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Philippines wins opener over Kazakhstan, 96-59

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
THE Philippine Basketball Association-powered national team got its 18th Asian Games campaign to a good start on Thursday, defeating Kazakhstan, 96-59, in their preliminary Group D match at the Gelora Bung Karno Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Got off to a strong start, the Philippine team just built on it the rest of the way, with a balanced and aggressive attack, to hold off the Kazakhs en route to the win.
Gabe Norwood, Stanley Pringle and Maverick Ahanmisi jolted the Philippines’ charge at the start, helping the team to a 12-2 lead early.
Kazakhstan tried to battle back but could not find the mark as much as it wanted to, slumping to a 16-9 deficit at the end of the opening quarter.
The Philippines continued to lord it over Kazakhstan to begin the second canto as James Yap joined the scoring fray.
The veteran Rain or Shine player would help the nationals in creating further distance with steady long bombs.
When the first-half smoke cleared, the Philippines was comfortably ahead, 41-20.
Kazakhstan came out of the third quarter scoring better from the outside, making constant attempts to chip away at the lead of the Philippines.
But the Filipinos would not relent, keeping the offensive pressure on their opponents as Messrs. Yap, Pringle, and Christian Standhardinger continued to hit the mark.
The Philippines eventually settled for a 61-43 advantage heading into the final frame.
Comfortably ahead, the Philippines went for the early finish to start the payoff quarter.
It went on a 12-4 run in the first three and half minutes, to build a 73-47 lead and coasted to the victory thereafter.
Mr. Pringle led the Philippines with 18 points with Mr. Standhardinger adding 15.
Mr. Yap had 12 while Paul Lee finished with 10.
Anton Bykov paced Kazakhstan with 13 markers and Dmitriy Gavrilov added nine points.
Next for the Philippines is a meeting with China on Aug. 21 where Filipino-American National Basketball Association player Jordan Clarkson is set to make his debut for the Philippine team at the Asian Games.
The Philippine team, which is backed by Smart Communications Inc, is hoping to emerge in the top two in the grouping to advance to the next round of the Games.

Ynares twin bill opens PBA Governors’ Cup

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
THE season-ending Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)Governors’ Cup kicks off today with a double-header set at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
An import-laden tournament, with height limit for reinforcements capped at 6’5”, festivities will be opened up by the encounter between Columbian Dyip and Meralco Bolts at 4:30 p.m., followed by TNT KaTropa against the NLEX Road Warriors at 7 p.m.
Columbian, which finished at ninth place in the previous conference Commissioner’s Cup, will be bannered by PBA-debuting Akeem Wright, a 33-year-old player who paraded his wares at Kansas State in college before taking his act to different parts of the world.
Mr. Wright will try to help a Columbian team, which will now be coached by Johnedel Cardel, to have a better finish to its PBA season.
Meralco, meanwhile, has brought back former best import awardee Allen Durham to complete what has been an elusive goal for the Bolts.
Led the Bolts in the Governors’ Cup finals in each of the last two seasons, losing each time to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, Meralco hopes third time is a charm for them with Mr. Durham in tow.
“AD is a good player and we expect him to make us competitive,” said Meralco Bolts coach Norman Black on the decision to bring back Mr. Durham even as he said that he is looking to get more from young guns Baser Amer and Chris Newsome in the about-to-start tournament.
In the second game, TNT begins its campaign that will have it led by Mike Glover, who previously played for GlobalPort (now NorthPort) Batang Pier.
During his stay with the Batang Pier as replacement in the 2016 Governors’ Cup, Mr. Glover posted steady numbers of 25.7 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, something the KaTropa are banking on exploiting following quarterfinal finishes in the two previous conferences this season.
NLEX, for its part, will be headlined by Oluseyi Ashaolu, who already saw action for the Road Warriors at the tailend of the Commissioner’s Cup.
A veteran of the Japan League, Mr. Ashaolu said he is bullish of their chances in the Governors’ Cup and is looking forward to help NLEX go deeper in the tournament.
The Road Warriors will begin their campaign sans head coach Yeng Guiao, who is in Indonesia leading the PBA-powered Philippine national basketball team at the 18th Asian Games.
In the PBA Governors’ Cup, Barangay Ginebra is the back-to-back defending champion and is looking at adding another title with Justin Brownlee at the forefront.
Tournament format has teams playing in a single-round robin eliminations with the top eight advancing at the end of classification play.
The top two teams earn twice-to-beat advantages in the quarterfinals over the two lowest seeds with the rest playing in a best-of-three.
Semifinals is a best-of-five while the finals is a best-of-seven affair.
Completing the cast of imports are Mike Harris (Alaska), Henry Walker (Blackwater), Romeo Travis (Magnolia), Rashad Woods (NorthPort), Eugene Phelps (Phoenix), J’Nathan Bullock (Rain or Shine), and Arizona Reid (San Miguel).

Team Philippines’ Asian Games campaign gets under way

THE Philippines’ campaign at the 18th Asian Games gets under way with the official opening of the quadrennial sporting spectacle this weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Bannered by 272 athletes competing in 35 categories, Team Philippines is angling to improve on its 22nd place finish in the 2014 Games where it only had one gold to show for on top of three silver and 11 bronze medals.
Actor-athlete-public official Richard Gomez is the chief-de-mission of the country to the Games with Filipino-American National Basketball Association player Jordan Clarkson as the flag bearer.
Among the categories the Philippines is set to compete in are archery, athletics, basketball, bowling, boxing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, golf, judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, sailing, softball, sepak takraw, shooting, soft tennis, sport climbing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu.
To inspire the athletes further, the government has pledged cash incentives for those who will bring home medals from the Games.
A P2-million incentive will be given for every gold won, P1 million for silver, and P400,000 for bronze.
The Philippine Olympic Committee has also pledge to hand out additional cash incentives for medal winners.
In the send-off in Malacañang early this week, President Rodrigo R. Duterte encouraged the Filipino athletes to give their best and champion fair play each time.
“Fight not only for yourselves but also for your families and most of all, our country. I’m proud of you,” said Mr. Duterte at the send-off.
“Your presence here is a testament to the indomitable Filipino spirit. I join the Filipino people in wishing you all the best as you hold the values of integrity, resilience and also sportsmanship in your pursuit of the gold,” he added.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez also wished the athletes a good campaign at the Asian Games.
“There are different faces of victory. All we expect is for the athletes to do their best and play fair and square. That in itself is already a victory for us,” Mr. Ramirez said.
In the 2014 Games in Incheon, South Korea, BMX rider Daniel Caluag was the lone gold medallist from the Philippines.
He is set to defend his title in Indonesia.
The 18th Asian Games will run from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

League-leading Pirates girding for tough battle with Knights

THE league-leading Lyceum Pirates go for their eight straight victory today in Season 94 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, taking on the Letran Knights in a scheduled match for 4 p.m. at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
It is a game that the Pirates (7-0) are bracing for as they are expecting not to have it easy against a very competitive Letran crew which until its loss to defending champions San Beda Red Lions last time around was on a roll.
“This game is big for us. Letran is a veteran team. They really beefed up in the offseason. They have a champion coach in Jeff Napa and respect to them because they have won a lot of championships,” said Lyceum coach Topex Robinson when asked for his thoughts on their match against Letran.
He went on to say that they will take the game as it is, adjusting how they see it fit and hopefully come out on top and preserve their unblemished record.
“At the end of the day we don’t have control of how our opponents play but we can control ours. They have a deliberate style of play, so it’s a battle of contrasting styles and we’re excited to play them,” he said.
The Pirates are coming off a 77-65 victory over the College of St. Benilde Blazers on Aug. 7 where they were challenged but proved to be a handful down the stretch to book their seventh win in as many games.
CJ Perez led Lyceum with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Mike Nzeusseu added 16 and 13.
“There’s always going to be a challenge. There’s always going to come a time where we have to push ourselves to the limit and do our best and I’m glad my boys didn’t give up on this one,” said Mr. Robinson said following their hard-earned win.
BOUNCE BACK
Letran, meanwhile, looks to bounce back after having its four-game winning streak snapped by San Beda in overtime, 80-76, on Aug. 10.
The Knights (4-2) had the Lions on their backs as regulation expired but just could not complete the job to absorb their second defeat of the season.
Bong Quinto had 21 points while JP Calvo and Jio Ambohot had 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the loss.
Opening seniors play today is Arellano Chiefs (3-3) vs. St. Benilde (3-4) at 12 noon to be followed at 2 p.m. by Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals (2-5) against Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (0-7). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Nguyen recalibrates, focuses on heavier divisions

FOLLOWING two unsuccessful forays as a bantamweight, two-division ONE Championship world champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen has reconsidered his career tack and focusing on the heavier weight divisions.
The reigning featherweight and lightweight champion, Mr. Nguyen saw his quest for a third world title shut down in successive fashion.
He fell first to bantamweight champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandez of Brazil in his first jab at the 65.8-kg division crown, losing by split decision in March before being silenced by Filipino Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon by unanimous decision in their battle for the interim world title in July.
The twin defeats had forced Vietnamese-Australian Nguyen to reevaluate, before finally deciding to focus for now on featherweight and lightweight.
“I was naive. I thought the weight cut was not going to be an issue, but it played out in the fight,” said Mr. Nguyen, referring to his last fight against Mr. Belignon.
“I did not feel tired — I could have gone another five rounds, but with my toe, it just came to a point where my reactions were off, and Kevin’s speed was impeccable. I could not adjust, and everything just came into play,” he added.
Mr. Nguyen underscored though that his bantamweight sojourn was not completely for naught as it allowed him to better understand himself as a fighter and should serve him well moving forward.
“It was a good learning curve, and a good experience overall, but I will stick to my roots where my body feels stronger and more comfortable,” Mr. Nguyen said.
The two-division world champion went on to say that he is ready to take on all-comers for his belts, who include former champions Shinya Aoki of Japan and Filipinos Eduard Folayang and Honorio Banario in lightweight, and Narantungalag ‘Tungaa’ Jadambaa of Mongolia in featherweight.
Mr. Nguyen has yet to defend his lightweight belt after seizing it from Mr. Folayang in November last year while he defeated Christian Lee of Singapore in their featherweight title clash in May. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Djokovic overcomes stomach trouble as Zverev exits in Cincy

CINCINNATI — Novak Djokovic battled stomach issues to beat Adrian Mannarino and reach the third round in Cincinnati on Wednesday as women’s title holder Garbine Muguruza crashed out.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic called for the doctor during the second set against Mannarino but put aside his discomfort to progress 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 over the Frenchman before rain halted the afternoon play.
“I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t have a great night and wasn’t feeling that well for the first set and a half,” said Djokovic, who has won every Masters 1000 title except Cincinnati.
“I kind of made it through, and with the help of the doctor and God…I’m just, you know, happy that I managed to overcome the challenge.
“Credit to him playing well the first set, but I wasn’t myself.”
Seventh-seeded Muguruza played for the first time since crashing out in the second round of her Wimbledon title defense, falling 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Lesia Tsurenko.
“It was a very ugly match, but I’m happy that I fought, even if the level wasn’t very high,” said Muguruza, who got a late start to her hardcourt buildup to the US Open because of an arm injury.
“At the end she managed to come back in the third set and play better and found a way to win the match.
“I’m happy I didn’t feel (arm) pain. Obviously I didn’t have a lot of practices to try to recover, so I had to manage a little bit.”
Marin Cilic, the 2016 men’s champion, beat Romanian Marius Copil 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, but third-seeded Alexander Zverev was upset 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 by Dutch veteran Robin Haase.
The German remains winless in four appearances at the pre-US Open tournament. His early exit comes a week after he lost in the Toronto quarter-finals to fellow youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas
The 55th-ranked Haase clinched a surprise victory when Zverev fired a return long after losing serve six times.
“I think I played well. Today my returns I think were really, really good,” Haase said.
“The first serve he hit at me was 136 (mph), and I just hit it right back. I was good from my side.
“Nowadays against top 10, 20, maybe top 50 you have to be a little bit lucky.”
Zverev came into the event leading the ATP with 43 match wins this season, while it was a seventh career win over a top 10 player for Haase. — AFP

Atletico comes back to beat Lopetegui’s Real Madrid in extra time to win the UEFA Super Cup

TALLINN — Saul Niguez and Koke scored in extra time as Atletico Madrid fought back to beat city rivals Real Madrid 4-2 and win the UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn on Wednesday, as Julen Lopetegui got off to a losing start with the European champions.
Real had earlier looked set to win the trophy in their first competitive game since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Zinedine Zidane when a Sergio Ramos penalty put them 2-1 up in the second half.
That came after Karim Benzema cancelled out Diego Costa’s first-minute opener in the Estonian capital, but Costa hauled Diego Simeone’s side level again late on to force extra time.
Simeone’s men then looked stronger in the extra period as they won this competition, the annual meeting of the Champions League and Europa League winners, for the third time in nine seasons.
“I stayed at Atletico because the project is a good one. I have confidence in this club, in the coach and I saw tonight that I was not mistaken,” said Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann who was linked with a move to Barcelona in the summer.
Atletico defender Lucas Hernandez added, “To win this trophy is something great but to do it against our eternal rival is even better.”
Real had won the trophy under Zidane in each of the last two years, and emerged victorious against their neighbours in the Champions League finals of 2014 and 2016.
But this result comes after a close season in which Atletico have strengthened while Real look to have gone backwards, with no replacement signed for Ronaldo after his move to Juventus.
Griezmann started for Atletico at the compact Lillekula Stadium, fresh from helping France to World Cup glory last month.
In contrast, former Spain coach Lopetegui left Luka Modric on the Real bench at kick-off, seeking to ease the Croatian playmaker back after he led his country to the World Cup final. — AFP

Major Davis Cup shake-up eyed by divided tennis leaders

ORLANDO — A major Davis Cup revamp that would condense the annual global tournament into an 18-team, week-long event will be voted upon Thursday with major tennis leaders divided over the proposal.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) annual meeting in Orlando will see about 120 delegates decide the fate of the 118-year-old men’s team competition with two-thirds majority support needed to approve the measure, which is backed by federation president David Haggerty.
Kosmos, a group led and founded by Barcelona football star Gerard Pique and backed by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, has vowed $3 billion over 25 years to support the new event.
Haggerty vows more money, about $25 million, will go to national tennis associations to invest in grassroots level support.
“The money that we make will be put back to the nations for their development programs and the future of tennis,” Haggerty said.
But opponents of the plan include Tennis Australia and Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
“There are a lot of people, a lot of current and former players, who are frustrated by it and see this as a money grab,” Aussie Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said.
Added Aussie tennis legend John Newcombe: “Unfortunately their plan is a recipe for the death of the Davis Cup as we know it.”
The LTA came out against the reforms Wednesday ahead of ITF delegate discussion on the plan.
“After consulting widely, regrettably, we do not feel we can support the proposals as they stand,” said LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd.
An LTA statement cited concern over scheduling the event in November, stretching the schedule after the ATP season-finale into an already-thin off-season, risking top player attendance and fan support. The LTA also raised concerns over “the clarity of how the business case will work in practice” and the great division over the idea. — AFP

Long comeback

SERENA Williams showed no trace of disappointment when she faced members of the media following her second-round defeat at the Cincinnati Open the other day. If anything, she took pains to underscore that her comeback from a lengthy absence due to childbirth and pregnancy-related complications is proceeding as well as she can hope it to be. Never mind that her efforts in returning to competitive tennis already appeared to have paid off with a sterling run to the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Final last month. And forget that it was followed by the most lopsided loss of her career in her opener at the Silicon Valley Classic.
Perhaps Williams accepted that her latest tormentor is far from a slouch; in fact, Petra Kvitova has already won five titles this year, best on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour. Perhaps she also saw in the two-time Grand Slam titleholder’s own experience that the road to recovery requires patience. “I’m still at the very beginning,” she contended. “This is a long comeback.” She’s right, of course, and her advanced age — when countless other pros at 36 have difficulty getting up in the morning, let alone getting back to the top — makes the work doubly difficult.
Nonetheless, Williams cannot but be expected to prevail every time she treks to the court regardless of the quality of the opposition. After all, it’s also what she expects of herself, the burdens of child-rearing and family life aside. Which is why, at the United States Open later this month, she figures to do the same old, same old: compete as best she can and carve a path to the championship. As tall an order as it may appear, she believes she’s ready and able; whenever she wields a racket, she wields to win.
In the immediate term, Williams will have to make a decision. Does she sign up for the Connecticut Open next week as a wild-card entry? Or does she come in from the cold at Flushing Meadows? The answer should provide fans a glimpse of her level of confidence heading into the last major stop of the year. As for her level of preparedness, only time can tell.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Duterte orders DFA to talk to Chinese counterparts regarding recent actions in disputed sea

The recent remarks of President Rodrigo R. Duterte asking China to temper its behavior in the South China Sea has not affected the country’s relations with the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said.
The President made the statement in response to reports that the Chinese navy stationed in the region has issued warnings to a Philippine military aircraft flying over the militarized area in South China Sea.
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday evening, Mr. Cayetano said he, along with Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr., has informed the President Wednesday afternoon that the radio warnings were just “routine.”
Despite the assurances, he said Mr. Duterte has instructed them to talk to the his counterparts in China to find a “better way of talking to each other.”
“I was with the Defense secretary and the NSA secretary then we went to the President this afternoon, and we told him Sir, this is routine. We continue to tell anyone who goes into our waters fly over that you are in Philippine territory, and they continue to tell us,” he said.
“But the President gave us instructions regardless if it’s routine, regardless of good intentions, whatever, that’s not how friends treat each other so he asked me please talk to your counterparts we’ve worked out many things in the past he’s confident we can work this out,” he added. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

China-US to resume low-level talks in bid to resolve trade war

China will dispatch Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen to the U.S. for low-level trade talks in late August, the first official exchanges since earlier negotiations broke down two months ago.
The Chinese delegation led by Wang will meet with an American group led by David Malpass, under secretary for international affairs at the Department of the Treasury, at the invitation of the U.S., China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its website on Thursday.
The news buoyed risk sentiment in Asian trading, with futures on the S&P 500 Index rallying as much as 0.4 percent. The offshore yuan gained against the dollar for the first time in seven days.
“This will be ‘talks about trade talks,’” said Gai Xinzhe, an analyst at the Bank of China’s Institute of International Finance in Beijing. “Lower-level officials will meet and haggle and see if there is a possibility for higher-level talks.”
China’s equity market has suffered declines and the yuan has been on a losing streak for more than a month. Chinese authorities, bracing for an economic fallout, have introduced measures to support growth ranging from shifting toward a more accommodative monetary policy to boosting fiscal spending.
The two nations had appeared to have reached a deal in May after Chinese Vice Premier Liu He — President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser — led a group of officials to Washington. But Trump backed away from the agreement soon afterward, and ever since the two sides have been locked in a trade standoff as they slapped tariffs on billions of dollars of each other’s goods.
The commerce ministry reiterated in the statement that China is against trade protectionism and won’t accept any unilateral trade restrictions. “China welcomes communications and dialogue on the basis of reciprocity, equality and integrity,” it said.
The Trump administration imposed duties on $34 billion of Chinese goods last month, a move that also prompted immediate retaliation from Beijing. Another $16 billion in levies will be effective later in August. Earlier this month, China announced a list of $60 billion worth of U.S. imports it plans to apply tariffs on, after Trump ordered officials to consider imposing a 25 percent tax on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, up from an initial 10 percent rate.
Wang, who is the key official leading China’s trade talks worldwide, led an advance team to Washington in May. In a July interview, he told Bloomberg that he didn’t understand why the U.S. quickly reversed its course.
“Good faith negotiation is required,” Wang said then. “For any talk to be successful, no party should point a gun at the other party.”
Economists weren’t expecting much from the planned talks.
“Malpass has no trade authority,” said Derek Scissors, chief economist at the China Beige Book. “But nice for Chinese stocks.” — Bloomberg

China developing satellites to monitor territory in South China Sea

China is developing a satellite system that will allow it to closely watch the South China Sea, the China News Service reported, helping it to consolidate control over the disputed waters.
The first of 10 satellites is expected to be launched in the second half of 2019, China News said, citing the Sanya Institute of Remote Sensing, which is heading the project with sponsorship from the government of Hainan, China’s southernmost island province.
Cameras and identification technology on the satellites will allow China to monitor ships sailing in the waters, the news agency reported. Plans to develop the system were announced in December last year.
China claims more than 80 percent of the South China Sea, a thriving fishing zone which carries around $3.4 trillion worth of global trade each year. Five other countries including the Philippines and Vietnam also claim parts of the same maritime area.
“The Chinese seem to have moved very fast on this,” said Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “Couching all this under an ostensibly civilian looking program that has numerous military and maritime law enforcement applications has far-reaching strategic ramifications for the South China Sea disputes.”
China has reclaimed thousands of acres of land in the waters and built ports, runways and other military infrastructure on seven artificial features it has created.
In June, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned Beijing that it would face consequences in the long term that could persuade it to change track with regard to the South China Sea.
“I believe there are much larger consequences in the future, when nations lose the rapport of their neighbors,” Mattis told the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. — Bloomberg

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