Chinese shuttlers storm into four finals at Malaysia Masters
Kuala Lumpur, May 23: Chinese shuttlers booked spots in four finals at the 2026 Malaysia Masters after a strong showing in Saturday’s semifinal matches in the BWF World Series event in the Malaysian capital. In men’s singles, Li Shifeng defeated compatriot Hu Zhe’an 21-17, 21-16 to advance to the final, where he will face Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul on Sunday. Women’s singles star Chen Yufei cruised past Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-11, 21-14 and will take on Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the title match. In women’s doubles, Chen Fanshutian and Luo Xumin rallied to beat fellow Chinese pair Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan 18-21, 21-9, 21-19, setting up a final clash against Japan’s Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto, reports Xinhua. Mixed doubles duo Gao Jiaxuan and Wei Yaxin also battled into the final after overcoming Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje 22-24, 21-16, 21-18. They will meet Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the championship match. Earlier, Chinese shuttlers stormed past their quarterfinal opponents on Friday, securing semifinal berths across multiple events. Men’s singles world junior champion Hu Zhe’an outplayed Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 14-21, 21-13, 21-16, while Li Shifeng defeated France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-18, 15-21, 21-5. Women’s singles player Chen Yufei outplayed Thailand’s Pitchamon Opatniputh 21-19, 21-9. Women’s doubles pair Bao Lijing and Cao Zihan overcame Chen Yan Fei and Sun Liang Ching of Chinese Taipei 21-14, 18-21, 21-15, while Chen Fanshutian and Luo Xumin overpowered Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 24-22, 21-18. Mixed doubles duo Gao Jiaxuan and Wei Yaxin outplayed Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 21-18, 21-16, while Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui defeated Presley Smith and Jennie Gai of the United States 23-21, 22-20. (IANS)
Greco-Roman wrestlers win five medals; Suraj, Sagar win silver
New Delhi, May 23: Suraj Singh and Sagar Singh clinched silver medals as India made an impressive start to its Greco-Roman campaign at the U23 Asian Championships by securing five medals on the opening day of the competition here on Saturday. Sachin Kumar (77kg), Rohit (97kg) and Hardeep (130kg) added to the tally with bronze medals in their respective weight categories. Suraj impressed in the 60kg category with a solid run to the final before going down 0-4 to Kazakhstan’s Aibek Aitbekov in the gold medal bout. In the 67kg category, Sagar also produced a commendable performance throughout the tournament. However, he suffered a technical superiority defeat (0-9) against Uzbekistan’s Aytjan Khalmakhanov in the final and settled for the silver medal. Sachin added a bronze medal in the 77kg category despite going down 3-10 against Kazakhstan’s Alikhan Dursunov, while Rohit narrowly missed out after suffering a hard-fought 3-5 defeat against Uzbekistan’s Bekhruz Barnoev in the 97kg division. Hardeep also fell short in the 130kg bout, going down 0-4 against Kazakhstan’s Jokhar Uzarov. Vinit (72kg) and Amit Gope (82kg) bowed out after suffering defeats by technical superiority against their respective opponents, with Vinit going down 6-9 against Uzbekistan’s Shakhzod Kuchkorov and Amit losing by technicval superiority (0-10) to Tajikistan’s Muhammad Sultanzoda. India had won three medals in the U23 Greco-Roman category at the previous edition of the U23 & U17 Asian Wrestling Championships held in Vietnam, including a gold medal by Sumit (63kg) and bronze medals by Ankit Gulia (72kg) and Nitesh (97kg). The country had also secured five medals in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan last month, marking India’s best performance in the category at the continental senior event in the last five years. (PTI)
India’s Bhambri, NZ’s Venus end runners-up in ATP 250 Doubles
Geneva, May 23: India’s Yuki Bhambri and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus finished runners-up at the Geneva Open after suffering a hard-fought defeat in the ATP 250 doubles final here on Saturday. The third-seeded Indo-Kiwi pair lost 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-10 to Romain Arneodo of Monaco and Australia’s Marc Polmans in a closely-contested summit clash that lasted nearly two hours. Bhambri and Venus, who were playing together in their first final of the 2026 season, took the opening set but the rivals forced a match tie-breaker after taking the second. Arneodo and Polmans raised their level in the decider, gaining an early advantage and maintaining composure in crucial exchanges to seal the title. Bhambri and Venus had entered the final with impressive momentum after defeating Czech pair Petr Rikl and Adam Pavlasek 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals. For Bhambri, the Geneva campaign nevertheless marked an encouraging return to deep ATP Tour runs after a steady season on the doubles circuit. He has consistently remained among India’s top doubles performers in recent years and will now turn his focus to the upcoming French Open. (PTI)
Former F1 champion Alain Prost injured after robbery at home
Nyon (Switzerland), May 23: Swiss police are investigating an alleged robbery amid reports that four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost was injured during a home invasion. Swiss tabloid Blick reported late Friday that the 71-year-old Prost sustained a head injury from intruders who forced his son to open a safe during the incident Tuesday morning. “The perpetrators entered the residence while the occupants were present, threatened them, and forced one family member to open a safe before fleeing with the stolen goods,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “Despite the extensive search operation launched, the perpetrators have not yet been apprehended at this stage.” The police, who did not name the victim, said “several” balaclava-wearing intruders “broke into the house. Once inside, they threatened the occupants and inflicted minor head injuries upon one family member, under circumstances that remain to be established. The perpetrators then forced another family member to open a safe before making their escape with stolen items, a precise inventory of which is currently being compiled.” Blick reported that Prost, who won four world championships between 1985-1993, was “visibly shaken by this brutal intrusion” and that he’s left the home in Nyon beside Lake Geneva in the Swiss canton of Vaud. (AP)
