of the World Series tournament played in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

Starting pitcher Sun Yi-lei (孫易磊) was dominant over 6 1/3 innings, striking out six and allowing only four hits and a run to a team from Michigan's Bay County in the seven-inning game.

The game remained hitless and scoreless after three innings, but Sun got his team's first hit in the fourth, which sparked a three-run rally that put Taiwan in front to stay.

The team of 13 and 14-year-olds from Taiwan added two in the fifth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh to put the game away.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 17, 2019
By: Reuters

World No. 1 Naomi Osaka on Thursday survived a tough test against Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and eked out

a 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-2 victory to reach her first ever quarter-final at the Western & Southern Open.

Osaka, who lost to Hsieh at the Miami Open in March, on Wednesday said that the Taiwanese challenger is an unpredictable opponent for her, but she was ready this time around, firing 15 aces and breaking Hsieh five times.

“I thought I did pretty well,” Osaka said. “I feel like I knew going into the match that she was going to play really well. Like, we have such long matches every time we play, so I wasn’t expecting anything different this time around.”

In the decisive third set, Osaka faced four break points on her opening service, but fought them all off. She then seized four straight games to take firm control.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/15
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese tennis ace Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) cruised into the third round of the women's singles and the quarterfinals of the women's doubles Wednesday at the 2019 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ranked world No. 30, Hsieh reached the round of 16 by defeating Jennifer Brady of the United States 7-6, 6-3 in the second round.

Hsieh will next encounter Japan's Naomi Osaka, who reclaimed the WTA world No. 1 spot earlier this week, in the round of 16 Thursday.

In their previous four encounters, Hsieh has won only once, at the Miami Open in March.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/15
B:y Lin Hung-han and Chi Jo-yao

Irvine, California, Aug. 14 (CNA) The Taiwanese team cruised past the more highly ranked Puerto Rican team 9-1 in the super round of the U-19 Women's Softball World Cup Wednesday, putting it on track for a spot in the medal round.

The sixth-ranked Taiwanese team, whose offense impressed with 15 hits, recovered from a 0-9 defeat by Japan a day earlier to beat fourth-ranked Puerto Rico in a six-inning game called short by the mercy rule.

The Taiwanese team opened up the scoring in the second inning when right fielder Wu Yu-hsin (吳羽昕) sent a deep fly off the wall in right field and turned it in a three-run inside the park.

The team went on breaking the score open and ran away with the match with its high-powered offense, scoring three runs in both the third and sixth inning.    [FULL  STORY]