Eala advances to Final Four of Workday Canberra International

January 2, 2025 | 7:21 pm

RED-HOT Alex Eala essayed a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win against home bet Taylah Preston to march on to the Final Four of the Workday Canberra International on Thursday in Australia.

Ranked No. 147 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Ms. Eala capitalized on Ms. Preston’s sloppy play in the decider behind an aggressive service and return game to score the quarterfinal win in one hour and 52 minutes.

The 19-year-old Filipina sensation forced Ms. Preston, WTA No. 170, to four errors including two in the rubber set to complete a near shutout and move closer to a pro title to start the New Year.

Holder of five singles and three doubles titles in her young career, Ms. Eala did it after rising all the way from the qualifiers, where she proved her billing as the No. 1 seed by sweeping her way to the main draw.

The proud graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain first trounced a pair of home bets in Catherine Aulia, 6-1, 6-2, and Alana Subasic, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1, in the qualifiers to advance.

Ms. Eala, a former US Open junior champion, then beat Austria’s Sinja Kraus, 6-2, 6-4, in the Round of 32 and Dutch standout Arianne Hortono, 6-3, 6-3, in the Round of 16.

A deep run in Canberra should be an added fire to Ms. Eala’s motivation for a much-awaited stint in the Australian Open from Jan. 12 to 26 in Melbourne.

This will be her first Grand Slam tourney this year after a series of near-breakthroughs in 2024, including qualifying round finals stints in the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

In those majors, she came so close to etching history as the first player to ever play in a Grand Slam main draw, which she hopes to finally achieve in the Australian Open, where she’s a former junior doubles champion. — John Bryan Ulanday

PHL will field 20-strong delegation to Asian Winter Games

January 2, 2025 | 7:20 pm

THE PHILIPPINES will field in its biggest delegation to the Asian Winter Games set next month in Harbin, China with hopes of setting the stage for accomplishing in the Winter Olympics what the country did in the last two Summer Olympics where it snared a total of three gold medals.

“We’ve already accomplished the dream in the Summer Olympics — three gold medals in consecutive games,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham Tolentino, referring to feats by of lifter Hidilyn Diaz, who struck gold in Tokyo four years ago, and gymnast Carlos Yulo, who snared a pair of mints in Paris last year.

“And that dream we want to also achieve in the Winter Olympics,” he added.

Although the POC has no official record of the nation’s participation in the quadrennial meet, which will be now on its ninth edition, the Tagaytay City mayor and PhilCycling chief believes the 20-strong squad they are fielding should be the most ever.

“And our athletes are competing in six of the 11 sports on the Harbin program,” he said.

Mr. Tolentino said he hopes the Harbin meet will start the Filipino athletes’ dream of also claiming a gold in the Winter Games, slated for Feb. 6 to 22 next year in Italy.

“The Winter Olympics are as extremely tough as the Summer Olympics, but we have proven that it could be done,” Mr. Tolentino said.

The team will be composed of curling’s Marc Angelo Pfister, Enrico Gabriel Pfister, Christian Patrick Haller, Alan Beat Frei, Jessica Pfister, Benjo Delarmente, Kathleen Dubberstein, Leilani Dubberstein, Sheila Mariano and Anne Marie Bonache, figure skating’s Paolo Borromeo, Aleksandr Korovin, Cathryn Limketkai, Isabella Marie Gamez and Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank, alpine skiing’s Francis Ceccarelli and Talullah Proulx, freestyle skiing’s Laetaz Amihan Rab, short track speed skating’s Peter Joseph Groseclose and snowboarding’s Adrian Tongco.

Richard Lim is the chief of mission. — Joey Villar

Another triple-double for Hart sends sizzling New York Knicks past visiting Utah Jazz

January 2, 2025 | 7:20 pm

JOSH HART posted his second straight triple-double and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds for the third consecutive game on Wednesday night as the undermanned New York Knicks pulled away from the visiting Utah Jazz in a 119-103 victory.

The Knicks extended their winning streak to nine games despite the absence of star point guard Jalen Brunson (calf), who missed a game for the first time this season, and backup guard Miles McBride, who was slated to start for Brunson before he was scratched due to a tight left hamstring.

Hart didn’t score until the final seconds of the first half yet still finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Towns had 31 points and 21 rebounds as he became just the third Knicks player in team history — joining Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Patrick Ewing — to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive games.

New York’s Mikal Bridges finished with 27 points while OG Anunoby had 22 points. Precious Achiuwa scored 12 points off the bench and put the Knicks ahead for good at 26-25 when he opened the second quarter with a dunk.

Rookie Tyler Kolek, who produced 36 points and 11 assists while playing almost 40 minutes earlier on Wednesday for the G-League Westchester Knicks, added two points and four assists in 12-plus minutes for the parent club after being pressed into duty by the injuries to Brunson and McBride.

Collin Sexton and reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points apiece for the Jazz, who raced out to an 18-8 lead before taking their fifth straight loss. Lauri Markkanen (16 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double, though he shot just 6-for-22 from the field and 1-for-10 from 3-point range. Keyonte George scored 15 points, and Johnny Juzang added 10 points.

The Knicks began taking control in the second, when Towns scored 10 points and the hosts led by as many as 13 points. The Jazz pulled within 77-73 on Clarkson’s 3-pointer with 3:01 left in the third, but New York mounted an 18-6 run bridging the quarters and eventually led by 20 down the stretch. — Reuters

Arsenal beats Brentford to close gap on Liverpool

January 2, 2025 | 7:19 pm

LONDON — Arsenal showed they can cope without the injured Bukayo Saka as they began the year in style by recovering from an early sucker-punch to beat Brentford 3-1 away and move back into second place in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Forward Saka, arguably Arsenal’s most influential player this season, has been ruled out for at least two months after hamstring surgery, dealing a blow to the club’s title hopes.

A visit to a Brentford side who have been impressive at home this season felt like a must-win game for Arsenal but things began badly as Bryan Mbeumo gave his side a 13^th-minute lead with the home side’s first attack.

Arsenal did not panic, though, and Gabriel Jesus continued his recent resurgence to equalize before halftime.

Mikel Arteta’s side came out firing in the second half and Mikel Merino put them ahead five minutes after the restart after Brentford failed to deal with a corner.

Three minutes later Gabriel Martinelli produced a clinical volleyed finish to put Arsenal in complete control.

The victory lifted Arsenal above Chelsea and Nottingham Forest with 39 points from 19 games with leaders Liverpool on 45 from 18. Injury-hit Brentford’s second home defeat of the season left them in 12^th spot with 24 points from 19 games.

Defeat would have left Arsenal nine points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, but the way they reacted to going behind suggests they can still be a factor in the title race.

Arteta will also have been impressed with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri after handing him a first Premier League start.

“I think the team showed a lot of composure. To keep insisting, keep attacking them,” Arteta, whose side are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, said.

“We can only win our next match and see what happens. It’s not in our hands, but what is in our hands we need to make sure we do it.”

Arsenal did not lose a London derby in 2024 and have started off in similar fashion.

They were caught cold, though, when Brentford burst forward in the 13^th minute and Mbeumo was given too much space to cut in from the right and fire a shot past David Raya.

Raya was almost left red-faced soon after when he allowed a Mbeumo shot to burst through his gloves but he managed to race back and claw the ball off the line.

It proved a pivotal moment as less than a minute later Brentford was guilty of failing to clear the ball and it eventually arrived for Thomas Partey to fire a shot that was parried by Mark Flekken and Jesus dived to head in the rebound.

It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in his last four games for Arsenal in all competitions, as many as in his previous 48 games for the club.

“I keep working and everyone at the club can tell how I work every day, not just me but everyone. I don’t give up and it is not easy to play for a big club like Arsenal,” Jesus said.

Arsenal’s efficiency from set-pieces was evident again early in the second half when a corner caused chaos in the area and Merino was able to fire home a loose ball.

Martinelli gave the visitors breathing space with a superb finish when the ball came out to him on the edge of the box. — Reuters

Broncos’ Sean Payton: Chiefs earned right to rest players

January 2, 2025 | 7:19 pm

THE BRONCOS would clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday, and Denver coach Sean Payton isn’t concerned that the opposition won’t be at full strength.

Denver (9-7) plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), who have wrapped up AFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs will hold out quarterback (QB) Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the regular-season finale to keep the squad healthy for a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl title.

Payton said on Wednesday, “Like I said to the team this morning, ‘Our focus has got to be on this team in general.’ They’ll be, I’m sure, some different people in different places.

“Credit to Kansas City, (Chiefs coach) Andy (Reid) and his team. When you go 15-1, then you’re afforded those decisions. I’ve been in that position where your team might need a break here or there. They’ve earned that and that’s part of the deal. For us, it’s about understanding what we’re seeing scheme-wise and being ready to play our best game.”

Chiefs backup QB Carson Wentz will get the start in place of Mahomes. Wentz owns a 47-45-1 record as an NFL starter but is on his fifth team in five years and has made just one start over the past two seasons, a win for the Los Angeles Rams one year ago this week.

“He’s in this league for a reason,” Payton said. “He’s big, and he’s strong. He was a first-round draft pick. We spoke during the offseason a little bit with him and his agents. It’s the player but it’s also everything around it and understanding what they’re trying to do.”

The Broncos would wrap up a wild-card berth with a victory or if both Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals lose or tie this weekend.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in the team,” Payton said. “Yes, it’s a big game. Like I said before, I think we’ll play in bigger, but this is a big game. It’s a division opponent. We’re playing a team with championship pedigree. They’re well-coached and we’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for what they’ve accomplished.

“We understand (that) we’re going to have to play well. That’s what gets you excited about coaching in this league. It’s what gets you excited about playing in this league. It’s important we have a good week of preparation.” — Reuters

Lionel Messi’s real estate trust debuts in Spain with 223 million euro market capitalization

January 2, 2025 | 7:18 pm

MADRID — A real estate investment trust, launched by Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, has made its Spanish market debut at €57.4 per share, giving it a market capitalization of €223 million ($232.12 million).

Messi, the Inter Miami player and former FC Barcelona forward, is named as chairman of Edificio Rostower Socimi’s board in documents published by the Portfolio Stock Exchange, a European alternative market that is supervised by the Bank of Spain.

Edificio Rostower owns seven hotels in Spain and Andorra, three office spaces and five apartments in Spain, as well as apartments in London and Paris, the documents said.

Founded in 2013, the company posted a 1.7 million euro loss in 2023, according to records the Portfolio Stock Exchange published.

Edificio Rostower did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its stock market debut, which took place on Monday.

Most of the company’s investments are in the Spanish region of Catalonia, where Messi, 37, moved in 2000 when he was 13 years old to join FC Barcelona’s youth teams.

He lived there until 2021 when he unexpectedly left FC Barcelona to sign for Paris St.-Germain after the heavily indebted Catalan club said it could not afford to keep him because of LaLiga’s financial fair play rules.

The eight-times Ballon d’Or winner has long said he plans to return to live in Barcelona with his wife and three children after he retires from soccer.

Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, is the board’s vice-president. The other members of the board are Alfonso Nebot, who runs Messi’s family office, and Ramon Adell, who is a board member of Spanish energy company Naturgy. — Reuters

Lakers need James, 40

January 2, 2025 | 7:17 pm

LeBron James’ first match since he turned 40 years old didn’t quite begin the way he wanted. Even as he put up double digits on efficient shooting in the opening quarter, he found the Lakers playing catch-up ball from the get-go. And although the hosts would manage to make a handful of runs for the remainder of the set-to (and even take the lead briefly in the second canto), there was little to no indication that they would emerge victorious at the final buzzer. Absent the counting and advanced stats that tilted heavily in favor of the Cavaliers, they seemed to lack the focus required to pass the eye test.

When all was said and done, the Lakers absorbed a loss in their last set-to of 2024. They might have headed into it with grand expectations, in no small measure because James had hitherto been resplendent in his showings on or around his natal day. Unfortunately, they ran into the Cavaliers, pacesetters in the National Basketball Association for a reason. Not for nothing had stalwarts in the Western Conference laid an egg versus the very franchise that drafted the 20-time All-Star first overall in 2003, and the purple and gold simply became the latest victims.

Interestingly, the West is so bunched up that movement one way or the other following any given encounter invariably disrupts standings. The setback the other day dropped the Lakers two spots to seventh. And while more than half of the 2024-25 campaign remains on the schedule, there is cause to contend that the trend will stay the same. Which is to say every game counts. For the purple and gold, the hope is that new additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton will make enough of a difference for them to rise above mediocrity.

Needless to say, much of the Lakers’ fate depends on how well James can keep holding Father Time at bay. This season, the dropoff in his productivity, typically in trickles, has been more pronounced — so much so that he can no longer carry the bulk of the load. In fact, he needs a lot of help; he got some from fellow All-NBA selection Anthony Davis and transplanted playmaker Austin Reaves the other day, and yet they still failed to register a triumph. At the same time, his influence extends off the court; for all the talk about swooning league ratings, he has been a surefire box office draw even in his advancing age.

And therein lies the rub. The Lakers and James are made for each other, compelling draws and perennial subjects for second guessing. He’s keen on summoning his unique brand of magic in timely spurts to get them closer to the hardware, and they’re only too willing to ride him until the wheels fall off.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Yoon vows to ‘fight until end’

January 2, 2025 | 6:14 pm

SEOUL — South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has sent a letter rallying his supporters saying he would “fight until the end” as he faces an attempt by authorities to arrest him over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law, a lawyer said on Thursday.

“I am watching on YouTube live all the hard work you are doing,” Mr. Yoon wrote in the letter late on Wednesday to the estimated hundreds of supporters who have gathered near his official residence protesting his investigation.

“I will fight until the end to protect this country together with you,” he said in the letter, a photo capture of which was sent to Reuters by Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Mr. Yoon.

The opposition Democratic Party, which has majority control of parliament and led the impeachment of Mr. Yoon on Dec. 14, said the letter proved Mr. Yoon was delusional and remains committed to complete his “insurrection”

“As if trying to stage insurrection wasn’t enough, he is now inciting his supporters to an extreme clash,” party spokesman Jo Seoung-lae said in a statement.

A court on Tuesday approved a warrant for Mr. Yoon’s arrest, which potentially would make him the first sitting president to be detained as part of investigations over allegations he masterminded insurrection by trying to impose martial law.

Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint team of investigators that include the police and prosecutors, has until Jan. 6 to execute the arrest warrant.

It was unclear when and how it would make the arrest and whether the presidential security service, which has blocked access by investigators with a search warrant to Mr. Yoon’s office and official residence, would try to stop the arrest attempt.

Separately, Mr. Yoon’s trial on impeachment is being heard at the Constitutional Court. The court will hold the second hearing on Friday. Mr. Yoon has been suspended from presidential duties and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has taken over as acting president until the outcome of the trial.

If the court upholds the impeachment and Mr. Yoon is removed from office, a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Yoon Kab-keun, a lawyer for the impeached president, said the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid because the CIO did not have the authority under South Korean law to request a warrant.

The warrant for Mr. Yoon’s arrest and also a search of his office and residence was issued after the conservative career prosecutor defied repeated summons by investigators to appear for questioning in the criminal investigation separate from the Constitutional Court trial.

A former Defense minister who officials said recommended Mr. Yoon declare martial law has been indicted on charges of insurrection and will go on trial on Jan. 16. Some of the top military officers commanding the defense of the capital, Seoul, have also been indicted for their alleged involvement. — Reuters

Taiwan reports first Chinese ‘combat patrol’ of the New Year

January 2, 2025 | 6:13 pm

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s Defense ministry said on Thursday that Chinese warplanes and warships had carried out the first “combat patrol” around the island of the New Year, after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te again expressed willingness to talk to Beijing.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sends its military into the skies and waters near the island on an almost daily basis, and holds what Taiwan calls “joint combat readiness patrols” several times a month.

Taiwan’s Defense ministry said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets, carrying out a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan in conjunction with Chinese warships starting on Thursday morning.

It said the Chinese aircraft flew in the airspace to the north, west, southwest and east of Taiwan, and that Taiwanese forces were dispatched to keep watch.

China’s Defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Lai, in his New Year’s Day news conference, reiterated his desire for exchanges with China. He has repeatedly called for talks but has been rebuffed. Beijing, which held two rounds of war games around Taiwan last year, calls him a “separatist.”

On Wednesday, China’s Eastern Theatre Command, whose area of responsibility includes Taiwan, released a New Year’s video on social media of warships and warplanes, and what appeared to be a Chinese fighter jet flying near a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft that the US sometimes sends through the Taiwan Strait.

The video, set to the song “Chinese” by Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau, also included images of Chinese students visiting Taiwan late last year at the invitation of former President Ma Ying-jeou.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung told reporters in Taipei on Thursday that the video was yet more Chinese psychological warfare.

“It is the People’s Liberation Army showing its intimidation of Taiwan,” he said.

Mr. Lai and his government say only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. — Reuters

Romania, Bulgaria fully join EU’s borderless Schengen zone

January 2, 2025 | 6:12 pm

European Union Flag-EU — A EUROPEAN UNION’S flag flutters outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 15, 2020. — REUTERS

ROMANIA and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union’s (EU) Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks.

Fireworks lit the sky at a crossing close to the Bulgarian border town of Ruse just after the stroke of midnight as the Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers symbolically raised a barrier on the Friendship Bridge straddling the Danube River. The crossing is a major transit point for international trade.

Checks on traveling by air and sea from Bulgaria and Romania were lifted in March 2024, but land checks continued until Austria last month dropped a veto it had maintained on the grounds that more was needed to stop irregular migration.

Border checks between France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were first dropped in 1985. The Schengen area now covers 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Ireland and Cyprus are not members of the Schengen zone. — Reuters

Apple offers rare iPhone discounts in China as competition intensifies

January 2, 2025 | 6:11 pm

BEIJING — Apple is offering rare discounts of up to 500 yuan ($68.50) on its latest iPhone models in China, as the US tech giant moves to defend its market share against rising competition from domestic rivals like Huawei.

The four-day promotion, running from Jan. 4-7, applies to several iPhone models when purchased using specific payment methods, according to its website.

The flagship iPhone 16 Pro with a starting price of 7,999 yuan and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a starting price of 9,999 yuan will see the highest discount of 500 yuan. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will receive a 400 yuan reduction.

The discounts come as consumers remain cautious with spending amid China’s slowing economy and deflationary pressures, with the country’s consumer inflation hitting a five-month low in November.

Apple is grappling with declining market share in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, where local manufacturers have intensified competition.

Huawei has emerged as a particularly strong challenger since its return to the premium segment in August 2023 with locally-made chipsets. Huawei had cut the prices of a variety of high-end devices, including mobile phones, by up to 3,000 yuan over the weekend on one of China’s leading e-commerce platforms.

Apple briefly fell out of China’s top five smartphone vendors in the second quarter of 2024 before recovering in the third quarter. The US company’s smartphone sales in China still slipped 0.3% during the third quarter from a year earlier, while Huawei’s sales surged 42%, according to research firm IDC.

The Apple promotion also includes discounts of 200 to 300 yuan on older iPhone models, as well as other categories of products such as MacBook laptops and iPad tablets. Customers must use designated payment methods including WeChat Pay or Alipay to qualify for the discounts. — Reuters

Chinese hack of US Treasury breached sanctions office – report

January 2, 2025 | 6:10 pm

WASHINGTON — Chinese government hackers breached the US Treasury office that administers economic sanctions, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, identifying targets of a cyberattack Treasury disclosed earlier this week.

Citing unnamed US officials, the Washington Post said hackers compromised the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of Financial Research and also targeted the office of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The department earlier this week disclosed in a letter to lawmakers that hackers stole unclassified documents in a “major incident.” It did not specify which users or departments were affected.

Asked about the paper’s report, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the “irrational” US claim was “without any factual basis” and represented “smear attacks” against Beijing.

The statement said China “combats all forms of cyberattacks” and did not directly address the Washington Post’s reporting on specific targets.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newspaper report.

The Washington Post quoted its sources as saying that a top area of interest for the Chinese government would be Chinese entities that the US government may be considering designating for financial sanctions.

The Treasury letter earlier this week said hackers compromised third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust.

Chinese firms, individuals and entities have been a frequent target for US sanctions, which Washington has used as a key tool in its foreign policy towards Beijing.

The United States considers China its biggest foreign policy challenge, and last month Yellen told Reuters that Washington would not rule out sanctions on Chinese banks as it seeks to reduce Russia’s oil revenue and access to foreign supplies to fuel its war in Ukraine. — Reuters