Kicking off a whole new approach

English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion will travel to Shanghai this summer - a much easier journey than its previous visit to China, nearly four decades ago.

Score board

Vibrant Venus lights up New York night

Venus Williams autographed tennis balls while chatting with fans ahead of a low-key fashion show highlighting her spring tennis clothing line.

Conte confounded by another cracking shift from Kante

LONDON - Chelsea manager Antonio Conte joked he is struggling to find ways to improve N'Golo Kante after the France midfielder starred in the Blues' 2-1 win at West Ham United on Monday.

Guardiola greedy to grab City some silver

SUNDERLAND, England - Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City side it is now into "must-win" territory in its three-pronged bid for silverware this season.

Yes we Kane! Pochettino psyched for Chelsea chase

LONDON - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochetttino warned Chelsea that Harry Kane will keep Tottenham hot on the Blues' heels as the title race gathers pace.

Bonucci boots Juventus a little closer to glory

MILAN - Leonardo Bonucci's second-half equalizer saved Juventus' blushes a day after Roma virtually conceded the title as the champion was held to its first Serie A draw in over a year at Udinese.

Digest

TENNIS

Serving up some surprises

China's next wave of table tennis stars are out to end the dominance of revered veterans at The Marvelous12 national trials for the upcoming World Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Fan-friendly future built on innovation

Ewell Zhao, general manager of Tencent Sports, one of China's premier online sports service providers, sat down with China Daily to discuss why the internet-service giant partnered with the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the national teams to showcase the week-long Marvelous12 table tennis Tournament, which is underway in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

'Joke' All-Star format will be tweaked

NEW YORK - NBA commissioner Adam Silver promises format changes to make the NBA All-Star Game more competitive before next year's edition in Los Angeles after a high-scoring affair last month.

Strings with wings

Cellist Chu Yibing celebrated his 50th birthday with an audience of thousands including his musician friends in Beijing with a two-day event featuring recitals, workshops and movies in February 2016.