1. (Xinhua) Chinese paddlers Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin emerged as the respective women's and men's singles winners at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Chongqing on Sunday.

    Sun retained her title with a straight-game victory over Chen Xingtong, 11-7, 11-4, 12-10, 11-7. The world No. 1 dominated rallies from the outset, leaving her opponent little chance throughout the final.

    Earlier in the day, Sun fought back from two games down to overcome third-seeded Wang Yidi 4-2 in the semifinal.

    "I played well in both the semifinal and the final. I was more focused on the court," said Sun. "Coming back from two games down to win the semifinal paves the way for my performance in the final. I took the initiative on my first three strokes and rallies. Therefore, I had a firm grip on the match."

    Second seed Wang Manyu was forced to withdraw from her semifinal clash against Chen in the fourth game due to injury, sending fourth-ranked Chen into the title match.

    In the men's singles final featuring the world's top two paddlers, second-seeded Wang Chuqin, last year's runner-up in Chongqing, defeated top seed Lin Shidong 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.

    With this victory, Wang is set to surpass Lin and reclaim the top position in the world rankings next week.

    "Facing Lin, I had not expected to win this match and just wanted to enjoy it," explained Wang. "Considering his recent form, he might be the favorite to win, so my mindset was to fight for every point."

    After Wang's 4-1 comeback victory over Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan, China effectively swept both titles on offer. Lin defeated teammate Liang Jingkun 4-1 to secure the other final spot, also earning his 100th singles victory in WTT events.

    Following the conclusion of the first WTT Champions event of the season, the next WTT Champions tournament will be held in Incheon, South Korea, from April 1 to 6. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-16 22:22:00

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  2. (China Daily) Britain's Jack Draper thrashed Denmark's Holger Rune 6-2 6-2 to collect the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells on Sunday with a place in the top 10 assured for the first time.

    The 23-year-old Draper has suffered a lingering hip issue this year but looked fine as he zipped around the court with ease on Sunday, firing 21 winners to cap a superb week in the California desert.

    Playing in his fourth Masters 1000 final, Rune had the benefit of experience but could never find his rhythm as he made seven winners against 18 unforced errors.

    "I lost first round here last year so I didn't get to experience the tournament too much," Draper said. "I would say this is one of my favorite tournaments now."

    Playing in his first 1000-level final, Draper bludgeoned his opponent with seven aces in the first set, having hit a forehand winner to break in the first game and outfoxed Rune at the net in the third to go up another break.

    The Dane's frustrations boiled over early in the second set, where he shouted at his team before dropping serve in the first game. He handed Draper another break in the penultimate game with a backhand shot that he sent wide.

    Draper fired a booming forehand shot on match point and smiled towards the stands before kneeling on court with his fists thrust into the air in celebration, clinching it in just one hour and nine minutes.

    "Before the match, you know, you're thinking of all kinds of scenarios in your head, a lot of doubts," he said.

    "And just what makes it even better is that, you know, just getting through those doubts and being able to play the final the way I did."

    Rune made no excuses for his performance, telling the crowd: "It never feels nice not to be able to step over the line, but that's life sometimes."

    Draper did not have an easy path to the final, having to beat 2022 winner Taylor Fritz in the last 16, and had to contain his nerves after beating back-to-back defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals on Saturday night.

    "I felt a bit fatigued this morning from all of the emotions of yesterday. But I'm in a final, I have worked so hard to get here," he said after the match. "There is no time to be tired. I've got to go out and go for it on every ball.

    "And no matter how I'm feeling, just put my head down and fight for everything."

    He is the first Briton to win the title since Cameron Norrie in 2021 and will be ranked seventh now, after reaching the US Open semifinal last year.

    "I have put in a lot of work over time and I'm so grateful to be out here, with my body healthy and feeling great in the mind," Draper, who lost in last month's Doha final, told Sky Sports.

    "It feels like it is all coming together on the big stage."

    Source: China Daily by Reuters   Published: 20:31, March 16, 2025

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  3. (China Daily) Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva fought back to overcome world number one Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-4 6-3 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, winning a second WTA 1000-level event in a row to keep her charmed year on track.

    The 17-year-old Andreeva, the youngest women's champion at the tournament since Serena Williams in 1999, found her form midway through the match and crumpled to the ground in celebration after closing it out with a forehand winner.

    Top seed Sabalenka pulled herself out of a slump to bring some of her best tennis to the California desert this year and got off to a hot start on Sunday but her form unravelled as the match wore on and she was left to rue missed opportunities.

    "I would like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting," Andreeva said at the trophy ceremony.

    "I was running like a rabbit today because Aryna, she's been sending bullets and it was really hard to just keep up."

    Andreeva had lost to Sabalenka twice this year and it looked as though the pattern would continue as the top-seeded Belarusian mixed some nifty drop shots with her usual forehand power to save four break points in the third game.

    Sabalenka sent a backhand winner down the line to break in the fourth game and four games later a visibly frustrated Andreeva whacked a ball into the stands after sending a shot into the net as the Russian was broken again.

    The teenager got a confidence boost in the second set, however, when she broke Sabalenka with a forehand winner in the third game and fended off two break points in the sixth.

    After trading breaks to open the third set, Sabalenka's errors began to pile up and she fired into the net on break point in the third game to give the ninth seed the advantage.

    'More aggressive'

    "After the first set, I just realized, that, 'oh, well, what I do now, it doesn't work, so I have to change something'," Andreeva told reporters.

    "In the second set, I tried to play a little bit more aggressive. I didn't try to over hit her, because I don't think anyone can over hit Aryna, because she's super-powerful player.

    "I tried to really, I don't know, create something to make her uncomfortable, and, you know, point-by-point, game-by-game, I managed to do that."

    Gracious in defeat, 2023 runner-up Sabalenka brought her trademark sense of humor to the trophy ceremony, while holding onto the petite consolation prize.

    "I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this place. I'll just put this trophy on top of another one and pretend it's the trophy for the winning," said Sabalenka.

    "It's going to be a quite similar size, you know?"

    The win on Sunday sees Andreeva continue her meteoric rise, after she partnered with coach Conchita Martinez a year ago, as she recorded her fifth straight win over a top-10 player.

    Former world number two Martinez guided Andreeva into the French Open semifinals last year and helped steer her into the world's top 10 with her triumph in Dubai last month.

    Andreeva, who downed twice champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, heaped praise on her team in her victory speech and later told reporters they were "super protective" of her.

    "(Martinez) gives me advice, you know, how to play and also how to maybe not to spend too much time on-site or how not to waste your energy," she said. "Because I have such a good team around me, they help to protect me."

    Source: China Daily by Reuters  Published: 20:36, March 16, 2025

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  4. Gold medalist Joy Beune (C) of the Netherlands, silver medalist Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong (L) of the Netherlands, bronze medalist Han Mei of China pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's 1500m at the ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Hamar, Norway, March 16, 2025.

    (Xinhua) The ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships concluded here on Sunday, with the Netherlands asserting its dominance by claiming eight gold, six silver and four bronze medals to top the medal standings.

    Norway's Peder Kongshaug took the men's 1,500m gold with a time of 1:44.64. American Jordan Stolz finished second, while Canada's Connor Howe secured bronze.

    China's Ning Zhongyan narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth, just 0.23 seconds behind the winner. Following the close finish, Ning expressed optimism about refining his performance in preparation for next year's Winter Olympics.

    In the women's 1,500m, the Netherlands' Joy Beune and Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong secured gold and silver respectively, while China's Han Mei clinched bronze. China secured a gold medal in the men's team sprint on the opening day.

    Meanwhile, Italy's Davide Ghiotto claimed the men's 10,000m title, with Poland's Vladimir Semirunniy and Metodej Jilek of the Czech Republic rounding out the podium.

    In the women's mass start, Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands emerged victorious, while Canada's Ivanie Blondin and Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy finishing second and third respectively. China's Yang Binyu finished just outside the podium in fourth place.

    Source: Xinhua | Updated: 2025-03-17 14:53
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  5. (China Daily) McLaren's Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.

    Mercedes' George Russell was third on the slippery Albert Park circuit where only 14 of the 20 cars finished in the treacherous conditions.

    Norris, the pre-season favorite for the drivers' title, started the Formula One season as he finished the last at Abu Dhabi, with victory from pole.

    The Briton's win ended Verstappen's long run at the top of the championship standings dating back to May 2022.

    Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri started second on the grid but finished ninth, his dreams of becoming the first home driver to claim victory or a consolation podium ending with a skid into grass.

    Norris claimed his first win in Melbourne and the fifth of his career, saying it was difficult with Verstappen breathing down his neck.

    "It was amazing. Tough race, especially with Max behind me," he added.

    "I was pushing, especially in the last two laps. It was a little bit stressful, not going to lie.

    "This time we got it right and ended on top so I’m happy."

    Red Bull kept Verstappen out on worn tires hoping for a break in the rain but he was ultimately forced to pit, potentially costing him a better shot at Norris.

    Verstappen said it was "worth the gamble".

    "It was quite spicy on the slick tires. It was alright in the end," he said.

    "This is where I expected to be. In the first stint we were lacking a bit of pace to the McLaren."

    Lewis Hamilton's debut for Ferrari proved a damp squib with the Briton finishing 10th, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

    Seven-times world champion Hamilton complained his car was "hard to drive" and said the team had made the wrong call with the weather late on which proved costly.

    "It was very tricky and it went a lot worse than I thought it would go," he said.

    "I'm just grateful I kept (the car) out of the wall because that's really where it wanted to go most of the time."

    It was a more encouraging day for Williams, with Alex Albon promoted to fourth, though Carlos Sainz crashed out in his debut for the team.

    Mercedes' 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli crossed fourth in an excellent debut but dropped to fifth due to a five-second penalty for an unsafe release from the pit.

    Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin, while Sauber also celebrated points for seventh-placed Nico Hulkenberg.

    The race was held up for 15 minutes after debutant Isack Hadjar lost control in the formation lap and rear-ended his Racing Bulls car into a wall.

    With his rear wing damaged and his race over, the unharmed Frenchman was in tears as his car was hauled off track.

    Australian rookie Jack Doohan was gone soon after the restart, crashing his Alpine at turn six on the first lap to trigger the safety car as his father Mick, the motorcycling great, looked on in disbelief from the team garage.

    The drama continued as Sainz spun out of control at turn 14 during the safety car's deployment.

    While Norris had a clean start, Piastri was skidding left and right at the first turn, allowing Verstappen to roar past him on the outside.

    But Verstappen later locked a front brake and veered wide to allow Piastri to snatch back second.

    With more pace than his teammate, Piastri had Norris in his sights but was ordered to hold position by the McLaren garage until a rain shower passed.

    Twice world champion Fernando Alonso became the fourth car knocked out when his Aston Martin veered off track at turn seven on lap 34 and crashed, bringing out the safety car again.

    Norris and Piastri pitted to change to hard tires but another shower wreaked havoc 10 laps later, with Piastri skidding into gravel and ending up in grass.

    Red Bull's Liam Lawson and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto then crashed out in quick succession, triggering a third safety car deployment.

    While that gave Verstappen a last crack at reeling in Norris, the Briton held the relentless Dutchman at bay to land the first blow in the championship ahead of round two in China.

    Source: China Daily by Reuters  Published: 23:12, March 15, 2025 | Updated: 01:06, March 16, 2025

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  6. (China Daily) Briton Jack Draper upset the overwhelming favorite Carlos Alcaraz 6-1 0-6 6-4 to reach the Indian Wells final on Saturday, denying the Spaniard in his bid for a rare "three-peat" in the California desert.

    Draper beat the world number three at Queen's Club last year and had the winning formula again this time around, as the lefty relied on his lethal forehand to reach his first Masters 1000-level final, where he will face Denmark's Holger Rune.

    "It was a strange match. You know, honestly Carlos came out, he was a bit flat, I sensed that," Draper said in televised remarks.

    "Against top players in the world, they can change their momentum very quickly so I just got lost out there for 25 minutes and then in the third, I came out, I was really proud of my competitiveness, my attitude and somehow managed to get over the line there in the end."

    Alcaraz had not dropped a set en route to the semifinal but gifted Draper a break with a double fault in the second game as he struggled to find his rhythm. The 13th seed converted on another break with a fine forehand winner in the sixth.

    But the momentum flipped entirely in the second set, where Draper put up 15 unforced errors compared to just two in the first, as Alcaraz hit his stride and neutralized the only break point he faced in the first game.

    "It kind of happened to me (in the second set) what happened to him in the first set. I got tired, I got low energy," said Draper.

    Alcaraz closed out the set with a superb backhand winner and looked as though he would roll through the third with the crowd on his side.

    But Draper, who retired due to injury in their last meeting at the Australian Open this year, was ready to go the distance this time around and made a perfect shot down the line past Alcaraz to convert on break point in the third game.

    Draper sent an un-returnable backhand shot into the corner to go up another break in the seventh and was glad for the insurance as Alcaraz broke back in the next game.

    The Briton closed it out with un-returnable serve, ending Alcaraz's 16-match win streak at Indian Wells, and whacked a ball deep into the stands in celebration.

    With the win, Draper will move into the top 10 for the first time in his career and would be ranked as high as seventh if he can take the title on Sunday.

    He will face an in-form Rune, who beat the Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-4 after losing his last seven semifinal matches.

    Rune, the number 12 seed, lost to Medvedev in the quarterfinals a year ago and the two were evenly matched in a grueling opening set in which they traded early breaks and Rune battled through a marathon six-deuce eighth game to hold his serve.

    Medvedev helped him to a break point with a fluffed shot at the net in the 11th game and the 21-year-old Dane carried the momentum into the second set, breaking the former U.S. Open champion to love in the third game.

    Down 0-30 in the final game, Rune clawed his way back and forced a fatigued Medvedev into an error at the end of a 37-shot rally on the penultimate point before clinching victory with a powerful forehand winner.

    "He's a very difficult player to play. He makes you play uncomfortable shots," said Rune.

    "I tried to play as good as possible, making it difficult for him, trying to, you know, play different kind of shots to mix up the rhythm in the game.

    "I think I did it well. I stayed very patient, very composed mentally. I'm very happy to get through."

    Rune beat Draper in their only previous meeting in Cincinnati last year. The Dane has more experience with three previous Masters 1000-level finals under his belt but said he expects an exciting fight for the trophy.

    "He's gained a lot of confidence. He's been improving. He's a lefty. Great serve. I think he's been serving well this tournament. Yeah, he's gonna be excited," said Rune.

    Source: China Daily by Reuters  Published: 18:49, March 15, 2025

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  7. (Xinhua) Lando Norris underlined his status as favorite for the 2025 Formula One World Championship, securing pole position for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

    Norris' time of one minute 15.096 seconds on Saturday was almost one second faster than last year's pole position time, with teammate and local favorite Oscar Piastri lining up alongside him on the front row, as McLaren laid down a marker as the team to beat both in Australia and in 2025 more broadly.

    The only serious threat to McLaren's dominance came from reigning world champion Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull looked quicker than it had on Friday, but the Dutchman had a poor start to his final flying lap and could only manage third, 0.385s shy of Norris.

    With rain set to fall during Sunday's race, there will be many unknowns for teams and drivers still to contend with in Melbourne, but Norris sounded in confident mood, praising his "unbelievable car" to his mechanics on his slow-down lap.

    Behind the top three, George Russell took fourth for Mercedes, with Yuki Tsunoda an excellent fifth for Racing Bulls, ahead of an equally impressive Alex Albon in his Williams.

    But it was a disappointing session for Ferrari, whose drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished only seventh and eighth, with both seemingly struggling with overheating rear tyres, and Hamilton lucky to make it through to the top 10 shootout after spinning on his final Q2 run.

    Pierre Gasly finished the session ninth in the first Alpine, with Albon's teammate Carlos Sainz set to line up 10th for his Williams debut.

    Tsunoda's teammate Isack Hadjar narrowly missed out on Q3 and lines up 11th, ahead of Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin.

    Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll follows on in 13th, ahead of Alpine's Jack Doohan and the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, who can be pleased at having out-qualified his experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg for his first Grand Prix.

    Knocked out in Q1 and starting a disappointing 16th will be Kimi Antonelli, after the Mercedes rookie dropped a wheel onto the gravel and damaged his floor, with Hulkenberg lining up 17th for Sauber.

    Liam Lawson was another who had an underwhelming session, finishing 18th after running wide and aborting his final run. The New Zealander has had a troubled weekend so far, having damaged his floor on Friday before suffering an apparent technical issue at the start of FP3, both of which limited his running.

    The back row of the grid will be locked out by the two Haas drivers, with Esteban Ocon ahead of Ollie Bearman, whose torrid weekend continued as he failed to set a lap time with a broken gearbox shortly after leaving the pits.

    The Briton has endured a litany of problems so far this weekend, having missed FP2 after damaging his car in an FP1 crash, and then spinning into the gravel on his first flying lap in FP3. 

    Source: Xinhua/China Daily  Published: 01:13, March 15, 2025 | Updated: 03:25, March 15, 2025

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  8. (Xinhua) China's rising tennis star Shang Juncheng announced via social media on Wednesday that he has successfully undergone foot surgery and is determined to return to the court as soon as possible.

    The 20-year-old revealed that the surgery aimed to address an injury sustained during this year's Australian Open. "After the Australian Open, my foot started causing issues. Over the past few weeks, my team and I consulted extensively with medical experts and decided to proceed with a minor procedure. The good news is the surgery went smoothly. I can't wait to get back on the court," Shang wrote.

    Shang had retired hurt in his Australian Open first round match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in January due to discomfort in his foot.  

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-13 10:29:15

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  9. (Xinhua) China's Zheng Qinwen bowed out of Indian Wells with a 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal loss to second-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland on Thursday.

    World No. 9 Zheng struggled with unforced errors at key moments and converted just two of five break points as Swiatek prevailed in an hour and 35 minutes in a match that was interrupted by bad weather.

    The result marked a reversal of the pair's semifinal meeting at the Paris Olympics last July, when Zheng beat the four-time French Open champion 6-2, 7-5 on her way to winning the gold medal.

    Swiatek, who is vying for her third Indian Wells title, converted all five of her break point chances and won 74 percent of points on her first serve.

    The 23-year-old raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set but Zheng rallied by breaking back and then holding serve.

    Swiatek clinched the set in her next service game and then took a 4-0 lead in the second frame before surviving another revival by her 22-year-old opponent to secure a place in the last four of the WTA 1000 event.

    "At the end it got really windy which made it super tricky especially when the conditions change during the match you need to adjust quickly and it's not that easy," Swiatek said in her on-court interview.

    "I am happy that I was pushing until the end. It was a weird match with all the breaks and everything but I wanted to be composed and really focused and I'm glad that I did that."

    Five-time grand slam winner Swiatek will face either Ukraine's Elina Svitolina or Mirra Andreeva of Russia in the semifinals.

    Source: Xinhua  Published: 19:07, March 13, 2025

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  10. (Formula1) Hamilton has scored 104 pole positions in his record-breaking F1 career to date, but his excitement for a possible first front-of-the-grid start for Ferrari is evident. The seven-time champion ended Friday practice in fifth, 0.420s off the pace of his session-topping team mate, Charles Leclerc.

    Asked if he could begin to dream of a first Ferrari pole, Hamilton conceded: “For me, I think it’s a little bit early as I just continue to get to learn the car, but never say never. I’ll still give it everything I’ve got tomorrow.

    “I’m just not putting too much pressure on. I’m going to try to enjoy it. I’ve got some pace to find. I know where to find it. It’s just about going out there and doing it and just building.”

    With only a day and a half of running in the 2025 Ferrari before taking to the track in Australia, Hamilton is yet to get fully up to speed with his new surroundings.

    He said: “P1 was a little bit messy. P2 was definitely starting to look a little bit better.

    “Also, I’m still getting used to all of the setup changes. I don’t have them on call like I used to have with Mercedes.

    “Where I’d been there so long, I knew exactly all the setup changes, so I’m still working through understanding what tools we can use, and it’s interesting you can see with Charles, he just knows because he’s been here for such a long time.”

    The battle at the front is expected to be fierce this year, with Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari all predicted to be in the hunt for wins, podiums and pole positions.

    With so many potential rivals, Leclerc refused to stake an early claim to the foremost grid slot.

    “I want to be cautious; let’s wait and see,” he said. “But it’s right to say that after a day like this, we are looking forward to tomorrow and we want to target pole position.”

    Asked if McLaren posed the only threat to Ferrari this weekend, Leclerc added: “For now, it is too early to say. I don’t think we’ve seen the real pace of everybody yet and I think some teams might hide their game a bit more than others.

    "But for sure, McLaren is up there. I think Red Bull might be struggling a little bit more for now, but you never know with them, and especially with Max, you can never rule them out. For sure, they will be in the fight.

    “Mercedes look strong as well, so it is going to be a good fight, I’m sure.”

    Source: Formula1 

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