Digest

CHESS

China claims title at online Nations Cup

A 2-2 draw against the United States in the Superfinal of the FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup was enough to secure China the title after its superb round-robin stage.

Ding Liren and four-time women's world champion Hou Yifan drew against Hikaru Nakamura and Irina Krush.

Wei Yi lost to Fabiano Caruana while Yu Yangyi contributed the decisive victory against Wesley So to tie the match.

In the case of a tie, the team with the best performance from the round-robin stage is crowned champion.

In the 10 games he played, China's third board Yu Yangyi scored 7.5 points (six victories, three draws and one loss) to finish as his team's best performer.

American Caruana's unbeaten record (six victories and three draws) earned him the tournament MVP accolade.

The tournament was comprised of six teams－Russia, the US, Europe, China, India and a Rest of the World selection. Running from May 5-9, it featured 10 rounds of games to decide the top two teams for the Superfinal.

BASKETBALL

Giannis' brother eyes Euro route to NBA

The younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo plans to skip US college and play pro ball in Europe because he sees it as a faster route to the NBA.

Prospect Alex Antetokounmpo graduated from a high school in Milwaukee and has received scholarship offers from several colleges, including DePaul University in Chicago.

"I want to become a pro as soon as possible," he said. "I was born and raised in Europe. I know European basketball and the best thing for me would be to sign a contract with a European club."

The 6-foot-7 (2 meters) Alex was born in Greece and played forward last season for Dominican High School.

If he reaches the NBA, Alex would become the fourth member of his family to get there, joining older brothers Giannis, the 2018-19 league MVP; Thanasis, who also plays for the Bucks; and Kostas, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Alex moved to Milwaukee from Greece in 2013 during Giannis' rookie season with the Bucks.

MOTOR RACING

British GP in talks over quarantine exemption

Formula One is working to put on a British Grand Prix in July even if the country imposes quarantine measures on visitors during the COVID-19 crisis, F1 sources said on Sunday.

The Sun newspaper quoted a government source as saying there would be an exemption for sports, with Formula One and soccer teams free to travel from Britain and return without restrictions once competition resumes.

It said athletes and teams would be expected to undergo a rigorous testing regime and isolate themselves immediately if they tested positive for the coronavirus.

Formula One sources told Reuters that conversations with the government were ongoing.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday that "it will soon be the time... to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air".

Quarantine has big implications for Formula One, with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone scheduled for July 19－the weekend after teams complete a planned doubleheader in Austria on July 5 and 12.

Chinese driver Zhou wins F2 virtual GP

China's Zhou Guanyu won the second round of the F2 Virtual Racing series on Sunday after an intriguing tussle with Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Ferrari driver Charles.

Leclerc started on pole position in Sunday's F2 race, staged on a virtual Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with he and Renault Academy driver Zhou soon pulling away from their rivals.

Zhou, who races for UNI-Virtuosi Racing in Formula 2, overtook Leclerc on lap six and held on for the victory to follow up his triumph in the first F1 Virtual Grand Prix on the Bahrain circuit in March.

After dropping back to sixth and then fighting back to second, Leclerc was ultimately forced to retire on the last lap due a technical issue.

With numerous grands prix postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, F1 and F2 are endeavoring to keep fans entertained by stating the virtual series.

TENNIS

French Open may be staged without fans

The president of the French Tennis Federation says holding the French Open without fans later this year is an option.

The clay-court tournament at Roland Garros was initially slated to be held May 24-June 7, but was rescheduled for Sept 20-Oct 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bernard Giudicelli tells French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that "organizing it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, (like) television rights and partnerships. It's not to be overlooked."

Giudicelli adds that "the lack of visibility is genuine" when hosting a tournament without fans but "we are not ruling any option out".

That could potentially mean moving the start date back to Sept 27, something Giudicelli says "does not change much".

The FFT is refunding all tickets for the original dates and a new ticketing procedure will be opened if the tournament goes ahead.

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July with many host countries in lockdown.

Pique 'pessimistic' over Davis Cup finals

Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique is "pessimistic" that the Davis Cup Finals, which his company finances, will be held in Madrid this year.

Pique's Kosmos investment group has a 25-year deal worth $3 billion with the International Tennis Federation.

However, he believes that the Nov 23-29 finals in the Spanish capital could fall victim to the coronavirus.

"There is a lot of uncertainty, we try to be aware of what the government says regarding sports and to whether we can put spectators inside the Caja Magica," Pique told Movistar television.

"I would say I am a bit pessimistic, because a Davis Cup without fans is difficult.

"I think that nobody at the moment has the certainty that we can put fans in or if it will have to be behind closed doors. As the days go by, I suppose we will have a little more clarity."

Agencies - Xinhua