Digest

SNOOKER

Fan fights back to keep Sheffield dream alive

Chinese teenager Fan Zhengyi came from behind to defeat Dylan Emery 6-4 in the opening round of the Snooker World Championship qualifiers on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old, who was crowned world under-21 champion in 2017, trailed Welshman Emery 4-1, but then won five frames in a row to reach the second round, where he will face Dominic Dale.

The world championship proper will be staged at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre from July 31 to Aug 16, with spectators permitted to attend.

The qualifying event is being held behind closed doors at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. On Tuesday, China's Chen Feilong and Wu Yize both won their matches, with compatriot Si Jiahui losing.

China's Ding Junhui and Yan Bingtao are already in the main draw due to their top-16 rankings.

SOCCER

CSL tightens lockdown amid Dalian outbreak

Chinese Super League (CSL) administrators have imposed stricter epidemic-prevention measures for its long-delayed restart this weekend after host city Dalian on Thursday reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases along with 12 asymptomatic infections.

The confirmation of the first case on Wednesday prompted the CSL to call an emergency meeting late that night, an insider said.

Strict measures were already in place for the league's kickoff in Dalian, however the CSL has now made wearing masks compulsory for everyone in the lockdown area, where a total of 1,870 people are based. All players and staff have tested negative for the coronavirus, according to the CSL.

The league has also informed teams, who are all housed in the same hotel in the lockdown area, to be braced for further virus prevention measures depending on how the outbreak develops.

The CSL's 16 teams have been split into two groups－one in Dalian and the other in Suzhou－to play a tournament-style competition behind closed doors from July 25 to Sept 28.

BASEBALL

Dodgers, Betts agree on blockbuster deal

One day before the start of the delayed season, the Los Angeles Dodgers reached deep into the future, signing outfielder Mookie Betts on Wednesday to a 12-year contract that will extend through the 2032 season.

No financial terms were released by the club, but the deal will keep Betts in a Dodgers uniform for 13 years at more than $380 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

That would be the second-largest deal in MLB history by total value behind Mike Trout's 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, signed in March 2019.

The four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner was the American League's MVP in 2018 when he led the majors with a .346 average, 129 runs and belted a career-high 32 home runs.

According to reports, he turned down a 10-year, $300 million offer from the Red Sox in the offseason, countering with a 12-year, $420 million proposal that the team turned down before dealing him to LA.

VOLLEYBALL

Men's league set to resume in August

The Chinese Men's Volleyball League will restart on Aug 20 in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province.

A total of 14 teams will compete behind closed doors between Aug 20 and Sept 2 in a championship format, the China Volleyball Association (CVA) announced on Wednesday.

The league played its first round of games on Jan 19 but was suspended soon after due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Team rosters will be limited to 14 players, and all players and team officers must have been registered before the season's suspension, according to the CVA. The 14 teams are: Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Shandong, Bayi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Henan, Tianjin, Guangdong, Liaoning, Hebei, Fujian and Hubei.

Xinhua - Agencies