Digest

SOCCER

Mudryk signs for Chelsea in $108m deal

Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk became the latest big-money signing for Chelsea under the club's new American ownership, joining from Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday in a deal worth 100 million euros ($108 million) and on a remarkable eight-and-a-half year deal.

The 22-year-old Mudryk, who was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, was pictured holding up a Ukraine flag inside Chelsea's stadium before the Premier League game against Crystal Palace and posing for photos.

About 20 minutes into the match, Chelsea announced his signing and described him as "one of the most dangerous attacking players in Europe in one-vs-one situations."

"This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career," Mudryk said. "I'm excited to meet my new teammates and I'm looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff."

Chelsea didn't disclose the fee, but Shakhtar said in a statement it will receive 70 million euros ($75 million) and another 30 million euros "as a bonus payment."

SNOOKER

'I'm like a cat,' says Masters winner Trump

Judd Trump won the Masters for a second time on Sunday when he defeated Mark Williams 10-8 in the final.

Trump had claimed the title in 2019 while Williams, the champion in 1998 and 2003, was appearing in the championship match for the first time in 20 years.

Former world champion Trump sealed victory in some style, putting together a break of 126 having trailed 8-7 at one stage.

"It's incredible really, I got totally outplayed in the whole game," Trump told the BBC.

"I was just trying to hang on. At 8-7 down I was kind of gone and I managed to win that frame and then I played all right in the last couple of frames.

"I should have been out first round, should have been out second round, should have lost this one. I'm like a cat I am. It's easy to say but the way I played this week this is my best ever performance to win this."

Welshman Williams was bidding to become the oldest Masters champion, beating the record of Stuart Bingham, who was 43 years and 243 days old when he won in 2020.

TABLE TENNIS

China bags 4 titles at WTT Contender Durban

Chinese paddlers clinched four titles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Durban which concluded in Durban, South Africa on Sunday.

China's Qian Tianyi broke a 1-1 tie after two sets to get past her compatriot Fan Siqi 4-1 to be crowned the women's singles champion.

Three doubles events of the tournament featured all-Chinese finals. Zhang Rui and Kuai Man beat Qian and Shi Xunyao 3-1 in the women's doubles final, while Chen Yuanyu and Lin Shidong defeated Xu Yingbin and Xu Haidong 3-1 in the men's doubles title contention.

Lin and Kuai emerged victorious 3-1 over Xue Fei and Qian in the mixed doubles final on Saturday.

World No 7 Hugo Calderano of Brazil swept Yaroslav Zhmudenko of Ukraine 4-0 in the men's singles final.

Chinese paddlers will head to Doha, Qatar for the WTT Contender Doha.

BADMINTON

Shuttlers win women's, mixed doubles titles

Chinese shuttlers captured women's doubles and mixed doubles titles at the 2023 Malaysia Open finals in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Women's doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan outmatched South Korea's Baek Ha-na and Lee Yu-lim 21-16, 21-10 to clinch the title, while mixed doubles duo Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong defeated Japan's Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21-19, 21-11 to successfully defend their title.

China's men's doubles pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang lost to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, 21-18,18-21, 21-13.

Men's singles world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark delivered a crushing 21-6, 21-15 defeat to Japan's Kodai Naraoka, while Akane Yamaguchi of Japan bagged the women's singles title after overcoming South Korea's An Se-young 12-21,21-19, 21-11.

MOTOR SPORTS

Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Rally for fifth time

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won his fifth Dakar Rally driver's title and second in a row on Sunday after the iconic test of endurance finished in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The 52-year-old won three stages and had more than an hour's advantage in the overall standings over Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, who also finished runner-up last year.

Al-Attiyah's Toyota teammate Lucas Moraes of Brazil finished third.

Al-Attiyah took the overall lead after the third stage, having built up a commanding advantage in the first week and deployed a safety first strategy in the second half of the race.

Loeb, though, gave it all he could as he won a record six successive stages in the second week. But the 48-year-old Frenchman had lost so much time on the first part of the race that it was a lost cause.

Two of the main contenders Loeb's compatriot Stephane Peterhansel and Spaniard Carlos Sainz failed to finish the race.

The 14th and final stage honors went to Loeb's Prodrive teammate Guerlain Chicherit.

Agencies