Junior paddlers beat Thais to strike gold
Singapore's young paddlers bagged a gold in the cadet boys' doubles event yesterday at the South-east Asia Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships, after Dominic Koh and Koen Pang beat Thailand's Chanpen Chetthanabodi and Sanglertsilpachai Thyme 11-3, 11-7, 11-8.
It was the Republic's third gold at the event. Another two golds were also guaranteed after all-Singapore finals were assured in the junior girls' doubles and junior mixed doubles events.
The finals for these events take place today at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall.
Feng, Yu crash out of 1st round in Japan
TOKYO • Table tennis women's doubles pair Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu were booted out of the Japan Open yesterday, losing their first-round match in straight games to Chinese opponents.
The Singaporeans, who are sixth seeds and had clinched a bronze medal at the World Championships just over a week ago, were beaten 11-2, 11-5, 12-10 by unseeded Chen Xingtong and Sun Yingsha.
Feng and Yu begin their singles campaign today.
Sharapova invited to Stanford tourney
LOS ANGELES • Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has received an invitation to play at the WTA Stanford tournament at the end of next month as the Russian tennis star continues her return from a drug suspension.
Her comeback from a 15-month doping ban will include a stop at Stanford University for the July 31-Aug 6 event, organisers announced.
The world's 173rd-ranked player has pulled out of next month's Wimbledon - which starts on July 3 - citing a muscle injury.
REUTERS
