Snooker: Judd Trump compiled two century breaks as he booked his quarter-final spot in the China Open by thrashing Marco Fu 5-1, yesterday. The Englishman reeled off breaks of 109 and 110 as he breezed through the last-16 encounter to set up a meeting with Mark King in Beijing. King, fresh from knocking out former world champion Shaun Murphy on Wednesday, raced past Martin O’Donnell 5-0. Reigning world champion Stuart Bingham had breaks of 75 and 77 as he set up a quarter-final clash with Ricky Walden by seeing off Rod Lawler 5-2. Walden compiled a 135 as he edged Tian Pengfei 5-4.
Basketball: Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson announced her retirement yesterday after doctors said her battered knees were not up to the rigours of contesting for a fifth Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro this year. The 34-year-old power forward, who won two championships with the Seattle Storm, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in December with her knee joint later becoming infected.
Swimming: Swimming authorities need to increase the number of doping tests to preserve the sport’s credibility and stop fans turning away according to Britain’s triple world champion and double world record holder Adam Peaty. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is investigating allegations of Russian state doping and an alleged cover up of positive tests in China that have rocked the sport. “I know testing week-on-week is expensive, but what is more expensive is swimmers coming out as cheats and then people not watching,” he was quoted as saying by British media. “I’ve just been tested three times in the past few weeks and that’s how it should be.”
Basket, NBA: Former Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming will be joining the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, multiple media outlets reported. The announcement will come this weekend in Houston during the Final Four when the 2016 class is unveiled. The 7-foot-6 Yao played nine seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets after starting his career in Shanghai.
Cricket: Late replacement Lendl Simmons led a charmed life to blast 82 not out and carry West Indies to a nail-biting seven-wicket win in the last over against India in the second semi-final of the World Twenty20 yesterday. Simmons was caught twice at the Wankhede Stadium, on 18 and 50, but both times the bowlers had overstepped for no-balls and he made the hosts pay dearly for their mistakes as West Indies set up a final against England on Sunday. Simmons plays for Mumbai in the Indian Premier League and was only called into the squad two days ago as a replacement for the injured Andre Fletcher. He cracked seven fours and five sixes in 51 balls and added an unbeaten 80 with Andre Russell for the fourth wicket to take West Indies home with two balls to spare.
Davis Cup: Defending champions Czech Republic will bid for a third straight Fed Cup final appearance in April without the firepower of its top players Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The Czechs have won the premier women’s team event the last two years and four times since 2011 thanks to the strength of the ace duo. The team takes on Switzerland in Lucerne in a semi-final on April 16-17 but will be without the pair, after they agreed with team captain Petr Pala that they would sit out this stage.