Move FM Australian News

BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. Flame lighting ceremony for China’s 15th National Games held in Guangzhou.

The flame lighting ceremony for China’s 15th National Games, 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and 9th National Special Olympic Games was held in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, on Oct. 9, with one month to go before the opening of the National Games.

Representatives from the three hosts – Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao – raised their ceremonial torches to simultaneously light the official cauldron.

The “source flame” was extracted and ignited from combustible ice lying over 1,500 meters beneath the surface of the South China Sea in September.

China’s 15th National Games will be held from November 9 to 21, while the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games will take place from December 8 to 15.

2. Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai fails to reach quarterfinals at Wuhan Open.

Under the bright lights of the Wuhan Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Zhang Shuai waved to the cheering crowd after her third-round loss to world No. 3 Coco Gauff on Thursday night.

The scoreboard showed 3-6, 2-6, but the applause sounded like it was for a champion.

The 36-year-old veteran had just completed a week that felt like a comeback story. “Four straight days of matches in doubles and singles, and I’m still in great shape,” Zhang said. “At my age, I see endless possibilities of myself.”

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals on Oct. 10. Sabalenka, who has never lost a match in Wuhan since her debut in the central Chinese city since 2018, will next face Jessica Pegula of the United States for a final ticket.

Coco Gauff also made the last four with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory over Laura Siegemund of Germany and will face Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the semifinals.

3. Medvedev into Shanghai Masters semifinals.

Daniil Medvedev defeated seventh seed Alex de Minaur of Australia 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday.

The 2019 Shanghai Masters champion sealed victory with an ace and has now advanced to his 61st career ATP Tour semifinal.

“I was super tired, and I knew that against Alex, like against Learner, we would have long points,” said Medvedev, who had battled nearly three hours against Learner Tien in the previous round. “I think in the third or fourth game we had a couple of long rallies, and I thought it was going to be a long day, but I’m happy with the way I played.”

“I was really clutch in the important moments, hitting the ball great, and putting him under pressure. The second set was tight, but I found my best at the end. I’m really happy with the level,” he added.

Meanwhile, France’s Arthur Rinderknech defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first Shanghai Masters semifinal.

4. Ding to face Murphy in Xi’an Grand Prix quarterfinals.

Chinese Snooker star Ding Junhui reached the quarterfinals of the World Snooker Xi’an Grand Prix after smashing Oliver Lines 5-1 here on Friday, setting up a clash against Shaun Murphy on Saturday.

Ding achieved breaks of 63 and 134 to win the first two frames consecutively. The players then won a frame each, with Ding taking a 3-1 lead before the intermission.

Then Ding notched breaks of 83 and 121 respectively in the following two frames, eliminating the world No.64 from the tournament.

“My physical condition is good, and my performance has been stable in these rounds. I think I’m playing better than in the last two days,” said 38-year-old Ding. “The home crowd gives Chinese players great support and encouragement, helping us stay focused and execute our shots well.”