TABLE TENNIS

Tickets to worlds up for grabs in Shenzhen

The 2020 World Table Tennis Championships China Trials began on Wednesday in Shenzhen.

Twenty-four of the nation's top paddlers are battling it out until Saturday for tickets to March's world championships in Busan, South Korea. Winners of the men's and women's singles will each earn one million yuan ($143,000).

The men's singles field is comprised of Ma Long, Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong, Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun, Zhao Zihao, Xue Fei, Zhou Qihao, Zhou Kai, Xu Chenhao, Ma Te and Zhang Yudong.

The women's competition features Ding Ning, Liu Shiwen, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, Zhu Yuling, Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi, He Zhuojia, Gu Yuting, Liu Fei and Zhang Rui.

The mixed doubles pairings are Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen, Ma Long/Ding Ning, Fan Zhendong/Gu Yuting, Lin Gaoyuan/Wang Manyu, Liang Jingkun/Chen Meng, and Yu Ziyang/Sun Yingsha.

TENNIS

Venus out of Brisbane event due to 'setback'

Venus Williams has pulled out of the upcoming Brisbane International after suffering a 'setback' in training, the veteran American said on Wednesday.

Williams, 39, was set to join world No 1 Ash Barty, Karolina Pliskova and Naomi Osaka in a strong field at the Queensland Tennis Centre from Jan 6-12. Organizers said they would announce a wild card to take Williams' place in the draw for the tournament, which is a warm-up event for the Australian Open.

"Unfortunately, I won't be starting my season in Brisbane due to an unexpected setback during my training," said the seven-time Grand Slam champion. "I look forward to being in Australia in the new year and will see everyone at Adelaide."

The Adelaide International begins on Jan 13.

SOCCER

Blues blame $128m loss on player deals

Chelsea recorded a loss of 96.6 million pounds (around $128 million) for the year ending June 30.

The loss was revealed on Tuesday as part of the English Premier League club's latest financial results.

After two profitable years, Chelsea insisted it's still compliant with UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations. The club cited a lack of Champions League soccer, costs associated with changing manager and a record outlay on players Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho as reasons for the loss.

Turnover grew slightly to 446.7 million pounds, while the west London club made a 62 million pound profit in the previous year.

Celtic player 'grabbed opponent's genitals'

Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie could be set for a two-match ban after allegedly trying to grab the genitals of Rangers' Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos during Sunday's Old Firm derby in Glasgow.

The Scottish Football Association issued a fast-track notice of complaint on Tuesday against the Scotland international for allegedly committing a sending-off offense that went unseen by match officials.

Christie had already been booked before the incident at Parkhead. Television replays appeared to show him grabbing at Morelos' groin.

The hearing will be on Jan 6.

League leader Celtic, which lost the game 2-1 after Christie missed a first-half penalty, said it was astonished at the charge and would defend its player "vigorously".

Reports said Christie required groin surgery after the game following a separate tussle with Morelos, who was sent off in stoppage time.

BASKETBALL

Harden returns to lead Rockets to victory

James Harden scored 35 points after missing the last game with an injury to lead the Houston Rockets to a 130-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

The Rockets were back to full strength after Harden missed his first game of the season because of a sprained right toe in a loss to New Orleans on Sunday. Clint Capela (bruised heel) and Russell Westbrook (load management) also returned after sitting out on Sunday in the 127-112 defeat.

Nikola Jokic scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Westbrook had 28 points for his 11th straight game with 20 or more points, which is the longest streak by a Rockets player besides Harden since Yao Ming did it for 14 games in a row in 2006.

Xinhua - Agencies