EDITORIAL: World Cup fever typifies Taiwanese

The great urge to learn everything about soccer during World Cup tournaments has become the norm in Taiwan every four years.

If a visitor was to browse the news, they might assume that the nation’s craze for soccer was similar to that in other parts of the world, going hand-in-hand with a professional soccer league and a couple of star players.

That is not the case. Taiwan ranks 176th among 207 members in the latest FIFA world ranking. It has neither a pro league, nor any soccer stars to speak of. The sport, like many others, has never caught the public’s attention and perhaps nine out of 10 Taiwanese have never watched a non-World Cup soccer game.

Lawmaker says CTBA’s decision on school unfair

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) has unfairly punished Chung Cheng Elementary School in Greater Kaohsiung over a scandal about “ineligible” transfer students playing, a lawmaker representing the city said yesterday.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) told a press conference that Chung Cheng’s use of a transfer student surnamed Wen (溫) in official competitions was a different case than other schools because Chung Cheng did not recruit Wen for his athletic ability.

DPP voices opposition to stadium conversion plan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chi Cheng (紀政) yesterday voiced their opposition to a Taipei City Government plan to turn a soccer stadium into a backpackers hostel.

The city government plans to renovate the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium and turn the multi-purpose facility, with a capacity of 20,000 for soccer games and up to 40,000 for concerts, into an international cultural exchange center for young people.

Keep Hsieh Su-wei in Taiwan, legislator urges

GREENER PASTURES?：Hsieh’s father said a Chinese firm offered her US$1.63m to play in China as a Chinese citizen. She receives only US$50,000 in endorsements in Taiwan
By Chris Wang and Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporters
Tue, Jul 09, 2013 - Page 1

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) yesterday called on President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to do whatever it can to keep Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇), who won the Wimbledon womens’ doubles tennis championship on Saturday, stay in Taiwan.

Lee’s comment came after Hsieh’s father, Hsieh Tzu-lung (謝子龍), said that a Chinese company had offered an endorsement of up to 10 million yuan (US$1.63 million) a year to have her play in the Chinese National Games, which would mean that his daughter could have to acquire Chinese citizenship.

Xavier Chen donates to CTFA

Taiwanese-Belgian soccer player Xavier Chen (陳昌源) yesterday donated NT$1 million (US$33,600) to the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA), in the hopes that the donation would help the association organize international friendly games that would promote the game in Taiwan. Chen said the donation was something he could do as an individual to help Taiwan promote soccer, and “there is no reason why Taiwan can not do better at sports.” The CTFA said it is in talks with Canada and New Zealand for an international friendly in Taiwan. Chen, who has a Taiwanese father and a French mother, played for KV Mechelen, a Belgian First Division team in Antwerp Province, until December last year, when he signed a contract with Guizhou Renhe of the Chinese Super League. The rightback made headlines in Taiwan in 2011 when he obtained Republic of China citizenship and joined the national team. He made his international debut and scored the game-winning penalty in a game against Malaysia.

Editorial: After the baseball thrill is gone

Now that the baseball fever that gripped the nation has subsided — at least temporarily until the next time the sport becomes an overnight fad — and the national baseball team has returned after its elimination from the quadrennial World Baseball Classic (WBC), it is a good time to re-examine the status of this popular pastime.

For two weeks, the game that has been described as Taiwan’s national sport was almost the only thing that mattered to the 23 million Taiwanese. The premier’s report to the legislature, the never-ending strife between political parties and even the anti-nuclear movement had to take a backseat to how Team Taiwan was doing in Taichung and Tokyo during the first and second round of the WBC.

Lawmakers argue over little league

KNOWING THE RULES:A baseball team from New Taipei City were disqualified from a tournament as two players failed to bring ID, but only after they were allowed to play
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The controversial disqualification of a junior baseball team from a tournament has prompted protests in Greater Tainan and New Taipei City (新北市) and is now pitting two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers against one another.

The New Taipei City team was disqualified from the Hsieh Guo-cheng Cup junior baseball tournament for boys aged 11 and 12 on May 1 because two of their players forgot to bring their ID card as required, but were nevertheless allowed to stay in the tourney, and went on to defeat Greater Tainan two games in a row on Thursday and Friday to win the competition.

DPP says King events in US are not appropriate

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Scheduled meetings with UN ambassadors from Taiwan’s allies and a speech on national security by a US delegation from President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) re-election campaign would be highly inappropriate, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

The delegation, whose members include executive director of Ma’s campaign office King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), left Taipei on Friday for a 12-day US trip. The delegation will visit six US cities, including Washington, Boston, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, to boost Ma’s support among overseas Taiwanese ahead of the January presidential election.

Information obtained by the DPP showed that King was scheduled to attend a seminar with UN ambassadors from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies on Wednesday in New York before delivering a speech at Harvard University on “Taiwan’s future and its relations with China” the following day, DPP spokesman Liang Wen-jie (梁文傑) said.

“King is only Ma’s campaign manager and does not hold any public office. In what capacity can King make a speech on national security and foreign affairs for Ma and convene a meeting with ambassadors?” Liang said at a press conference.

“This is a breach of protocol,” he said.

The DPP also panned King for arranging meetings with Taiwanese Major League Baseball players Wang Chien-ming (王建民) and Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志).

“These tricks show that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is willing to do whatever it takes to win the election,” DPP spokesman Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said.

While the KMT accused former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of “politicization of sports” for visiting Wang at Yankee Stadium in 2007, DPP spokesman Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) said Hsieh went as a fan.

Kang criticized what he said was the KMT’s attempt to “shadow” DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) US visit with an almost identical itinerary.

Ma’s re-election campaign office spokesman, Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國), said the delegation was led by Legislative Deputy Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) to send Ma’s regards to the ambassadors of Taiwan’s allies.

Additional reporting by Wang Yu-chung

Ma team wants to meet baseball stars in US

By Mo Yan-chih  /  Staff Reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) re-election campaign office yesterday confirmed that its delegation to the US will seek to meet with Taiwanese baseball pitchers Wang Chien-ming (王建民) and Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志) in praise of their dedication to sports. However, it denied that the delegation will attempt to use their fame for election campaign purposes.

The delegation, led by executive director of Ma’s re-election campaign office King Pu-tsung (金溥聰), will leave on a 12-day trip to the US today to boost Ma’s momentum among overseas supporters ahead of the January presidential election.

The visit sparked disputes yesterday as a new Facebook fan page was created revealing that Ma’s campaign team was contacting both Wang and Kuo’s agents, seeking to arrange meetings with the two Taiwanese star baseball players.

“Ma’s team is obviously trying to use the delegation’s meetings with Wang and Kuo to create a false impression that the two athletes are supportive of the KMT presidential candidate,” the page said, adding that the campaign team would also contact Taiwanese golf star Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) to also request a meeting.

The page alleged that Ma and his campaign office are making things difficult for Taiwanese athletes by asking them to cooperate with their campaign activities, and urged Ma and all other politicians to stop using athletes as tools for election purposes.

Ma’s campaign office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) yesterday said the delegation will have a 10-minute meeting with the two baseball players in the US, to relay Ma’s encouragement and blessing to them.

“There won’t be any political language in the brief meeting ... President Ma has always cared about the two players, and we hope all Taiwanese athletes overseas feel the support of the people of Taiwan,” she said.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the KMT should be ashamed of itself because anyone who understands US professional sports knows that ball clubs and players do not like to be disturbed during the regular season.

The best way to show your support for overseas Taiwanese athletes is to buy tickets and watch them play from the stands, Chen added.

Additional reporting by Chris Wang

Chinese pressured Yang to drop lawsuit: legislator

HE SAID, SHE SAID:：DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng cited a letter in which a Chinese sports official encouraged Taiwan to drop the case because he had many ‘friends’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter
Wed, Aug 03, 2011 - Page 1

Chinese pressure forced Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) to withdraw an appeal against her disqualification at the Asian Games last year from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday.

With the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association (CTTA) and the Sports Affairs Council (SAC) embroiled in allegations that they threatened Yang to get her to withdraw the appeal, DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) yesterday added that he suspected they were under the influence of strong Chinese pressure.

Citing a letter to former Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee chairman Chang Feng-shu (張豐緒) obtained by the DPP, Gao said senior Chinese sports official Wei Jizhong (魏紀中), president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), advised Taiwan to “weigh its options” in the appeal because he has many experienced “lawyer friends” in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“What are your chances of winning the case against us?” Wei asked in the letter.

Gao’s allegations came after former CTTA chairman Chen Chien-ping (陳建平) was quoted as saying in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Monday that Yang was forced to drop the appeal and sign a letter of proxy enabling the CTTA to handle the lawsuit on her behalf under threat from current CTTA chairman Angus Hsu (許安進).

DPP spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said on that same day that Hsu threatened Yang by saying that her place on the Olympic taekwondo team, the position of her boyfriend and coach Liu Tsung-ta (劉聰達), as well as her training expenses, would all be at stake.

Hsu has denied the accusations, while SAC deputy chairman Steven Chen (陳士魁) said on Monday that the council neither recognized the letter of proxy nor held the view that Yang has been threatened by Hsu.

Gao yesterday said the SAC was aware of the letter from Wei, but had done nothing to help Yang.

DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had promised to offer Yang full support in her effort to “clear her name” after being disqualified.

“It is time for them to speak out,” Tsai said. “And if Yang was threatened, the judiciary should launch an investigation into the matter.”

In response, Steven Chen said the latest accusations were a “ridiculous association” between two separate events.

Steven Chen said he knew Chang and Wei had exchanged opinions over Yang’s case in December last year, when the SAC was in the process of helping Yang file lawsuits against the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and the Asian Taekwondo Union.

“Chang relayed to us what Wei thought about the case, including [his advice to] not sue the OCA,” Chen said. “However, that was Wei’s opinion. We filed the lawsuits anyway.”

Chang said he had never seen the letter that Gao mentioned in the press conference.

Steven Chen said the council would have dropped the lawsuits in January or February if it really had no intention of continuing the legal process, adding that it did not have to wait until last month to make that announcement.

At a separate setting yesterday, Wu denied that Yang had been forced to withdraw the lawsuit.

Wu said he had asked Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) to relay his opinions on this case to Yang upon learning from the media that Yang intended to withdraw the lawsuit.

“I wanted Tai to tell Yang that she can’t just hastily decide to swallow [the ruling]. [The ruling] was something that can’t be swallowed at will. The government and the public will never swallow that. As long as you [Yang’s] defense is defensible, the government will back her up till the end,” Wu said.

NO CHANGE

The government has not changed its position in supporting Yang in appealing the case, Wu added.

Meanwhile, Hsu yesterday filed a slander lawsuit with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office against Chen Chien-ping over the latter’s remarks that he pressured Yang to withdraw her appeal.

Hsu also rebutted Chen Chi-mai’s remarks. However, he said he would not file a lawsuit against Chen Chi-mai now because it was election season, but he would consider filing a lawsuit against him after January’s elections.

Additional reporting by Shelley Shan,Shih Hsiu-chuan and Rich Chang

American player wins Taiwan basketball honor

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) American forward Rashad Jones-Jennings was named Most Valuable Player of the Super Basketball League (SBL) Tuesday, making him the first foreign player to win the annual honor in Taiwan's top basketball competition.

The 2.03-meter forward averaged a record-breaking 21.1 rebounds per game and helped his team, Pure Youth Construction, to finish as runner-up in the regular season with 19 wins and 11 losses.

The seven-team league held its annual award ceremony that day, five days after Taiwan Beer beat Dacin Tigers 4-1 in the best-of-seven finals to win its third title.

Jones-Jennings, known as a "rebound machine," led the U.S. Division I college basketball in rebounds in the 2006-2007 season with 13.1 rebounds per game playing for the University of Arkansas when he was a college senior.

The 26-year-old made the SBL First Team along with Tien Lei of Dacin Tigers, Chen Chih-chung of Yulon Luxgen, Chen Shun-hsiang of Bank of Taiwan and Chen Ching-hwan of Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor (KKL).

Pure Youth head coach Hsu Chin-tse, 37, became the first three-time Coach of the Year award winner after previously winning in 2008 and 2010.

Chien Chia-hung won his sixth Man of the Year award to cap a glorious afternoon for Pure Youth, which lost to Dacin 4-1 in the first round playoffs.

Chang Jung-hsuan of KKL was named Most Improved Player of the Year, while American forward Marcus Dove got the nod as the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in steals and blocked shots.

Taiwan Beer forward guard Yang Ching-min was named Most Valuable Player of the SBL Finals.

The SBL, the top-tier basketball league in Taiwan, was established in 2003. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan Beer wins pro-basketball league title

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan Beer beat Dacin Tiger 83-78 Friday night in Game 5 of the 2011 Super Basketball League (SBL) Finals to win its third title in team history with a 4-1 series win.

Taiwan Beer, which led the seven-team league in the regular season with 22 wins and 8 losses, swept the defending champion Yulon 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs before routing Dacin in the best-of-seven series for its first title in three years.

The regular season champs, who won back-to-back titles in 2007-2008, now has a 2-1 record over the Tigers in the SBL Finals. Taiwan Beer captured the title over Dacin by 4-2 in 2007, while Dacin, in turn, beat Taiwan Beer by 4-3 in 2009.

The team arguably has the best lineup in the league, which includes American forward Emmanuel Jones and local players Wu Tai-hao and Yang Ching-min.

The SBL, the top-tier basketball league in Taiwan, was established in 2003. Yulon won four titles in the league's first seven years. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ly

Tseng tied for second in first women's golf major of the year

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Defending champion and world No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan shot a 68 Saturday Taiwan time to move into a tie for second after the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, three shots behind leader Stacy Lewis of the United States.

Tseng, who opened the year's first major tied for 10th with an opening round 70 a day earlier, fired four birdies in her first five holes and ended the day with a two-round total of 6-under 138 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.

She was tied for second with 2009 Kraft Nabisco champion Brittany Lincicome and Jane Park, both of the U.S.

American Morgan Pressel and South Korea Amy Yang were tied for fifth, another shot back.

Tseng, who became the world's top player for the first time in her career earlier this year, said after her round that she did not feel any pressure coming into the tournament and was not thinking too much about defending her title.

"I told myself I try my best every shot and focus on what I can do and what I can control and always think positive, " she said.

If Tseng is not feeling much pressure, it may be because her main goal this year is to win the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam event she has not won in her young career.

She won the LPGA Championship in 2008 and the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the British Open last year.

Life after winning a major has been a lot harder, she said, because "you have more interviews, more people following, " and she has also had a lot more expectations for herself.

But she has grown more comfortable in the role this year, because she has become more accustomed to being the target of people's attention.

"This year I really enjoy what I'm doing, " she said. "I'm having so much fun. I enjoy playing the Pro Am and I enjoy the tournament. So I don't feel any expectations. I feel like I've been here for a long time."

As to her strategy for the final two rounds, she said it was fairly simple: "keep smiling and have fun." (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Dacin, Taiwan Beer to meet in Taiwan pro basketball finals

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Dacin Tigers will meet Taiwan Beer in Taiwan's 2011 Super Basketball League (SBL) Finals after eliminating Pure Youth Construction 4-1 in the best-of-seven first round playoffs Friday.

The best-of-seven Finals will be played from April 8-17 at Hsinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City.

The two teams will meet in the finals for the third time after splitting the previous two meetings, with Taiwan Beer defeating Dacin 4-2 in 2007 and Dacin winning 4-3 in 2009.

Led by star forward Tien Lei and import Alexus Foyle from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Tigers made the playoffs as the No. 3 seed after a 17-13 regular season and upset the No. 2 seed Pure Youth in five games.

Dacin will be looking for redemption after losing to Yulon Luxgen 4-2 in the title series last year.

Taiwan Beer, which led the seven-team league in the regular season with 22 wins and 8 losses, swept the defending champion Yulon 4-0 in the first round and was able to enjoy an 11-day rest before Game 1 of the Finals.

The regular season champion, which won back-to-back titles in 2007-2008, advanced to the finals for the first time in two years. It features arguably the best lineup in the league which includes American forward Emmanuel Jones and local players Wu Tai-hao and Yang Ching-min.

The SBL, the top tier basketball competition in Taiwan, was established in 2003. Yulon won four titles in the league's first seven years. (By Chris Wang) Enditem/cs

Taiwanese players hopeful of success in new MLB season

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) The Taiwanese quartet of Chien-ming Wang, Kuo Hong-chih, Hu Chin-lung and Ni Fu-te are hopeful of a brilliant new Major League Baseball (MLB) season which begins April 1 Taiwan time.

Unlike in the past, local fans will be looking at left-handed reliever Kuo and utility infielder Hu, who have earned spots on the 25-man opening day rosters with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, rather than Wang, the most popular of the four.

Wang has had a slow rehabilitation with the Washington Nationals after receiving shoulder surgery two years ago. He has never appeared in a game for the Nationals and his scheduled appearance in a simulation game earlier this month was shortened from two innings to one due to stiffness in his shoulder.

The 31-year-old, who had 55 wins and 26 losses with the New York Yankees from 2005-2009, has been placed on the 60-day disabled list and is looking at returning to the mound in May.

Kuo returned from a brilliant 2010 season in which he finished with three wins, two losses and 12 saves in 56 appearances, his best performance since making his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2005. He became the first Taiwanese player to earn a spot in the MLB mid-season All-Star Game.

The 29-year-old left-hander, who has had four surgeries on his elbow, also broke the Dodgers franchise record of the lowest earned run average (ERA) , finishing the season with an ERA of 1.20. He struck out 73 while yielding only 29 hits and 18 walks in 60 innings.

Kuo, who signed a one-year, US$2.725 million contract with the Dodgers prior to the start of the season, is expected to start as a set-up man but could end up with a bigger role if closer Jonathan Broxton does not do well.

Kuo had a .087 ERA in seven appearances in spring training.

Meanwhile, Hu, 28, saw a change of scenery after being traded from the Dodgers to the Mets. The utility infielder batted only .296 in the spring but his defense was praised by Mets manager Terry Collins. He is expected to be the first man off the bench as a second baseman or a shortstop.

The Tainan native, who only appeared in 96 games in four years with the Dodgers from 2007-2010 due to his subpar batting performance, is hopeful of winning more playing time this season.

Left-hander Ni will have to start the season down in the Minors after appearing in 58 games with the Detroit Tigers from 2009-2010 as a reliever. The 27-year-old was sent to the Triple-A Toledo March 9.

Ni, who said his biggest adjustment from last year was to simplify his approach and to stop thinking too much, could be called up to the Majors if the Tigers need help with their lefty relievers. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan Beer rolls into Taiwan pro basketball finals

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) American forward Emmanuel Jones scored 21 points as Taiwan Beer beat defending champion Yulon Luxgen 76-75 Sunday in Game 4 of the best-of-seven first round playoffs, to roll into the 2011 Super Basketball League (SBL) Final.

Jones, a 1.96-meter forward, made five crucial free throws in the last one minute and 30 seconds to help Taiwan Beer rally from a 12-point third-quarter deficit for the 4-0 series win at Hsinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City.

Taiwan Beer, which won back-to-back titles in 2007-2008, advanced to the finals for the first time in two years. It last appeared in the tile series in 2009, when it lost 4-3 to Dacin Tigers.

Cheng Jen-wei added 18 points for the regular season champion (22 wins, eight losses) , which made four three-pointers in the 23-12 fourth quarter to turn the game around.

Yulon, which beat Dacin 4-2 last year to win the title but fell to 15-15 this year in the regular season, was swept in a best-of-seven series for the first time in the team's history.

Taiwan Beer will enjoy an 11-day break before the best-of-seven finals April 8, also at Hsinjhuang Stadium.

The other finalist was to be decided later Sunday after Game 4 between Dacin Tigers and Pure Youth Construction. Dacin is also eyeing a sweep after three straight wins.

The seven-team SBL, the top tier basketball competition in Taiwan, was established in 2003. Yulon Luxgen won four titles in the league's first seven years. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwanese player honored in U.S. NCAA Division II basketball

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) A Taiwanese basketball player was named Most Outstanding Player in the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II basketball championship Sunday, even though his team lost in the title game.

Chang Tsung-hsien scored 35 points, the fourth highest personal score in championship's history, for Brigham Young University-Hawaii in a 71-68 loss to Kentucky's Bellarmine University to become the first player from a losing team to be named MOP since 1998.

"I don't really think too much about the award. Individual awards don't mean much to me. I wanted to help us win a title. That was the most important thing for me, " Chang, a 1.92-meter shooting guard, was quoted as saying by the NCAA's website.

"It was a good experience, especially to play in a championship game. I worked hard to help my team any way I could. I wish I could have done more, but I enjoyed having a chance to play here, " he added.

Chang, who goes by the nickname of "Jet, " tallied 78 points in two games in the Final Four and is the first Taiwanese player to win the MOP honor.

He also shot 14-of-17 from the field and made seven 3-pointers en route to a career-high 43 points in a 110-101 win over West Liberty University in the national semi-final March 25.

Chang, who hails from Taiwan's eastern county of Yilan, led Hsin-rong High School to Taiwan's high school league title in 2006. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwanese tennis player crashes out of Miami Masters

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun saw an early season slump continue Sunday when he lost to world No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the Miami Masters tennis tournament.

Ranked No. 43 in the world, Lu has never made it past the second round in any ATP Tour tournament he has played this year.

Lu last played Youzhny in January in a highly publicized exhibition series in Taiwan that also featured tennis great Andre Agassi of the United States and Marat Safin of Russia.

However, he was no match for his familiar foe in Miami, having trouble with both his return and his service game. Lu had five double faults and managed to win only eight points on his returns. He is now 0-2 in career head-to-head matchups against Youzhny.

After making an impressive run to the final eight at Wimbledon last year, Lu has managed to win only three singles matches this season -- over Lleyton Hewitt of Australia at India Wells, a first-round win over Pere Riba of Spain in Miami and a Davis Cup win over Gong Maoxin of China in Shanghai.

The 27-year-old will next pair up with German partner Florian Mayer to go up against Xavier Malisse of Belgium and Britain's Jamie Murray in the men's doubles first round.

In women's doubles, meanwhile, Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan and Zheng Jie of China lost to India's Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 in the first round.

With compatriot Chuang Chia-jung and Anatasia Rodionova of Australia also bowing out in the women's doubles first round, Hsieh Su-wei, who teamed up with Romanian Monica Niculescu for a 6-3, 7-6(4) opening round victory, is the only female Taiwanese player left in the tournament. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan fails to advance in soccer tournament

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Taiwan lost to Turkmenistan 2-0 Wednesday in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to see its dream of making the round of eight in the 2012 Asian Football Federation (AFC) Challenge Cup dashed.

Taiwan suffered its second straight Group B defeat in the 16-team group stage after losing the March 21 opener 3-0 to India.

Avoiding the ignominy of being the only winless team in the group will be the only incentive for Taiwan when it meets Pakistan in its final match scheduled for April 1.

The biennial tournament was established in 2006 by the AFC with the goal of giving countries in the "emerging associations class" -- the lowest of three AFC classes -- more exposure and game experience.

Eight teams -- the winners and runners-up of four four-team groups in the tournament -- will qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 finals.

The other three rounds of 16 groups are being played this week in Myanmar, the Maldives and Nepal.

Taiwan reached the group stage after defeating Laos by an aggregate 6-3 in a home-and-home qualifier in mid-February.

Taiwan's world ranking rose from an all-time low of 180th in April 2009 to its current 147th -- three spots shy of its best-ever ranking of 144th set in August 2006 -- according to the Chinese Taipei Football Association. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan to face Turkmenistan in crucial Asian football match

Taipei, March 22 (CNA) Taiwan's national soccer team will face Turkmenistan Wednesday in Malaysia in a crucial match that could determine whether it advances to the next round of the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Challenge Cup.

After a 3-0 defeat to India in the opening match of the 16-team group stage Monday, Taiwan will need a win over Turkmenistan at MBPJ Stadium in Kuala Lumpur to be reasonably placed to finish in the top two of the group and advance to the round of eight.

The biennial tournament was established in 2006 by the AFC with the goal of giving countries in the "emerging associations class" -- the lowest of three AFC classes -- more exposure and game experience.

Eight teams -- the winner and runner-up of four four-team groups in the tournament -- will qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Finals.

"Yesterday's outcome was not good but actually we played well. I believe we'll have a shot tomorrow if we take care of our transition game and seize scoring opportunities, " said Taiwan coach Lo Chih-tsun.

Previous Challenge Cup runner-up Turkmenistan joined India at the top of the tough Group B Monday after defeating Pakistan 3-0.

Taiwan reached the group stage after defeating Laos by a combined 6-3 in a home-and-home qualifier in mid-February.

Taiwan's world ranking rose from an all-time low of 180th in April 2009 to the current 147th, three spots shy of its best ever ranking of 144th, set in August 2006, according to the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA).

The other three round of 16 groups are being played this week in Myanmar, Maldives and Nepal.

North Korea beat Turkmenistan in the 2010 finals.

(By Chris Wang)

Enditem/ls